Montana ranked ninth in the nation for year-over-year job growth, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced, citing a new report placing the state among the country’s strongest job markets.
According to a report by Stat Ranker, which compared all 50 states on year-over-year growth in total nonfarm payroll employment between February 2025 and February 2026, Montana added more than 2,100 jobs over the year, representing a 0.4% job growth rate and placing ninth nationally for both jobs added and overall job growth.
“Montana continues to rank as one of the best states to start or grow a business, earn a competitive wage, and secure a good-paying job,” Gianforte said. “As we continue to reform our regulatory environment to support job creators and cut taxes to give money back to the hardworking Montanans who earned it, we see the results of conservative policies at work as the Treasure State ranks in the top ten states with the strongest job growth.”
The announcement comes on the heels of several major economic milestones. Gianforte last week attended the groundbreaking for Janicki Industries’ $800 million manufacturing campus in Great Falls, expected to create more than 2,000 jobs over the next decade, and the ribbon cutting for Amazon’s sixth Montana delivery station, bringing the company’s total state employment to more than 800.
Last month, the governor announced Montana ranked in the top five states with the fastest-growing economies since 2021, based on a Visual Capitalist report showing Montana’s GDP grew 16.1% between 2021 and 2025, compared with the national average of 10.8%. Montana also ranks third in the nation for fastest wage growth and is one of only two states where wage growth has outpaced inflation since 2020. The average wage earned by Montana workers reached $60,037 in 2024.
Montana’s fiscal health has also improved significantly during Gianforte’s tenure, rising from 22nd to 8th nationally between 2021 and 2025. Since taking office, Gianforte has paid off the state’s general obligation debt, making Montana debt-free in 2023 and saving Montanans $40 million over two years.
Montana’s unemployment rate stood at 3.4% in May, below the national rate of 4.3%, and the state consistently ranks among the top 15 states with the lowest unemployment rates in the nation.
By: DNU News wire