Counties in Montana by employer firms

Yellowstone County had the highest employer firms of 56 counties in 2017, at 4,421. Golden Valley County had the lowest, at 7. The median was 158 and the figure for Montana was 27,795. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest4,421Yellowstone County
Median15856 counties
Montana27,795History

Map of counties, 2017

Beaverhead County: 328 countBig Horn County: 162 countBlaine County: 119 countBroadwater County: 129 countCarbon County: 325 countCarter County: 21 countCascade County: 1,973 countChouteau County: 112 countCuster County: 354 countDaniels County: 56 countDawson County: 265 countDeer Lodge County: 196 countFallon County: 124 countFergus County: 380 countFlathead County: 3,199 countGallatin County: 4,361 countGarfield County: 20 countGlacier County: 182 countGolden Valley County: 7 countGranite County: 92 countHill County: 428 countJefferson County: 231 countJudith Basin County: 45 countLake County: 682 countLewis and Clark County: 1,917 countLiberty County: 55 countLincoln County: 492 countMcCone County: 46 countMadison County: 266 countMeagher County: 49 countMineral County: 87 countMissoula County: 3,620 countMusselshell County: 108 countPark County: 627 countPetroleum County: 9 countPhillips County: 112 countPondera County: 154 countPowder River County: 53 countPowell County: 142 countPrairie County: 31 countRavalli County: 1,195 countRichland County: 464 countRoosevelt County: 163 countRosebud County: 148 countSanders County: 286 countSheridan County: 140 countSilver Bow County: 942 countStillwater County: 204 countSweet Grass County: 140 countTeton County: 168 countToole County: 151 countTreasure County: 16 countValley County: 233 countWheatland County: 56 countWibaux County: 27 countYellowstone County: 4,421 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 110
  • 110 to 160
  • 160 to 270
  • 270 to 600
  • 600 and over
count, 2017. 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, 2017

Yellowstone County: 4,421 countYellowstone County4,421Gallatin County: 4,361 countGallatin County4,361Missoula County: 3,620 countMissoula County3,620Flathead County: 3,199 countFlathead County3,199Cascade County: 1,973 countCascade County1,973Lewis and Clark County: 1,917 countLewis and Clark County1,917Ravalli County: 1,195 countRavalli County1,195Silver Bow County: 942 countSilver Bow County942Lake County: 682 countLake County682Park County: 627 countPark County627Lincoln County: 492 countLincoln County492Richland County: 464 countRichland County464Hill County: 428 countHill County428Fergus County: 380 countFergus County380Custer County: 354 countCuster County354Beaverhead County: 328 countBeaverhead County328Carbon County: 325 countCarbon County325Sanders County: 286 countSanders County286Madison County: 266 countMadison County266Dawson County: 265 countDawson County265Valley County: 233 countValley County233Jefferson County: 231 countJefferson County231Stillwater County: 204 countStillwater County204Deer Lodge County: 196 countDeer Lodge County196Glacier County: 182 countGlacier County182Teton County: 168 countTeton County168Roosevelt County: 163 countRoosevelt County163Big Horn County: 162 countBig Horn County162Pondera County: 154 countPondera County154Toole County: 151 countToole County151Rosebud County: 148 countRosebud County148Powell County: 142 countPowell County142Sheridan County: 140 countSheridan County140Sweet Grass County: 140 countSweet Grass County140Broadwater County: 129 countBroadwater County129Fallon County: 124 countFallon County124Blaine County: 119 countBlaine County119Chouteau County: 112 countChouteau County112Phillips County: 112 countPhillips County112Musselshell County: 108 countMusselshell County108Granite County: 92 countGranite County92Mineral County: 87 countMineral County87Daniels County: 56 countDaniels County56Wheatland County: 56 countWheatland County56Liberty County: 55 countLiberty County55Powder River County: 53 countPowder River County53Meagher County: 49 countMeagher County49McCone County: 46 countMcCone County46Judith Basin County: 45 countJudith Basin County45Prairie County: 31 countPrairie County31Wibaux County: 27 countWibaux County27Carter County: 21 countCarter County21Garfield County: 20 countGarfield County20Treasure County: 16 countTreasure County16Petroleum County: 9 countPetroleum County9Golden Valley County: 7 countGolden Valley County7Yellowstone County: 4,421 countYellowstone County4,421Gallatin County: 4,361 countGallatin County4,361Missoula County: 3,620 countMissoula County3,620Flathead County: 3,199 countFlathead County3,199Cascade County: 1,973 countCascade County1,973Lewis and Clark County: 1,917 countLewis and Clark County1,917Ravalli County: 1,195 countRavalli County1,195Silver Bow County: 942 countSilver Bow County942Lake County: 682 countLake County682Park County: 627 countPark County627Lincoln County: 492 countLincoln County492Richland County: 464 countRichland County464Hill County: 428 countHill County428Fergus County: 380 countFergus County380Custer County: 354 countCuster County354Beaverhead County: 328 countBeaverhead County328Carbon County: 325 countCarbon County325Sanders County: 286 countSanders County286Madison County: 266 countMadison County266Dawson County: 265 countDawson County265Valley County: 233 countValley County233Jefferson County: 231 countJefferson County231Stillwater County: 204 countStillwater County204Deer Lodge County: 196 countDeer Lodge County196Glacier County: 182 countGlacier County182Teton County: 168 countTeton County168Roosevelt County: 163 countRoosevelt County163Big Horn County: 162 countBig Horn County162Pondera County: 154 countPondera County154Toole County: 151 countToole County151Rosebud County: 148 countRosebud County148Powell County: 142 countPowell County142Sheridan County: 140 countSheridan County140Sweet Grass County: 140 countSweet Grass County140Broadwater County: 129 countBroadwater County129Fallon County: 124 countFallon County124Blaine County: 119 countBlaine County119Chouteau County: 112 countChouteau County112Phillips County: 112 countPhillips County112Musselshell County: 108 countMusselshell County108Granite County: 92 countGranite County92Mineral County: 87 countMineral County87Daniels County: 56 countDaniels County56Wheatland County: 56 countWheatland County56Liberty County: 55 countLiberty County55Powder River County: 53 countPowder River County53Meagher County: 49 countMeagher County49McCone County: 46 countMcCone County46Judith Basin County: 45 countJudith Basin County45Prairie County: 31 countPrairie County31Wibaux County: 27 countWibaux County27Carter County: 21 countCarter County21Garfield County: 20 countGarfield County20Treasure County: 16 countTreasure County16Petroleum County: 9 countPetroleum County9Golden 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

RankCounties2017
count
Change on 2016
1Yellowstone County4,421-0.7%
2Gallatin County4,361+2.1%
3Missoula County3,620+2%
4Flathead County3,199+0.2%
5Cascade County1,973+0.4%
6Lewis and Clark County1,917+2%
7Ravalli County1,1950%
8Silver Bow County942-1.5%
9Lake County682+1.3%
10Park County627+1.8%
11Lincoln County492-1.8%
12Richland County464+0.4%
13Hill County428-0.5%
14Fergus County380+0.3%
15Custer County354-0.6%
16Beaverhead County328+2.2%
17Carbon County325+0.6%
18Sanders County286-0.7%
19Madison County266+3.5%
20Dawson County265-2.9%
21Valley County233+0.4%
22Jefferson County231-4.9%
23Stillwater County204-6.8%
24Deer Lodge County196+2.1%
25Glacier County182+0.6%
26Teton County168+1.8%
27Roosevelt County163-6.9%
28Big Horn County162-7.4%
29Pondera County154+3.4%
30Toole County151-0.7%
31Rosebud County148-1.3%
32Powell County142+4.4%
33Sheridan County140-2.8%
33Sweet Grass County140-4.8%
35Broadwater County129-0.8%
36Fallon County124-5.3%
37Blaine County1190%
38Chouteau County112-4.3%
38Phillips County112+0.9%
40Musselshell County108+0.9%
41Granite County92+3.4%
42Mineral County87-5.4%
43Daniels County56-3.4%
43Wheatland County56+5.7%
45Liberty County55-8.3%
46Powder River County53-11.7%
47Meagher County49-2%
48McCone County46+12.2%
49Judith Basin County45-2.2%
50Prairie County31-11.4%
51Wibaux County27+12.5%
52Carter County21-19.2%
53Garfield County20+5.3%
54Treasure County16+6.7%
55Petroleum County9+12.5%
56Golden Valley County7-12.5%

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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_montana_by_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties?period=2017.
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 4,421 in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Golden Valley County, with 7 in 2017.

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