Data / Covered employment (QCEW) / Custer County

Covered employment (QCEW) in Custer County

Covered employment (QCEW) in Custer County was 5,261 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is down 2.6% from 2024. That is the 13th highest of 56 counties in 2025.

2025, jobs5,261
Change on 2024-2.6%
Rank13th of 56Counties in Montana ranked
Series high5,7172013
Series low4,7562001

Next release: Saturday, 21 August 2027, estimated by Invokely from past publication dates (low confidence), not announced by the publisher. Release calendar

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Covered employment (QCEW) in Custer County, 2001 to 2025

4,6004,8005,0005,2005,4005,6005,80020012005200920132017202120252001: 4,756 jobs2002: 4,761 jobs2003: 4,801 jobs2004: 4,827 jobs2005: 4,804 jobs2006: 4,948 jobs2007: 5,060 jobs2008: 5,142 jobs2009: 5,112 jobs2010: 5,426 jobs2011: 5,427 jobs2012: 5,604 jobs2013: 5,717 jobs2014: 5,651 jobs2015: 5,463 jobs2016: 5,325 jobs2017: 5,296 jobs2018: 5,229 jobs2019: 5,208 jobs2020: 5,161 jobs2021: 5,265 jobs2022: 5,383 jobs2023: 5,364 jobs2024: 5,400 jobs2025: 5,261 jobs4,7505,0005,2505,5005,7502001201020252001: 4,756 jobs2002: 4,761 jobs2003: 4,801 jobs2004: 4,827 jobs2005: 4,804 jobs2006: 4,948 jobs2007: 5,060 jobs2008: 5,142 jobs2009: 5,112 jobs2010: 5,426 jobs2011: 5,427 jobs2012: 5,604 jobs2013: 5,717 jobs2014: 5,651 jobs2015: 5,463 jobs2016: 5,325 jobs2017: 5,296 jobs2018: 5,229 jobs2019: 5,208 jobs2020: 5,161 jobs2021: 5,265 jobs2022: 5,383 jobs2023: 5,364 jobs2024: 5,400 jobs2025: 5,261 jobs
jobs. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2026-08-21.
All 25 values
Periodjobs
20255,261
20245,400
20235,364
20225,383
20215,265
20205,161
20195,208
20185,229
20175,296
20165,325
20155,463
20145,651
20135,717
20125,604
20115,427
20105,426
20095,112
20085,142
20075,060
20064,948
20054,804
20044,827
20034,801
20024,761
20014,756

Compared with Montana and United States

Place2025
Custer County5,261
Montana512,424
United States155,732,363

Custer County compared with nearby places

Beaverhead County: 4,054 jobsBig Horn County: 3,674 jobsBlaine County: 1,325 jobsBroadwater County: 1,568 jobsCarbon County: 3,141 jobsCarter County: 326 jobsCascade County: 36,192 jobsChouteau County: 1,230 jobsCuster County: 5,261 jobsDaniels County: 549 jobsDawson County: 3,338 jobsDeer Lodge County: 3,370 jobsFallon County: 1,163 jobsFergus County: 4,697 jobsFlathead County: 51,035 jobsGallatin County: 74,277 jobsGarfield County: 322 jobsGlacier County: 4,214 jobsGolden Valley County: 228 jobsGranite County: 931 jobsHill County: 6,783 jobsJefferson County: 2,784 jobsJudith Basin County: 521 jobsLake County: 9,694 jobsLewis and Clark County: 39,657 jobsLiberty County: 517 jobsLincoln County: 6,194 jobsMcCone County: 562 jobsMadison County: 2,981 jobsMeagher County: 704 jobsMineral County: 1,203 jobsMissoula County: 65,880 jobsMusselshell County: 1,274 jobsPark County: 7,396 jobsPetroleum County: 104 jobsPhillips County: 1,228 jobsPondera County: 1,523 jobsPowder River County: 619 jobsPowell County: 2,457 jobsPrairie County: 474 jobsRavalli County: 13,744 jobsRichland County: 4,996 jobsRoosevelt County: 3,430 jobsRosebud County: 3,616 jobsSanders County: 3,364 jobsSheridan County: 1,275 jobsSilver Bow County: 16,486 jobsStillwater County: 2,931 jobsSweet Grass County: 1,478 jobsTeton County: 1,831 jobsToole County: 1,758 jobsTreasure County: 206 jobsValley County: 2,826 jobsWheatland County: 567 jobsWibaux County: 267 jobsYellowstone County: 87,416 jobs
  • Under 600
  • 600 to 1,200
  • 1,200 to 2,600
  • 2,600 to 3,600
  • 3,600 to 7,300
  • 7,300 and over
Covered employment (QCEW), 2025, jobs. Custer County is outlined. Same source and period for every area shown. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Rankings

Definition

Average number of jobs covered by unemployment insurance during the year, all industries, private and government, from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Counted where the job is located, from the reports employers file each quarter; monthly employment counts the jobs in the pay period that includes the 12th.

Counts jobs, not people: someone with two jobs counts twice. Covers about 95 percent of US wage and salary jobs. Excludes the self-employed, most agricultural workers on small farms, the armed forces, elected officials in most states, most railroad employees, some domestic workers and most student workers at schools. A count of employer reports, not a survey estimate like oews_employment.

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How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Covered employment (QCEW), Custer County, 2001 to 2025) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Covered employment (QCEW), Custer County, 2001 to 2025. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/custer-county-montana. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Covered employment (QCEW), Custer County, 2001 to 2025. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/custer-county-montana.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Covered employment (QCEW), Custer County, 2001 to 2025 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/custer-county-montana (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_covered_employment_qcew_custer_2025,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Covered employment (QCEW), Custer County, 2001 to 2025}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/custer-county-montana. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Covered employment (QCEW), Custer County, 2001 to 2025
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/custer-county-montana
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/covered-employment/custer-county-montana.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

What is the covered employment (QCEW) in Custer County?

Covered employment (QCEW) in Custer County was 5,261 jobs in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is down 2.6% from 2024. That is the 13th highest of 56 counties in 2025.

Where does this figure come from?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average employment, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest covered employment (QCEW) in Custer County?

5,717 jobs in 2013, the highest value since 2001 in this series.

Related statistics for Custer County

All statistics for Custer County | Custer County in figures