May Unemployment Rate at 2.6% for Valley County

Governor Greg Gianforte Tuesday announced Montana’s unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4 percent in May. Montana’s unemployment rate was lower than the national unemployment rate, which remained unchanged over the month at 4.3 percent.  

“Since taking office, we’ve been focused on unleashing Montana’s economy to support business owners who create good-paying jobs, strengthen our workforce, and reduce barriers to employment,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As we implement our 406 JOBS initiative, we continue our historic stretch of low unemployment while ensuring Montanans who are able to work have a pathway to a meaningful career.” 

Montana's labor force, total employment (which includes payroll, agricultural, and self‑employed workers) and unemployment all declined over the month. The decline in unemployment was larger than the decline in employment. As a result, the unemployment rate ticked down slightly. The number of unemployed fell by 700 in May and total employment declined by 200 jobs. Payroll jobs declined by 2,600 jobs in May, with the largest declines in construction and accommodation and food service.   

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in May 2026. Over the last twelve months, the all items index increased 4.2 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for energy rose 3.9 percent in May, accounting for over sixty percent of the monthly all items increase. Core inflation, or the index for all items less food and energy, rose 2.9 percent over the last twelve months. 

“While today's numbers are encouraging, we know many Montanans are still working to find their footing in the job market,” said Sarah Swanson, Commissioner of Labor and Industry. “That's why the Department of Labor and Industry, along with Governor Gianforte, is continuing to expand workforce development resources from job training to registered apprenticeships so that economic progress reaches workers in every part of the state.” 

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** Unemployment figures are seasonally-adjusted. Seasonally-adjusted numbers remove the effects of events that follow a 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 0.5 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 Data and Operations Bureau at 406-444-4100.  

The next Labor Market Information report, including data from June 2026, will be released on Tuesday, July 21. 

**** 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. Visit www.lmi.mt.gov/home/job-tracking for Montana unemployment claims and current economic data.  

****** 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 2.9%.  

****** 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 2.9%. Reservation areas overlap with county areas, meaning that unemployed individuals living on a reservation will be included in both the reservation and county totals.