Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW)

Yellowstone County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 56 counties in 2015, at 6,341. Petroleum County had the lowest, at 21. The median was 259 and the figure for Montana was 45,032. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest6,341Yellowstone County
Median25956 counties
Montana45,032History

Map of counties, 2015

Beaverhead County: 484 countBig Horn County: 293 countBlaine County: 201 countBroadwater County: 180 countCarbon County: 483 countCarter County: 44 countCascade County: 2,745 countChouteau County: 214 countCuster County: 490 countDaniels County: 83 countDawson County: 397 countDeer Lodge County: 269 countFallon County: 189 countFergus County: 513 countFlathead County: 4,359 countGallatin County: 5,979 countGarfield County: 50 countGlacier County: 323 countGolden Valley County: 31 countGranite County: 139 countHill County: 593 countJefferson County: 339 countJudith Basin County: 97 countLake County: 932 countLewis and Clark County: 2,699 countLiberty County: 94 countLincoln County: 702 countMcCone County: 76 countMadison County: 460 countMeagher County: 109 countMineral County: 128 countMissoula County: 4,828 countMusselshell County: 150 countPark County: 923 countPetroleum County: 21 countPhillips County: 187 countPondera County: 233 countPowder River County: 98 countPowell County: 217 countPrairie County: 54 countRavalli County: 1,663 countRichland County: 699 countRoosevelt County: 295 countRosebud County: 246 countSanders County: 404 countSheridan County: 230 countSilver Bow County: 1,265 countStillwater County: 344 countSweet Grass County: 211 countTeton County: 278 countToole County: 248 countTreasure County: 39 countValley County: 330 countWheatland County: 84 countWibaux County: 47 countYellowstone County: 6,341 count
  • Under 90
  • 90 to 190
  • 190 to 260
  • 260 to 400
  • 400 to 890
  • 890 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

Yellowstone County: 6,341 countYellowstone County6,341Gallatin County: 5,979 countGallatin County5,979Missoula County: 4,828 countMissoula County4,828Flathead County: 4,359 countFlathead County4,359Cascade County: 2,745 countCascade County2,745Lewis and Clark County: 2,699 countLewis and Clark County2,699Ravalli County: 1,663 countRavalli County1,663Silver Bow County: 1,265 countSilver Bow County1,265Lake County: 932 countLake County932Park County: 923 countPark County923Lincoln County: 702 countLincoln County702Richland County: 699 countRichland County699Hill County: 593 countHill County593Fergus County: 513 countFergus County513Custer County: 490 countCuster County490Beaverhead County: 484 countBeaverhead County484Carbon County: 483 countCarbon County483Madison County: 460 countMadison County460Sanders County: 404 countSanders County404Dawson County: 397 countDawson County397Stillwater County: 344 countStillwater County344Jefferson County: 339 countJefferson County339Valley County: 330 countValley County330Glacier County: 323 countGlacier County323Roosevelt County: 295 countRoosevelt County295Big Horn County: 293 countBig Horn County293Teton County: 278 countTeton County278Deer Lodge County: 269 countDeer Lodge County269Toole County: 248 countToole County248Rosebud County: 246 countRosebud County246Pondera County: 233 countPondera County233Sheridan County: 230 countSheridan County230Powell County: 217 countPowell County217Chouteau County: 214 countChouteau County214Sweet Grass County: 211 countSweet Grass County211Blaine County: 201 countBlaine County201Fallon County: 189 countFallon County189Phillips County: 187 countPhillips County187Broadwater County: 180 countBroadwater County180Musselshell County: 150 countMusselshell County150Granite County: 139 countGranite County139Mineral County: 128 countMineral County128Meagher County: 109 countMeagher County109Powder River County: 98 countPowder River County98Judith Basin County: 97 countJudith Basin County97Liberty County: 94 countLiberty County94Wheatland County: 84 countWheatland County84Daniels County: 83 countDaniels County83McCone County: 76 countMcCone County76Prairie County: 54 countPrairie County54Garfield County: 50 countGarfield County50Wibaux County: 47 countWibaux County47Carter County: 44 countCarter County44Treasure County: 39 countTreasure County39Golden Valley County: 31 countGolden Valley County31Petroleum County: 21 countPetroleum County21Yellowstone County: 6,341 countYellowstone County6,341Gallatin County: 5,979 countGallatin County5,979Missoula County: 4,828 countMissoula County4,828Flathead County: 4,359 countFlathead County4,359Cascade County: 2,745 countCascade County2,745Lewis and Clark County: 2,699 countLewis and Clark County2,699Ravalli County: 1,663 countRavalli County1,663Silver Bow County: 1,265 countSilver Bow County1,265Lake County: 932 countLake County932Park County: 923 countPark County923Lincoln County: 702 countLincoln County702Richland County: 699 countRichland County699Hill County: 593 countHill County593Fergus County: 513 countFergus County513Custer County: 490 countCuster County490Beaverhead County: 484 countBeaverhead County484Carbon County: 483 countCarbon County483Madison County: 460 countMadison County460Sanders County: 404 countSanders County404Dawson County: 397 countDawson County397Stillwater County: 344 countStillwater County344Jefferson County: 339 countJefferson County339Valley County: 330 countValley County330Glacier County: 323 countGlacier County323Roosevelt County: 295 countRoosevelt County295Big Horn County: 293 countBig Horn County293Teton County: 278 countTeton County278Deer Lodge County: 269 countDeer Lodge County269Toole County: 248 countToole County248Rosebud County: 246 countRosebud County246Pondera County: 233 countPondera County233Sheridan County: 230 countSheridan County230Powell County: 217 countPowell County217Chouteau County: 214 countChouteau County214Sweet Grass County: 211 countSweet Grass County211Blaine County: 201 countBlaine County201Fallon County: 189 countFallon County189Phillips County: 187 countPhillips County187Broadwater County: 180 countBroadwater County180Musselshell County: 150 countMusselshell County150Granite County: 139 countGranite County139Mineral County: 128 countMineral County128Meagher County: 109 countMeagher County109Powder River County: 98 countPowder River County98Judith Basin County: 97 countJudith Basin County97Liberty County: 94 countLiberty County94Wheatland County: 84 countWheatland County84Daniels County: 83 countDaniels County83McCone County: 76 countMcCone County76Prairie County: 54 countPrairie County54Garfield County: 50 countGarfield County50Wibaux County: 47 countWibaux County47Carter County: 44 countCarter County44Treasure County: 39 countTreasure County39Golden Valley County: 31 countGolden Valley County31Petroleum 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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Yellowstone County6,341+1.3%
2Gallatin County5,979+4.4%
3Missoula County4,828+3.4%
4Flathead County4,359+3.1%
5Cascade County2,745+1%
6Lewis and Clark County2,699+1.6%
7Ravalli County1,663+5.1%
8Silver Bow County1,265+2.3%
9Lake County932+5.3%
10Park County923+3.4%
11Lincoln County702+0.6%
12Richland County699+0.1%
13Hill County593-0.7%
14Fergus County513+2.4%
15Custer County490-2.4%
16Beaverhead County484+5.7%
17Carbon County483+2.1%
18Madison County460+0.9%
19Sanders County404+0.7%
20Dawson County397-0.5%
21Stillwater County344+2.7%
22Jefferson County339+5%
23Valley County3300%
24Glacier County323-0.6%
25Roosevelt County295-1%
26Big Horn County293+2.4%
27Teton County278+3.7%
28Deer Lodge County269-1.1%
29Toole County248-1.6%
30Rosebud County246-0.8%
31Pondera County233+1.7%
32Sheridan County230-0.9%
33Powell County217+3.3%
34Chouteau County214+1.9%
35Sweet Grass County211+7.7%
36Blaine County201-2%
37Fallon County189-1.6%
38Phillips County187+1.1%
39Broadwater County180+7.8%
40Musselshell County1500%
41Granite County139+4.5%
42Mineral County128-1.5%
43Meagher County109+7.9%
44Powder River County98+1%
45Judith Basin County97+5.4%
46Liberty County94+2.2%
47Wheatland County84+3.7%
48Daniels County83+2.5%
49McCone County76+1.3%
50Prairie County54+1.9%
51Garfield County50+6.4%
52Wibaux County47+2.2%
53Carter County44-8.3%
54Treasure County39+5.4%
55Golden Valley County31+10.7%
56Petroleum County210%

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/2015/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), 2015) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/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), 2015. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2015. 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), 2015. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2015.

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), 2015 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2015 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_montana_by_2015,
  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), 2015}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2015. 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/2015/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), 2015
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2015/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2015.
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/2015/a/industry/10.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW) using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest business establishments (QCEW)?

Yellowstone County, with 6,341 in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Petroleum County, with 21 in 2015.

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