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COVID-19 pushes Montana unemployment rate to 11.3%

Posted at 12:35 PM, May 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-22 20:47:51-04

Montanas's unemployment rate jumped to 11.3% in April due to impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Treasure State's jobless rate remains below the national rate of 14.7% in April.

Montana’s unemployment rate for the month of April was captured on April 12 during the stay at home order, according to a news release. Total employment, which includes agricultural, payroll, and self-employed workers, decreased by 55,766 jobs in April.

Nearly 18,000 Montanans have already returned to work since the state began reopening, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). DLI also reports that $376 million in unemployment benefits have been issued since March 16.

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, according to the April report.

****** 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