Counties in Montana by employer firms

Yellowstone County had the highest employer firms of 56 counties in 2016, at 4,453. Petroleum County had the lowest, at 8. The median was 159 and the figure for Montana was 27,697. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest4,453Yellowstone County
Median15956 counties
Montana27,697History

Map of counties, 2016

Beaverhead County: 321 countBig Horn County: 175 countBlaine County: 119 countBroadwater County: 130 countCarbon County: 323 countCarter County: 26 countCascade County: 1,965 countChouteau County: 117 countCuster County: 356 countDaniels County: 58 countDawson County: 273 countDeer Lodge County: 192 countFallon County: 131 countFergus County: 379 countFlathead County: 3,194 countGallatin County: 4,271 countGarfield County: 19 countGlacier County: 181 countGolden Valley County: 8 countGranite County: 89 countHill County: 430 countJefferson County: 243 countJudith Basin County: 46 countLake County: 673 countLewis and Clark County: 1,879 countLiberty County: 60 countLincoln County: 501 countMcCone County: 41 countMadison County: 257 countMeagher County: 50 countMineral County: 92 countMissoula County: 3,549 countMusselshell County: 107 countPark County: 616 countPetroleum County: 8 countPhillips County: 111 countPondera County: 149 countPowder River County: 60 countPowell County: 136 countPrairie County: 35 countRavalli County: 1,195 countRichland County: 462 countRoosevelt County: 175 countRosebud County: 150 countSanders County: 288 countSheridan County: 144 countSilver Bow County: 956 countStillwater County: 219 countSweet Grass County: 147 countTeton County: 165 countToole County: 152 countTreasure County: 15 countValley County: 232 countWheatland County: 53 countWibaux County: 24 countYellowstone County: 4,453 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 120
  • 120 to 160
  • 160 to 270
  • 270 to 600
  • 600 and over
count, 2016. 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, 2016

Yellowstone County: 4,453 countYellowstone County4,453Gallatin County: 4,271 countGallatin County4,271Missoula County: 3,549 countMissoula County3,549Flathead County: 3,194 countFlathead County3,194Cascade County: 1,965 countCascade County1,965Lewis and Clark County: 1,879 countLewis and Clark County1,879Ravalli County: 1,195 countRavalli County1,195Silver Bow County: 956 countSilver Bow County956Lake County: 673 countLake County673Park County: 616 countPark County616Lincoln County: 501 countLincoln County501Richland County: 462 countRichland County462Hill County: 430 countHill County430Fergus County: 379 countFergus County379Custer County: 356 countCuster County356Carbon County: 323 countCarbon County323Beaverhead County: 321 countBeaverhead County321Sanders County: 288 countSanders County288Dawson County: 273 countDawson County273Madison County: 257 countMadison County257Jefferson County: 243 countJefferson County243Valley County: 232 countValley County232Stillwater County: 219 countStillwater County219Deer Lodge County: 192 countDeer Lodge County192Glacier County: 181 countGlacier County181Big Horn County: 175 countBig Horn County175Roosevelt County: 175 countRoosevelt County175Teton County: 165 countTeton County165Toole County: 152 countToole County152Rosebud County: 150 countRosebud County150Pondera County: 149 countPondera County149Sweet Grass County: 147 countSweet Grass County147Sheridan County: 144 countSheridan County144Powell County: 136 countPowell County136Fallon County: 131 countFallon County131Broadwater County: 130 countBroadwater County130Blaine County: 119 countBlaine County119Chouteau County: 117 countChouteau County117Phillips County: 111 countPhillips County111Musselshell County: 107 countMusselshell County107Mineral County: 92 countMineral County92Granite County: 89 countGranite County89Liberty County: 60 countLiberty County60Powder River County: 60 countPowder River County60Daniels County: 58 countDaniels County58Wheatland County: 53 countWheatland County53Meagher County: 50 countMeagher County50Judith Basin County: 46 countJudith Basin County46McCone County: 41 countMcCone County41Prairie County: 35 countPrairie County35Carter County: 26 countCarter County26Wibaux County: 24 countWibaux County24Garfield County: 19 countGarfield County19Treasure County: 15 countTreasure County15Golden Valley County: 8 countGolden Valley County8Petroleum County: 8 countPetroleum County8Yellowstone County: 4,453 countYellowstone County4,453Gallatin County: 4,271 countGallatin County4,271Missoula County: 3,549 countMissoula County3,549Flathead County: 3,194 countFlathead County3,194Cascade County: 1,965 countCascade County1,965Lewis and Clark County: 1,879 countLewis and Clark County1,879Ravalli County: 1,195 countRavalli County1,195Silver Bow County: 956 countSilver Bow County956Lake County: 673 countLake County673Park County: 616 countPark County616Lincoln County: 501 countLincoln County501Richland County: 462 countRichland County462Hill County: 430 countHill County430Fergus County: 379 countFergus County379Custer County: 356 countCuster County356Carbon County: 323 countCarbon County323Beaverhead County: 321 countBeaverhead County321Sanders County: 288 countSanders County288Dawson County: 273 countDawson County273Madison County: 257 countMadison County257Jefferson County: 243 countJefferson County243Valley County: 232 countValley County232Stillwater County: 219 countStillwater County219Deer Lodge County: 192 countDeer Lodge County192Glacier County: 181 countGlacier County181Big Horn County: 175 countBig Horn County175Roosevelt County: 175 countRoosevelt County175Teton County: 165 countTeton County165Toole County: 152 countToole County152Rosebud County: 150 countRosebud County150Pondera County: 149 countPondera County149Sweet Grass County: 147 countSweet Grass County147Sheridan County: 144 countSheridan County144Powell County: 136 countPowell County136Fallon County: 131 countFallon County131Broadwater County: 130 countBroadwater County130Blaine County: 119 countBlaine County119Chouteau County: 117 countChouteau County117Phillips County: 111 countPhillips County111Musselshell County: 107 countMusselshell County107Mineral County: 92 countMineral County92Granite County: 89 countGranite County89Liberty County: 60 countLiberty County60Powder River County: 60 countPowder River County60Daniels County: 58 countDaniels County58Wheatland County: 53 countWheatland County53Meagher County: 50 countMeagher County50Judith Basin County: 46 countJudith Basin County46McCone County: 41 countMcCone County41Prairie County: 35 countPrairie County35Carter County: 26 countCarter County26Wibaux County: 24 countWibaux County24Garfield County: 19 countGarfield County19Treasure County: 15 countTreasure County15Golden Valley County: 8 countGolden Valley County8Petroleum County: 8 countPetroleum County8
count. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2016
count
Change on 2015
1Yellowstone County4,453+0.4%
2Gallatin County4,271+3.3%
3Missoula County3,549+1.6%
4Flathead County3,194+1.5%
5Cascade County1,965-0.4%
6Lewis and Clark County1,879+3.4%
7Ravalli County1,195+0.9%
8Silver Bow County956-1.1%
9Lake County673+0.3%
10Park County616-1.1%
11Lincoln County501-2.7%
12Richland County462-4.5%
13Hill County430-0.9%
14Fergus County379+1.6%
15Custer County356-1.1%
16Carbon County323-1.5%
17Beaverhead County321+2.6%
18Sanders County288+1.4%
19Dawson County273-2.8%
20Madison County257+1.6%
21Jefferson County243+7%
22Valley County232+0.9%
23Stillwater County2190%
24Deer Lodge County192+4.9%
25Glacier County181-5.2%
26Big Horn County175+2.9%
26Roosevelt County175-1.1%
28Teton County165+3.8%
29Toole County152-3.8%
30Rosebud County150-5.1%
31Pondera County149-1.3%
32Sweet Grass County147+8.9%
33Sheridan County144-4.6%
34Powell County136-5.6%
35Fallon County131+1.6%
36Broadwater County130+12.1%
37Blaine County119-1.7%
38Chouteau County117-1.7%
39Phillips County111-4.3%
40Musselshell County107+3.9%
41Mineral County920%
42Granite County890%
43Liberty County600%
43Powder River County60-3.2%
45Daniels County580%
46Wheatland County53-3.6%
47Meagher County50+4.2%
48Judith Basin County460%
49McCone County41-12.8%
50Prairie County35+9.4%
51Carter County26+8.3%
52Wibaux County24-27.3%
53Garfield County19+5.6%
54Treasure County150%
55Golden Valley County8-11.1%
55Petroleum County8+14.3%

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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_montana_by_2016,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties?period=2016.
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  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in Montana by employer firms using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"employer_firms","level":"province","within":"Montana","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=employer_firms&level=province&within=Montana&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which county has the highest employer firms?

Yellowstone County, with 4,453 in 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Petroleum County, with 8 in 2016.

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