Counties in Montana by employer firms

Gallatin County had the highest employer firms of 56 counties in 2018, at 4,534. Petroleum County had the lowest, at 7. The median was 153 and the figure for Montana was 28,105. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest4,534Gallatin County
Median15356 counties
Montana28,105History

Map of counties, 2018

Beaverhead County: 331 countBig Horn County: 160 countBlaine County: 117 countBroadwater County: 146 countCarbon County: 321 countCarter County: 24 countCascade County: 1,954 countChouteau County: 109 countCuster County: 360 countDaniels County: 60 countDawson County: 264 countDeer Lodge County: 198 countFallon County: 115 countFergus County: 372 countFlathead County: 3,242 countGallatin County: 4,534 countGarfield County: 21 countGlacier County: 174 countGolden Valley County: 9 countGranite County: 89 countHill County: 423 countJefferson County: 241 countJudith Basin County: 42 countLake County: 701 countLewis and Clark County: 1,958 countLiberty County: 54 countLincoln County: 507 countMcCone County: 44 countMadison County: 276 countMeagher County: 52 countMineral County: 91 countMissoula County: 3,649 countMusselshell County: 99 countPark County: 641 countPetroleum County: 7 countPhillips County: 106 countPondera County: 153 countPowder River County: 59 countPowell County: 139 countPrairie County: 29 countRavalli County: 1,235 countRichland County: 433 countRoosevelt County: 163 countRosebud County: 146 countSanders County: 292 countSheridan County: 139 countSilver Bow County: 959 countStillwater County: 203 countSweet Grass County: 130 countTeton County: 153 countToole County: 140 countTreasure County: 12 countValley County: 237 countWheatland County: 55 countWibaux County: 23 countYellowstone County: 4,435 count
  • Under 50
  • 50 to 110
  • 110 to 150
  • 150 to 270
  • 270 to 620
  • 620 and over
count, 2018. 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, 2018

Gallatin County: 4,534 countGallatin County4,534Yellowstone County: 4,435 countYellowstone County4,435Missoula County: 3,649 countMissoula County3,649Flathead County: 3,242 countFlathead County3,242Lewis and Clark County: 1,958 countLewis and Clark County1,958Cascade County: 1,954 countCascade County1,954Ravalli County: 1,235 countRavalli County1,235Silver Bow County: 959 countSilver Bow County959Lake County: 701 countLake County701Park County: 641 countPark County641Lincoln County: 507 countLincoln County507Richland County: 433 countRichland County433Hill County: 423 countHill County423Fergus County: 372 countFergus County372Custer County: 360 countCuster County360Beaverhead County: 331 countBeaverhead County331Carbon County: 321 countCarbon County321Sanders County: 292 countSanders County292Madison County: 276 countMadison County276Dawson County: 264 countDawson County264Jefferson County: 241 countJefferson County241Valley County: 237 countValley County237Stillwater County: 203 countStillwater County203Deer Lodge County: 198 countDeer Lodge County198Glacier County: 174 countGlacier County174Roosevelt County: 163 countRoosevelt County163Big Horn County: 160 countBig Horn County160Pondera County: 153 countPondera County153Teton County: 153 countTeton County153Broadwater County: 146 countBroadwater County146Rosebud County: 146 countRosebud County146Toole County: 140 countToole County140Powell County: 139 countPowell County139Sheridan County: 139 countSheridan County139Sweet Grass County: 130 countSweet Grass County130Blaine County: 117 countBlaine County117Fallon County: 115 countFallon County115Chouteau County: 109 countChouteau County109Phillips County: 106 countPhillips County106Musselshell County: 99 countMusselshell County99Mineral County: 91 countMineral County91Granite County: 89 countGranite County89Daniels County: 60 countDaniels County60Powder River County: 59 countPowder River County59Wheatland County: 55 countWheatland County55Liberty County: 54 countLiberty County54Meagher County: 52 countMeagher County52McCone County: 44 countMcCone County44Judith Basin County: 42 countJudith Basin County42Prairie County: 29 countPrairie County29Carter County: 24 countCarter County24Wibaux County: 23 countWibaux County23Garfield County: 21 countGarfield County21Treasure County: 12 countTreasure County12Golden Valley County: 9 countGolden Valley County9Petroleum County: 7 countPetroleum County7Gallatin County: 4,534 countGallatin County4,534Yellowstone County: 4,435 countYellowstone County4,435Missoula County: 3,649 countMissoula County3,649Flathead County: 3,242 countFlathead County3,242Lewis and Clark County: 1,958 countLewis and Clark County1,958Cascade County: 1,954 countCascade County1,954Ravalli County: 1,235 countRavalli County1,235Silver Bow County: 959 countSilver Bow County959Lake County: 701 countLake County701Park County: 641 countPark County641Lincoln County: 507 countLincoln County507Richland County: 433 countRichland County433Hill County: 423 countHill County423Fergus County: 372 countFergus County372Custer County: 360 countCuster County360Beaverhead County: 331 countBeaverhead County331Carbon County: 321 countCarbon County321Sanders County: 292 countSanders County292Madison County: 276 countMadison County276Dawson County: 264 countDawson County264Jefferson County: 241 countJefferson County241Valley County: 237 countValley County237Stillwater County: 203 countStillwater County203Deer Lodge County: 198 countDeer Lodge County198Glacier County: 174 countGlacier County174Roosevelt County: 163 countRoosevelt County163Big Horn County: 160 countBig Horn County160Pondera County: 153 countPondera County153Teton County: 153 countTeton County153Broadwater County: 146 countBroadwater County146Rosebud County: 146 countRosebud County146Toole County: 140 countToole County140Powell County: 139 countPowell County139Sheridan County: 139 countSheridan County139Sweet Grass County: 130 countSweet Grass County130Blaine County: 117 countBlaine County117Fallon County: 115 countFallon County115Chouteau County: 109 countChouteau County109Phillips County: 106 countPhillips County106Musselshell County: 99 countMusselshell County99Mineral County: 91 countMineral County91Granite County: 89 countGranite County89Daniels County: 60 countDaniels County60Powder River County: 59 countPowder River County59Wheatland County: 55 countWheatland County55Liberty County: 54 countLiberty County54Meagher County: 52 countMeagher County52McCone County: 44 countMcCone County44Judith Basin County: 42 countJudith Basin County42Prairie County: 29 countPrairie County29Carter County: 24 countCarter County24Wibaux County: 23 countWibaux County23Garfield County: 21 countGarfield County21Treasure County: 12 countTreasure County12Golden 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

RankCounties2018
count
Change on 2017
1Gallatin County4,534+4%
2Yellowstone County4,435+0.3%
3Missoula County3,649+0.8%
4Flathead County3,242+1.3%
5Lewis and Clark County1,958+2.1%
6Cascade County1,954-1%
7Ravalli County1,235+3.3%
8Silver Bow County959+1.8%
9Lake County701+2.8%
10Park County641+2.2%
11Lincoln County507+3%
12Richland County433-6.7%
13Hill County423-1.2%
14Fergus County372-2.1%
15Custer County360+1.7%
16Beaverhead County331+0.9%
17Carbon County321-1.2%
18Sanders County292+2.1%
19Madison County276+3.8%
20Dawson County264-0.4%
21Jefferson County241+4.3%
22Valley County237+1.7%
23Stillwater County203-0.5%
24Deer Lodge County198+1%
25Glacier County174-4.4%
26Roosevelt County1630%
27Big Horn County160-1.2%
28Pondera County153-0.6%
28Teton County153-8.9%
30Broadwater County146+13.2%
30Rosebud County146-1.4%
32Toole County140-7.3%
33Powell County139-2.1%
33Sheridan County139-0.7%
35Sweet Grass County130-7.1%
36Blaine County117-1.7%
37Fallon County115-7.3%
38Chouteau County109-2.7%
39Phillips County106-5.4%
40Musselshell County99-8.3%
41Mineral County91+4.6%
42Granite County89-3.3%
43Daniels County60+7.1%
44Powder River County59+11.3%
45Wheatland County55-1.8%
46Liberty County54-1.8%
47Meagher County52+6.1%
48McCone County44-4.3%
49Judith Basin County42-6.7%
50Prairie County29-6.5%
51Carter County24+14.3%
52Wibaux County23-14.8%
53Garfield County21+5%
54Treasure County12-25%
55Golden Valley County9+28.6%
56Petroleum 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties, Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_montana_by_2018,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: employer firms, all covered industries, nation, states and counties: Counties in Montana by employer firms, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/employer-firms/montana-counties?period=2018.
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 4,534 in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest employer firms?

Petroleum County, with 7 in 2018.

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