Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2023

Gallatin County had the highest employer firms of 56 counties in 2023, at 5,293. Golden Valley County had the lowest, at 7. The median was 158 and the figure for Montana was 30,773. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest5,293Gallatin County
Median15856 counties
Montana30,773History

Map of counties, 2023

Beaverhead County: 329 countBig Horn County: 149 countBlaine County: 109 countBroadwater County: 165 countCarbon County: 368 countCarter County: 22 countCascade County: 1,960 countChouteau County: 119 countCuster County: 375 countDaniels County: 63 countDawson County: 252 countDeer Lodge County: 208 countFallon County: 107 countFergus County: 377 countFlathead County: 3,895 countGallatin County: 5,293 countGarfield County: 23 countGlacier County: 169 countGolden Valley County: 7 countGranite County: 92 countHill County: 403 countJefferson County: 279 countJudith Basin County: 47 countLake County: 799 countLewis and Clark County: 2,148 countLiberty County: 56 countLincoln County: 550 countMcCone County: 48 countMadison County: 302 countMeagher County: 61 countMineral County: 108 countMissoula County: 3,917 countMusselshell County: 101 countPark County: 688 countPetroleum County: 8 countPhillips County: 107 countPondera County: 151 countPowder River County: 59 countPowell County: 146 countPrairie County: 23 countRavalli County: 1,391 countRichland County: 424 countRoosevelt County: 165 countRosebud County: 146 countSanders County: 318 countSheridan County: 135 countSilver Bow County: 974 countStillwater County: 213 countSweet Grass County: 148 countTeton County: 176 countToole County: 138 countTreasure County: 16 countValley County: 230 countWheatland County: 52 countWibaux County: 24 countYellowstone County: 4,684 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 110
  • 110 to 160
  • 160 to 290
  • 290 to 670
  • 670 and over
count, 2023. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2023

Gallatin County: 5,293 countGallatin County5,293Yellowstone County: 4,684 countYellowstone County4,684Missoula County: 3,917 countMissoula County3,917Flathead County: 3,895 countFlathead County3,895Lewis and Clark County: 2,148 countLewis and Clark County2,148Cascade County: 1,960 countCascade County1,960Ravalli County: 1,391 countRavalli County1,391Silver Bow County: 974 countSilver Bow County974Lake County: 799 countLake County799Park County: 688 countPark County688Lincoln County: 550 countLincoln County550Richland County: 424 countRichland County424Hill County: 403 countHill County403Fergus County: 377 countFergus County377Custer County: 375 countCuster County375Carbon County: 368 countCarbon County368Beaverhead County: 329 countBeaverhead County329Sanders County: 318 countSanders County318Madison County: 302 countMadison County302Jefferson County: 279 countJefferson County279Dawson County: 252 countDawson County252Valley County: 230 countValley County230Stillwater County: 213 countStillwater County213Deer Lodge County: 208 countDeer Lodge County208Teton County: 176 countTeton County176Glacier County: 169 countGlacier County169Broadwater County: 165 countBroadwater County165Roosevelt County: 165 countRoosevelt County165Pondera County: 151 countPondera County151Big Horn County: 149 countBig Horn County149Sweet Grass County: 148 countSweet Grass County148Powell County: 146 countPowell County146Rosebud County: 146 countRosebud County146Toole County: 138 countToole County138Sheridan County: 135 countSheridan County135Chouteau County: 119 countChouteau County119Blaine County: 109 countBlaine County109Mineral County: 108 countMineral County108Fallon County: 107 countFallon County107Phillips County: 107 countPhillips County107Musselshell County: 101 countMusselshell County101Granite County: 92 countGranite County92Daniels County: 63 countDaniels County63Meagher County: 61 countMeagher County61Powder River County: 59 countPowder River County59Liberty County: 56 countLiberty County56Wheatland County: 52 countWheatland County52McCone County: 48 countMcCone County48Judith Basin County: 47 countJudith Basin County47Wibaux County: 24 countWibaux County24Garfield County: 23 countGarfield County23Prairie County: 23 countPrairie County23Carter County: 22 countCarter County22Treasure County: 16 countTreasure County16Petroleum County: 8 countPetroleum County8Golden Valley County: 7 countGolden Valley County7Gallatin County: 5,293 countGallatin County5,293Yellowstone County: 4,684 countYellowstone County4,684Missoula County: 3,917 countMissoula County3,917Flathead County: 3,895 countFlathead County3,895Lewis and Clark County: 2,148 countLewis and Clark County2,148Cascade County: 1,960 countCascade County1,960Ravalli County: 1,391 countRavalli County1,391Silver Bow County: 974 countSilver Bow County974Lake County: 799 countLake County799Park County: 688 countPark County688Lincoln County: 550 countLincoln County550Richland County: 424 countRichland County424Hill County: 403 countHill County403Fergus County: 377 countFergus County377Custer County: 375 countCuster County375Carbon County: 368 countCarbon County368Beaverhead County: 329 countBeaverhead County329Sanders County: 318 countSanders County318Madison County: 302 countMadison County302Jefferson County: 279 countJefferson County279Dawson County: 252 countDawson County252Valley County: 230 countValley County230Stillwater County: 213 countStillwater County213Deer Lodge County: 208 countDeer Lodge County208Teton County: 176 countTeton County176Glacier County: 169 countGlacier County169Broadwater County: 165 countBroadwater County165Roosevelt County: 165 countRoosevelt County165Pondera County: 151 countPondera County151Big Horn County: 149 countBig Horn County149Sweet Grass County: 148 countSweet Grass County148Powell County: 146 countPowell County146Rosebud County: 146 countRosebud County146Toole County: 138 countToole County138Sheridan County: 135 countSheridan County135Chouteau County: 119 countChouteau County119Blaine County: 109 countBlaine County109Mineral County: 108 countMineral County108Fallon County: 107 countFallon County107Phillips County: 107 countPhillips County107Musselshell County: 101 countMusselshell County101Granite County: 92 countGranite County92Daniels County: 63 countDaniels County63Meagher County: 61 countMeagher County61Powder River County: 59 countPowder River County59Liberty County: 56 countLiberty County56Wheatland County: 52 countWheatland County52McCone County: 48 countMcCone County48Judith Basin County: 47 countJudith Basin County47Wibaux County: 24 countWibaux County24Garfield County: 23 countGarfield County23Prairie County: 23 countPrairie County23Carter County: 22 countCarter County22Treasure County: 16 countTreasure County16Petroleum County: 8 countPetroleum County8Golden Valley County: 7 countGolden Valley County7
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
count
Change on 2022
1Gallatin County5,293+2%
2Yellowstone County4,684+1.4%
3Missoula County3,917+2%
4Flathead County3,895+2.1%
5Lewis and Clark County2,148+2.3%
6Cascade County1,960-0.1%
7Ravalli County1,391+0.9%
8Silver Bow County974+3%
9Lake County799+2.3%
10Park County688-0.7%
11Lincoln County550+1.7%
12Richland County424+0.2%
13Hill County403-2.9%
14Fergus County377+2.2%
15Custer County375+4.5%
16Carbon County368+4%
17Beaverhead County329+2.5%
18Sanders County318-0.9%
19Madison County302+5.6%
20Jefferson County279+1.8%
21Dawson County252-4.5%
22Valley County230+1.3%
23Stillwater County213+3.4%
24Deer Lodge County208+0.5%
25Teton County176+5.4%
26Glacier County169-5.6%
27Broadwater County165+4.4%
27Roosevelt County165+3.8%
29Pondera County151+7.9%
30Big Horn County149-3.9%
31Sweet Grass County148+8%
32Powell County146-0.7%
32Rosebud County146-3.9%
34Toole County138+8.7%
35Sheridan County135-2.2%
36Chouteau County119+2.6%
37Blaine County109+0.9%
38Mineral County108+9.1%
39Fallon County107+0.9%
39Phillips County107-3.6%
41Musselshell County101+2%
42Granite County92-2.1%
43Daniels County63+5%
44Meagher County61+3.4%
45Powder River County59-4.8%
46Liberty County56+1.8%
47Wheatland County52-5.5%
48McCone County48+9.1%
49Judith Basin County470%
50Wibaux County24+20%
51Garfield County23+9.5%
51Prairie County23-11.5%
53Carter County22-4.3%
54Treasure County16+23.1%
55Petroleum County80%
56Golden Valley County7-22.2%

Other periods

About this ranking

Number of firms in the private nonfarm sectors covered by the US Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics. Establishments under common ownership form one firm.

Excludes nonemployer businesses. Differs from active_companies, the INE DIRCE count, which includes businesses without employees.

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. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties (Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_montana_by_2023,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2023}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2023
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Gallatin County, with 5,293 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Golden Valley County, with 7 in 2023.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Employer firms: other rankings

Counties in Montana: more rankings