Counties in Montana by business establishments (QCEW)

Gallatin County had the highest business establishments (QCEW) of 56 counties in 2018, at 6,958. Petroleum County had the lowest, at 21. The median was 262 and the figure for Montana was 50,116. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest6,958Gallatin County
Median26256 counties
Montana50,116History

Map of counties, 2018

Beaverhead County: 526 countBig Horn County: 283 countBlaine County: 201 countBroadwater County: 201 countCarbon County: 503 countCarter County: 52 countCascade County: 2,829 countChouteau County: 211 countCuster County: 500 countDaniels County: 87 countDawson County: 404 countDeer Lodge County: 286 countFallon County: 176 countFergus County: 544 countFlathead County: 4,929 countGallatin County: 6,958 countGarfield County: 60 countGlacier County: 314 countGolden Valley County: 31 countGranite County: 149 countHill County: 611 countJefferson County: 387 countJudith Basin County: 99 countLake County: 1,000 countLewis and Clark County: 2,987 countLiberty County: 94 countLincoln County: 737 countMcCone County: 79 countMadison County: 492 countMeagher County: 114 countMineral County: 151 countMissoula County: 5,367 countMusselshell County: 157 countPark County: 1,003 countPetroleum County: 21 countPhillips County: 186 countPondera County: 233 countPowder River County: 97 countPowell County: 233 countPrairie County: 53 countRavalli County: 1,854 countRichland County: 639 countRoosevelt County: 281 countRosebud County: 250 countSanders County: 441 countSheridan County: 222 countSilver Bow County: 1,328 countStillwater County: 337 countSweet Grass County: 236 countTeton County: 274 countToole County: 232 countTreasure County: 36 countValley County: 356 countWheatland County: 94 countWibaux County: 46 countYellowstone County: 6,785 count
  • Under 90
  • 90 to 190
  • 190 to 260
  • 260 to 430
  • 430 to 960
  • 960 and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

Gallatin County: 6,958 countGallatin County6,958Yellowstone County: 6,785 countYellowstone County6,785Missoula County: 5,367 countMissoula County5,367Flathead County: 4,929 countFlathead County4,929Lewis and Clark County: 2,987 countLewis and Clark County2,987Cascade County: 2,829 countCascade County2,829Ravalli County: 1,854 countRavalli County1,854Silver Bow County: 1,328 countSilver Bow County1,328Park County: 1,003 countPark County1,003Lake County: 1,000 countLake County1,000Lincoln County: 737 countLincoln County737Richland County: 639 countRichland County639Hill County: 611 countHill County611Fergus County: 544 countFergus County544Beaverhead County: 526 countBeaverhead County526Carbon County: 503 countCarbon County503Custer County: 500 countCuster County500Madison County: 492 countMadison County492Sanders County: 441 countSanders County441Dawson County: 404 countDawson County404Jefferson County: 387 countJefferson County387Valley County: 356 countValley County356Stillwater County: 337 countStillwater County337Glacier County: 314 countGlacier County314Deer Lodge County: 286 countDeer Lodge County286Big Horn County: 283 countBig Horn County283Roosevelt County: 281 countRoosevelt County281Teton County: 274 countTeton County274Rosebud County: 250 countRosebud County250Sweet Grass County: 236 countSweet Grass County236Pondera County: 233 countPondera County233Powell County: 233 countPowell County233Toole County: 232 countToole County232Sheridan County: 222 countSheridan County222Chouteau County: 211 countChouteau County211Blaine County: 201 countBlaine County201Broadwater County: 201 countBroadwater County201Phillips County: 186 countPhillips County186Fallon County: 176 countFallon County176Musselshell County: 157 countMusselshell County157Mineral County: 151 countMineral County151Granite County: 149 countGranite County149Meagher County: 114 countMeagher County114Judith Basin County: 99 countJudith Basin County99Powder River County: 97 countPowder River County97Liberty County: 94 countLiberty County94Wheatland County: 94 countWheatland County94Daniels County: 87 countDaniels County87McCone County: 79 countMcCone County79Garfield County: 60 countGarfield County60Prairie County: 53 countPrairie County53Carter County: 52 countCarter County52Wibaux County: 46 countWibaux County46Treasure County: 36 countTreasure County36Golden Valley County: 31 countGolden Valley County31Petroleum County: 21 countPetroleum County21Gallatin County: 6,958 countGallatin County6,958Yellowstone County: 6,785 countYellowstone County6,785Missoula County: 5,367 countMissoula County5,367Flathead County: 4,929 countFlathead County4,929Lewis and Clark County: 2,987 countLewis and Clark County2,987Cascade County: 2,829 countCascade County2,829Ravalli County: 1,854 countRavalli County1,854Silver Bow County: 1,328 countSilver Bow County1,328Park County: 1,003 countPark County1,003Lake County: 1,000 countLake County1,000Lincoln County: 737 countLincoln County737Richland County: 639 countRichland County639Hill County: 611 countHill County611Fergus County: 544 countFergus County544Beaverhead County: 526 countBeaverhead County526Carbon County: 503 countCarbon County503Custer County: 500 countCuster County500Madison County: 492 countMadison County492Sanders County: 441 countSanders County441Dawson County: 404 countDawson County404Jefferson County: 387 countJefferson County387Valley County: 356 countValley County356Stillwater County: 337 countStillwater County337Glacier County: 314 countGlacier County314Deer Lodge County: 286 countDeer Lodge County286Big Horn County: 283 countBig Horn County283Roosevelt County: 281 countRoosevelt County281Teton County: 274 countTeton County274Rosebud County: 250 countRosebud County250Sweet Grass County: 236 countSweet Grass County236Pondera County: 233 countPondera County233Powell County: 233 countPowell County233Toole County: 232 countToole County232Sheridan County: 222 countSheridan County222Chouteau County: 211 countChouteau County211Blaine County: 201 countBlaine County201Broadwater County: 201 countBroadwater County201Phillips County: 186 countPhillips County186Fallon County: 176 countFallon County176Musselshell County: 157 countMusselshell County157Mineral County: 151 countMineral County151Granite County: 149 countGranite County149Meagher County: 114 countMeagher County114Judith Basin County: 99 countJudith Basin County99Powder River County: 97 countPowder River County97Liberty County: 94 countLiberty County94Wheatland County: 94 countWheatland County94Daniels County: 87 countDaniels County87McCone County: 79 countMcCone County79Garfield County: 60 countGarfield County60Prairie County: 53 countPrairie County53Carter County: 52 countCarter County52Wibaux County: 46 countWibaux County46Treasure County: 36 countTreasure County36Golden 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

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1Gallatin County6,958+4.7%
2Yellowstone County6,785+1.1%
3Missoula County5,367+2.3%
4Flathead County4,929+2.8%
5Lewis and Clark County2,987+3%
6Cascade County2,829+0.5%
7Ravalli County1,854+2.1%
8Silver Bow County1,328+0.3%
9Park County1,003+1.8%
10Lake County1,000+1.4%
11Lincoln County737+1%
12Richland County639-5.9%
13Hill County6110%
14Fergus County544+1.5%
15Beaverhead County526+0.8%
16Carbon County503+1%
17Custer County500+2.9%
18Madison County492+1.7%
19Sanders County441+0.7%
20Dawson County404+0.7%
21Jefferson County387+4%
22Valley County356+2%
23Stillwater County337+0.9%
24Glacier County314-2.5%
25Deer Lodge County286+0.7%
26Big Horn County283-2.1%
27Roosevelt County281-4.1%
28Teton County274-3.9%
29Rosebud County250+0.4%
30Sweet Grass County236+2.2%
31Pondera County233+3.1%
31Powell County233+1.7%
33Toole County232-3.3%
34Sheridan County222-3.5%
35Chouteau County2110%
36Blaine County201-1%
36Broadwater County201+3.1%
38Phillips County1860%
39Fallon County176-4.3%
40Musselshell County157-0.6%
41Mineral County151+7.1%
42Granite County149+0.7%
43Meagher County114-0.9%
44Judith Basin County99+3.1%
45Powder River County97+1%
46Liberty County94+1.1%
46Wheatland County94-1.1%
48Daniels County87+2.4%
49McCone County79-1.3%
50Garfield County60+5.3%
51Prairie County53-5.4%
52Carter County52+4%
53Wibaux County460%
54Treasure County36-7.7%
55Golden Valley County31+6.9%
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/2018/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), 2018) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/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), 2018. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21 Aug. 2026, https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2018. 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), 2018. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2018.

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), 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_counties_in_montana_by_2018,
  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), 2018}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2018. 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/2018/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), 2018
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/21
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2018/a/industry/10.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/business-establishments/montana-counties?period=2018.
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/2018/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)?

Gallatin County, with 6,958 in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which county has the lowest business establishments (QCEW)?

Petroleum County, with 21 in 2018.

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