Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW)

Yellowstone County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 56 counties in 2014, at 6,261. Petroleum County had the lowest, at 21. The median was 260 and the figure for Montana was 43,902. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest6,261Yellowstone County
Median26056 counties
Montana43,902History

Map of counties, 2014

Beaverhead County: 458 countBig Horn County: 286 countBlaine County: 205 countBroadwater County: 167 countCarbon County: 473 countCarter County: 48 countCascade County: 2,719 countChouteau County: 210 countCuster County: 502 countDaniels County: 81 countDawson County: 399 countDeer Lodge County: 272 countFallon County: 192 countFergus County: 501 countFlathead County: 4,228 countGallatin County: 5,728 countGarfield County: 47 countGlacier County: 325 countGolden Valley County: 28 countGranite County: 133 countHill County: 597 countJefferson County: 323 countJudith Basin County: 92 countLake County: 885 countLewis and Clark County: 2,656 countLiberty County: 92 countLincoln County: 698 countMcCone County: 75 countMadison County: 456 countMeagher County: 101 countMineral County: 130 countMissoula County: 4,667 countMusselshell County: 150 countPark County: 893 countPetroleum County: 21 countPhillips County: 185 countPondera County: 229 countPowder River County: 97 countPowell County: 210 countPrairie County: 53 countRavalli County: 1,583 countRichland County: 698 countRoosevelt County: 298 countRosebud County: 248 countSanders County: 401 countSheridan County: 232 countSilver Bow County: 1,236 countStillwater County: 335 countSweet Grass County: 196 countTeton County: 268 countToole County: 252 countTreasure County: 37 countValley County: 330 countWheatland County: 81 countWibaux County: 46 countYellowstone County: 6,261 count
  • Under 80
  • 80 to 190
  • 190 to 260
  • 260 to 400
  • 400 to 850
  • 850 and over
count, 2014. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2014

Yellowstone County: 6,261 countYellowstone County6,261Gallatin County: 5,728 countGallatin County5,728Missoula County: 4,667 countMissoula County4,667Flathead County: 4,228 countFlathead County4,228Cascade County: 2,719 countCascade County2,719Lewis and Clark County: 2,656 countLewis and Clark County2,656Ravalli County: 1,583 countRavalli County1,583Silver Bow County: 1,236 countSilver Bow County1,236Park County: 893 countPark County893Lake County: 885 countLake County885Lincoln County: 698 countLincoln County698Richland County: 698 countRichland County698Hill County: 597 countHill County597Custer County: 502 countCuster County502Fergus County: 501 countFergus County501Carbon County: 473 countCarbon County473Beaverhead County: 458 countBeaverhead County458Madison County: 456 countMadison County456Sanders County: 401 countSanders County401Dawson County: 399 countDawson County399Stillwater County: 335 countStillwater County335Valley County: 330 countValley County330Glacier County: 325 countGlacier County325Jefferson County: 323 countJefferson County323Roosevelt County: 298 countRoosevelt County298Big Horn County: 286 countBig Horn County286Deer Lodge County: 272 countDeer Lodge County272Teton County: 268 countTeton County268Toole County: 252 countToole County252Rosebud County: 248 countRosebud County248Sheridan County: 232 countSheridan County232Pondera County: 229 countPondera County229Chouteau County: 210 countChouteau County210Powell County: 210 countPowell County210Blaine County: 205 countBlaine County205Sweet Grass County: 196 countSweet Grass County196Fallon County: 192 countFallon County192Phillips County: 185 countPhillips County185Broadwater County: 167 countBroadwater County167Musselshell County: 150 countMusselshell County150Granite County: 133 countGranite County133Mineral County: 130 countMineral County130Meagher County: 101 countMeagher County101Powder River County: 97 countPowder River County97Judith Basin County: 92 countJudith Basin County92Liberty County: 92 countLiberty County92Daniels County: 81 countDaniels County81Wheatland County: 81 countWheatland County81McCone County: 75 countMcCone County75Prairie County: 53 countPrairie County53Carter County: 48 countCarter County48Garfield County: 47 countGarfield County47Wibaux County: 46 countWibaux County46Treasure County: 37 countTreasure County37Golden Valley County: 28 countGolden Valley County28Petroleum County: 21 countPetroleum County21Yellowstone County: 6,261 countYellowstone County6,261Gallatin County: 5,728 countGallatin County5,728Missoula County: 4,667 countMissoula County4,667Flathead County: 4,228 countFlathead County4,228Cascade County: 2,719 countCascade County2,719Lewis and Clark County: 2,656 countLewis and Clark County2,656Ravalli County: 1,583 countRavalli County1,583Silver Bow County: 1,236 countSilver Bow County1,236Park County: 893 countPark County893Lake County: 885 countLake County885Lincoln County: 698 countLincoln County698Richland County: 698 countRichland County698Hill County: 597 countHill County597Custer County: 502 countCuster County502Fergus County: 501 countFergus County501Carbon County: 473 countCarbon County473Beaverhead County: 458 countBeaverhead County458Madison County: 456 countMadison County456Sanders County: 401 countSanders County401Dawson County: 399 countDawson County399Stillwater County: 335 countStillwater County335Valley County: 330 countValley County330Glacier County: 325 countGlacier County325Jefferson County: 323 countJefferson County323Roosevelt County: 298 countRoosevelt County298Big Horn County: 286 countBig Horn County286Deer Lodge County: 272 countDeer Lodge County272Teton County: 268 countTeton County268Toole County: 252 countToole County252Rosebud County: 248 countRosebud County248Sheridan County: 232 countSheridan County232Pondera County: 229 countPondera County229Chouteau County: 210 countChouteau County210Powell County: 210 countPowell County210Blaine County: 205 countBlaine County205Sweet Grass County: 196 countSweet Grass County196Fallon County: 192 countFallon County192Phillips County: 185 countPhillips County185Broadwater County: 167 countBroadwater County167Musselshell County: 150 countMusselshell County150Granite County: 133 countGranite County133Mineral County: 130 countMineral County130Meagher County: 101 countMeagher County101Powder River County: 97 countPowder River County97Judith Basin County: 92 countJudith Basin County92Liberty County: 92 countLiberty County92Daniels County: 81 countDaniels County81Wheatland County: 81 countWheatland County81McCone County: 75 countMcCone County75Prairie County: 53 countPrairie County53Carter County: 48 countCarter County48Garfield County: 47 countGarfield County47Wibaux County: 46 countWibaux County46Treasure County: 37 countTreasure County37Golden Valley County: 28 countGolden Valley County28Petroleum County: 21 countPetroleum County21
count. Source: BLS, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2014
count
Change on 2013
1Yellowstone County6,261+1.3%
2Gallatin County5,728+3.4%
3Missoula County4,667+2.5%
4Flathead County4,228+1.6%
5Cascade County2,719+0.7%
6Lewis and Clark County2,656+0.6%
7Ravalli County1,583+1.6%
8Silver Bow County1,236-1.3%
9Park County893+2.2%
10Lake County885+0.8%
11Lincoln County698+1.3%
11Richland County698+4.3%
13Hill County597-0.3%
14Custer County5020%
15Fergus County501-0.8%
16Carbon County473+2.8%
17Beaverhead County458+0.9%
18Madison County456+1.1%
19Sanders County401-2.2%
20Dawson County399+1.3%
21Stillwater County335+3.1%
22Valley County330+2.5%
23Glacier County325-0.3%
24Jefferson County323+0.6%
25Roosevelt County298-2.9%
26Big Horn County286+1.1%
27Deer Lodge County272-1.4%
28Teton County268-0.7%
29Toole County252-0.8%
30Rosebud County2480%
31Sheridan County232-3.3%
32Pondera County229+2.2%
33Chouteau County210+1%
33Powell County210-0.5%
35Blaine County205-0.5%
36Sweet Grass County1960%
37Fallon County1920%
38Phillips County185+1.1%
39Broadwater County167-1.2%
40Musselshell County1500%
41Granite County133-0.7%
42Mineral County130-3.7%
43Meagher County101-2.9%
44Powder River County97+2.1%
45Judith Basin County92+4.5%
45Liberty County92+4.5%
47Daniels County81+5.2%
47Wheatland County81-4.7%
49McCone County75-1.3%
50Prairie County53+1.9%
51Carter County48-2%
52Garfield County47-2.1%
53Wibaux County46+4.5%
54Treasure County37+5.7%
55Golden Valley County280%
56Petroleum County21+10.5%

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of establishments with 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. An establishment is a single place of business, such as a factory, store or office; a company with several locations has several.

Counts places of business, not firms: for firms use employer_firms. Changes in how large employers report their locations can move the count without any change in activity.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/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 establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties (Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW), 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv

MLA 9

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2014. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW), 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW), 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2014 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_montana_by_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW), 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/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 establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW), 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2014/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Yellowstone County, with 6,261 in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Petroleum County, with 21 in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW): annual average establishments, total covered, all industries (NAICS 10), nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Business establishments (QCEW): other rankings

Counties in Montana: more rankings