Governor Steve Bullock
today announced Montana’s unemployment rate was at 11.3% in April due to
impacts created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Montana unemployment rate remains
below the national rate of 14.7% in April.
“Montana
took early and aggressive action to combat the virus and save lives, allowing
us to be one of the first states in the nation prepared to reopen,”
Governor
Bullock said.
“While we are not immune to the significant economic
challenges facing the nation, we are working every day to safely reopen and
ensure Montana stays on a path to long-term economic recovery. There is still a
lot of work to do, and we are dedicated to maintaining a healthy workforce,
while continuing to provide immediate economic relief for Montana families and
businesses who are hurting.”
Montana’s unemployment rate for the month
of April was captured on April 12 during the stay at home order. Total
employment, which includes agricultural, payroll, and self-employed workers,
decreased by 55,766 jobs in April. Since the unemployment rate was calculated
in April, a significant number of Montanans are returning to work. Nearly
18,000 Montanans have already returned to work since the state began reopening.
DLI has issued $376
million in unemployment benefits since March 16 to ensure Montanans can
continue to provide for their families during the emergency.
Montana was among the
first states in the nation to begin processing claims for those who are
self-employed. The Montana Department of Labor & Industry has worked
diligently to process an unprecedented number of unemployment insurance claims
and implement new programs issued by the federal government to provide an extra
$600 a week benefit, to extend the length of time individuals can receive
benefits, and offering unemployment insurance for self-employed and other
individuals typically not eligible for benefits.
Leisure activities, which includes hotels, restaurants, movie
theaters, and other entertainment and recreation businesses, was the hardest
hit, with losses approaching nearly half of their total employment and
exceeding 32,000 jobs. All industries posted losses except the federal
government.
The
most up-to-date claims and economic information, including county impacts, can
be found at DLI’s job tracking website at lmi.mt.gov/home/job-tracking.
The Consumer Price
Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) fell 0.8% in April
,
with the sharpest decrease in gasoline prices. Prices for apparel, airline
fares, lodging away from home, and vehicle insurance also contributed to the
decline. The index for all items less food and energy, also called core
inflation, fell by 0.4%.
###
** Unemployment figures are seasonally-adjusted.
Seasonally-adjusted numbers remove the effects of events that follow a more or
less regular month-to-month pattern each year. These adjustments make
non-seasonal patterns easier to identify. The margin of error for the
unemployment rate is plus or minus 0.6 percentage points at the 90 percent
confidence level. All questions relating to the calculation of unemployment
rates should be directed to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry’s
Research and Analysis Bureau at 406-444-4100.
The next Labor Situation Report for the month of May will be released
on Friday, June 19.
****
INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET ****
Visit our website at www.lmi.mt.gov for additional information and
analysis, including industry employment levels, background on the unemployment
rate, and wage rates by occupation.
****** COUNTY UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ******
The unemployment rate and
ranking for each of Montana’s 56 counties is provided below for your
convenience. County unemployment rates and employment levels are not
seasonally adjusted and should be compared to the unadjusted statewide
unemployment rate of
11.9%.
|
Unemployment Rate
|
Employment
|
Rank
|
County
|
Current Unemployment Rate
|
Change over Year
|
Current Employment
|
Job Change from Last Year
|
1
|
Liberty
|
2.8
|
0.8
|
918
|
-31
|
2
|
McCone
|
3
|
1.4
|
871
|
-57
|
2
|
Petroleum
|
3
|
0.1
|
255
|
-15
|
4
|
Carter
|
3.2
|
0.3
|
606
|
-5
|
5
|
Daniels
|
4.3
|
2.9
|
799
|
-71
|
6
|
Garfield
|
4.4
|
2.8
|
689
|
-35
|
7
|
Treasure
|
4.6
|
1.9
|
310
|
-15
|
8
|
Powder River
|
5.3
|
3.6
|
879
|
-43
|
9
|
Blaine
|
5.4
|
2.2
|
2,225
|
-190
|
10
|
Fallon
|
5.9
|
4.4
|
1,483
|
-178
|
11
|
Chouteau
|
6
|
3.6
|
2,214
|
-145
|
12
|
Prairie
|
6.2
|
2.8
|
411
|
-43
|
13
|
Golden Valley
|
6.8
|
2.7
|
328
|
-24
|
13
|
Sweet Grass
|
6.8
|
4
|
1,588
|
-125
|
15
|
Teton
|
6.9
|
3.8
|
2,431
|
-223
|
16
|
Beaverhead
|
7.2
|
4.3
|
4,395
|
-499
|
17
|
Dawson
|
7.3
|
5.2
|
3,919
|
-603
|
18
|
Judith Basin
|
7.4
|
4.6
|
951
|
59
|
18
|
Pondera
|
7.4
|
3.7
|
2,331
|
-232
|
20
|
Valley
|
7.5
|
4.7
|
3,525
|
-385
|
21
|
Rosebud
|
7.7
|
3
|
3,238
|
-367
|
22
|
Phillips
|
7.8
|
3.9
|
1,665
|
-148
|
23
|
Meagher
|
7.9
|
4.5
|
833
|
-85
|
24
|
Roosevelt
|
8
|
3.3
|
3,730
|
-592
|
25
|
Toole
|
8.1
|
6.3
|
1,821
|
-232
|
26
|
Custer
|
8.3
|
5.7
|
5,127
|
-724
|
26
|
Madison
|
8.3
|
5.8
|
4,497
|
-460
|
28
|
Fergus
|
8.4
|
5.6
|
5,088
|
-822
|
28
|
Sheridan
|
8.4
|
6.6
|
1,546
|
-174
|
30
|
Hill
|
8.7
|
5.4
|
6,432
|
-876
|
31
|
Stillwater
|
9.4
|
6.4
|
4,685
|
-277
|
32
|
Jefferson
|
9.5
|
6.4
|
4,842
|
-626
|
33
|
Musselshell
|
9.6
|
5.9
|
1,933
|
-249
|
34
|
Lake
|
9.7
|
5.7
|
11,221
|
-1,268
|
35
|
Powell
|
10.2
|
6.1
|
2,455
|
-339
|
36
|
Deer Lodge
|
10.5
|
7.3
|
4,265
|
-602
|
36
|
Wibaux
|
10.5
|
7.4
|
394
|
-42
|
38
|
Big Horn
|
10.6
|
3
|
3,896
|
-621
|
39
|
Lewis and Clark
|
10.7
|
8
|
30,309
|
-4,196
|
39
|
Ravalli
|
10.7
|
6.8
|
17,330
|
-1,982
|
41
|
Yellowstone
|
11.1
|
8.2
|
70,945
|
-8,324
|
42
|
Broadwater
|
11.2
|
7.4
|
2,182
|
-260
|
43
|
Richland
|
11.3
|
8.7
|
4,856
|
-790
|
44
|
Cascade
|
12.1
|
9
|
32,481
|
-4,313
|
44
|
Wheatland
|
12.1
|
9.1
|
717
|
-34
|
46
|
Gallatin
|
12.3
|
10.2
|
58,770
|
-6,817
|
47
|
Carbon
|
12.4
|
9.1
|
4,813
|
-478
|
48
|
Glacier
|
13
|
5.4
|
4,507
|
-535
|
49
|
Missoula
|
13.1
|
10
|
56,316
|
-5,316
|
50
|
Sanders
|
13.8
|
7.5
|
4,062
|
-440
|
51
|
Silver Bow
|
13.9
|
10.2
|
14,254
|
-2,197
|
52
|
Granite
|
16.4
|
10
|
1,434
|
-155
|
53
|
Flathead
|
16.6
|
11.6
|
39,811
|
-4,811
|
54
|
Park
|
16.9
|
13.5
|
7,493
|
-839
|
55
|
Mineral
|
18.3
|
12.7
|
1,441
|
-203
|
56
|
Lincoln
|
18.5
|
10.8
|
6,459
|
-892
|
****** RESERVATION UNEMPLOYMENT RATES ******
The unemployment rate and
ranking for each of Montana’s seven reservations is provided below. Reservation
unemployment rates and employment levels are not seasonally adjusted and should
be compared to the unadjusted statewide unemployment rate of
11.9%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas,
meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in
both the reservation and county totals.
|
Unemployment Rate
|
Employment
|
Rank
|
County
|
Current Unemployment Rate
|
Change over Year
|
Current Employment
|
Job Change from Last Year
|
1
|
Flathead
|
10.3
|
6
|
11,012
|
-1,234
|
2
|
Fort Peck
|
10.5
|
4.8
|
3,364
|
-515
|
3
|
Fort Belknap
|
13.3
|
5.6
|
729
|
-62
|
4
|
Crow
|
15.8
|
4.4
|
1,994
|
-310
|
5
|
Blackfeet
|
17.8
|
7.3
|
3,195
|
-376
|
6
|
North Cheyenne
|
18.2
|
6.4
|
1,115
|
-144
|
7
|
Rocky Boy's
|
22.8
|
12.9
|
942
|
-108
|