Counties in Montana by employer firms

Yellowstone County had the highest employer firms of 56 counties in 2015, at 4,436. Petroleum County had the lowest, at 7. The median was 159 and the figure for Montana was 27,498. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest4,436Yellowstone County
Median15956 counties
Montana27,498History

Map of counties, 2015

Beaverhead County: 313 countBig Horn County: 170 countBlaine County: 121 countBroadwater County: 116 countCarbon County: 328 countCarter County: 24 countCascade County: 1,973 countChouteau County: 119 countCuster County: 360 countDaniels County: 58 countDawson County: 281 countDeer Lodge County: 183 countFallon County: 129 countFergus County: 373 countFlathead County: 3,146 countGallatin County: 4,135 countGarfield County: 18 countGlacier County: 191 countGolden Valley County: 9 countGranite County: 89 countHill County: 434 countJefferson County: 227 countJudith Basin County: 46 countLake County: 671 countLewis and Clark County: 1,817 countLiberty County: 60 countLincoln County: 515 countMcCone County: 47 countMadison County: 253 countMeagher County: 48 countMineral County: 92 countMissoula County: 3,493 countMusselshell County: 103 countPark County: 623 countPetroleum County: 7 countPhillips County: 116 countPondera County: 151 countPowder River County: 62 countPowell County: 144 countPrairie County: 32 countRavalli County: 1,184 countRichland County: 484 countRoosevelt County: 177 countRosebud County: 158 countSanders County: 284 countSheridan County: 151 countSilver Bow County: 967 countStillwater County: 219 countSweet Grass County: 135 countTeton County: 159 countToole County: 158 countTreasure County: 15 countValley County: 230 countWheatland County: 55 countWibaux County: 33 countYellowstone County: 4,436 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 120
  • 120 to 160
  • 160 to 270
  • 270 to 610
  • 610 and over
count, 2015. 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, 2015

Yellowstone County: 4,436 countYellowstone County4,436Gallatin County: 4,135 countGallatin County4,135Missoula County: 3,493 countMissoula County3,493Flathead County: 3,146 countFlathead County3,146Cascade County: 1,973 countCascade County1,973Lewis and Clark County: 1,817 countLewis and Clark County1,817Ravalli County: 1,184 countRavalli County1,184Silver Bow County: 967 countSilver Bow County967Lake County: 671 countLake County671Park County: 623 countPark County623Lincoln County: 515 countLincoln County515Richland County: 484 countRichland County484Hill County: 434 countHill County434Fergus County: 373 countFergus County373Custer County: 360 countCuster County360Carbon County: 328 countCarbon County328Beaverhead County: 313 countBeaverhead County313Sanders County: 284 countSanders County284Dawson County: 281 countDawson County281Madison County: 253 countMadison County253Valley County: 230 countValley County230Jefferson County: 227 countJefferson County227Stillwater County: 219 countStillwater County219Glacier County: 191 countGlacier County191Deer Lodge County: 183 countDeer Lodge County183Roosevelt County: 177 countRoosevelt County177Big Horn County: 170 countBig Horn County170Teton County: 159 countTeton County159Rosebud County: 158 countRosebud County158Toole County: 158 countToole County158Pondera County: 151 countPondera County151Sheridan County: 151 countSheridan County151Powell County: 144 countPowell County144Sweet Grass County: 135 countSweet Grass County135Fallon County: 129 countFallon County129Blaine County: 121 countBlaine County121Chouteau County: 119 countChouteau County119Broadwater County: 116 countBroadwater County116Phillips County: 116 countPhillips County116Musselshell County: 103 countMusselshell County103Mineral County: 92 countMineral County92Granite County: 89 countGranite County89Powder River County: 62 countPowder River County62Liberty County: 60 countLiberty County60Daniels County: 58 countDaniels County58Wheatland County: 55 countWheatland County55Meagher County: 48 countMeagher County48McCone County: 47 countMcCone County47Judith Basin County: 46 countJudith Basin County46Wibaux County: 33 countWibaux County33Prairie County: 32 countPrairie County32Carter County: 24 countCarter County24Garfield County: 18 countGarfield County18Treasure County: 15 countTreasure County15Golden Valley County: 9 countGolden Valley County9Petroleum County: 7 countPetroleum County7Yellowstone County: 4,436 countYellowstone County4,436Gallatin County: 4,135 countGallatin County4,135Missoula County: 3,493 countMissoula County3,493Flathead County: 3,146 countFlathead County3,146Cascade County: 1,973 countCascade County1,973Lewis and Clark County: 1,817 countLewis and Clark County1,817Ravalli County: 1,184 countRavalli County1,184Silver Bow County: 967 countSilver Bow County967Lake County: 671 countLake County671Park County: 623 countPark County623Lincoln County: 515 countLincoln County515Richland County: 484 countRichland County484Hill County: 434 countHill County434Fergus County: 373 countFergus County373Custer County: 360 countCuster County360Carbon County: 328 countCarbon County328Beaverhead County: 313 countBeaverhead County313Sanders County: 284 countSanders County284Dawson County: 281 countDawson County281Madison County: 253 countMadison County253Valley County: 230 countValley County230Jefferson County: 227 countJefferson County227Stillwater County: 219 countStillwater County219Glacier County: 191 countGlacier County191Deer Lodge County: 183 countDeer Lodge County183Roosevelt County: 177 countRoosevelt County177Big Horn County: 170 countBig Horn County170Teton County: 159 countTeton County159Rosebud County: 158 countRosebud County158Toole County: 158 countToole County158Pondera County: 151 countPondera County151Sheridan County: 151 countSheridan County151Powell County: 144 countPowell County144Sweet Grass County: 135 countSweet Grass County135Fallon County: 129 countFallon County129Blaine County: 121 countBlaine County121Chouteau County: 119 countChouteau County119Broadwater County: 116 countBroadwater County116Phillips County: 116 countPhillips County116Musselshell County: 103 countMusselshell County103Mineral County: 92 countMineral County92Granite County: 89 countGranite County89Powder River County: 62 countPowder River County62Liberty County: 60 countLiberty County60Daniels County: 58 countDaniels County58Wheatland County: 55 countWheatland County55Meagher County: 48 countMeagher County48McCone County: 47 countMcCone County47Judith Basin County: 46 countJudith Basin County46Wibaux County: 33 countWibaux County33Prairie County: 32 countPrairie County32Carter County: 24 countCarter County24Garfield County: 18 countGarfield County18Treasure County: 15 countTreasure County15Golden Valley County: 9 countGolden Valley County9Petroleum County: 7 countPetroleum 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

RankCounties2015
count
Change on 2014
1Yellowstone County4,436+1.5%
2Gallatin County4,135+3.4%
3Missoula County3,493+1.8%
4Flathead County3,146+1.6%
5Cascade County1,973+0.8%
6Lewis and Clark County1,817-0.4%
7Ravalli County1,184+4%
8Silver Bow County967+1.4%
9Lake County671+0.1%
10Park County623+4.4%
11Lincoln County5150%
12Richland County484-0.6%
13Hill County434-3.1%
14Fergus County373-0.3%
15Custer County360-1.9%
16Carbon County328+3.5%
17Beaverhead County313+4.3%
18Sanders County284+0.4%
19Dawson County281-0.7%
20Madison County2530%
21Valley County230-1.7%
22Jefferson County227+5.6%
23Stillwater County219+1.4%
24Glacier County191-1.5%
25Deer Lodge County183-6.2%
26Roosevelt County177-2.2%
27Big Horn County170+1.2%
28Teton County159+3.2%
29Rosebud County158+1.9%
29Toole County158-5.4%
31Pondera County151+0.7%
31Sheridan County151-1.9%
33Powell County144+3.6%
34Sweet Grass County135+4.7%
35Fallon County129-6.5%
36Blaine County121-1.6%
37Chouteau County119+6.3%
38Broadwater County116+10.5%
38Phillips County116+1.8%
40Musselshell County103+1%
41Mineral County92-1.1%
42Granite County89+1.1%
43Powder River County62+8.8%
44Liberty County60+13.2%
45Daniels County58-7.9%
46Wheatland County55+10%
47Meagher County48-2%
48McCone County47-2.1%
49Judith Basin County46-6.1%
50Wibaux County33+10%
51Prairie County32-5.9%
52Carter County24+4.3%
53Garfield County180%
54Treasure County15+7.1%
55Golden Valley County9-10%
56Petroleum County70%

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, 2015) [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, 2015. 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?period=2015. 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, 2015. 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?period=2015.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2015 [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?period=2015 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_montana_by_2015,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2015}},
  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?period=2015. 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, 2015
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?period=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties?period=2015.
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?

Yellowstone County, with 4,436 in 2015, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Petroleum County, with 7 in 2015.

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