Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Montana

Counties in Montana by job destruction rate

Musselshell County had the highest job destruction rate of 56 counties in 2017, at 29.26%. Petroleum County had the lowest, at 5.405%. The median was 13.406% and the figure for Montana was 12.521%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest29.26Musselshell County
Lowest5.405Petroleum County
Median13.40656 counties
Montana12.521History

Map of counties, 2017

Beaverhead County: 24.06 %Big Horn County: 10.441 %Blaine County: 9.906 %Broadwater County: 10.919 %Carbon County: 20.73 %Carter County: 10.067 %Cascade County: 12.154 %Chouteau County: 10.66 %Custer County: 18.053 %Daniels County: 14.777 %Dawson County: 15.194 %Deer Lodge County: 11.399 %Fallon County: 13.483 %Fergus County: 9.172 %Flathead County: 11.418 %Gallatin County: 12.302 %Garfield County: 17.073 %Glacier County: 16.916 %Golden Valley County: 13.534 %Granite County: 21.625 %Hill County: 12.012 %Jefferson County: 17.841 %Judith Basin County: 13.514 %Lake County: 12.267 %Lewis and Clark County: 13.329 %Liberty County: 13.988 %Lincoln County: 15.697 %McCone County: 8.105 %Madison County: 11.043 %Meagher County: 16.897 %Mineral County: 17.067 %Missoula County: 13.149 %Musselshell County: 29.26 %Park County: 17.072 %Petroleum County: 5.405 %Phillips County: 12.065 %Pondera County: 12.632 %Powder River County: 13.233 %Powell County: 7.818 %Prairie County: 13.746 %Ravalli County: 13.292 %Richland County: 17.913 %Roosevelt County: 17.463 %Rosebud County: 13.863 %Sanders County: 10.559 %Sheridan County: 21.756 %Silver Bow County: 10.303 %Stillwater County: 18.508 %Sweet Grass County: 8.273 %Teton County: 14.947 %Toole County: 16.9 %Treasure County: 28.571 %Valley County: 11.151 %Wheatland County: 8.9 %Wibaux County: 22.907 %Yellowstone County: 12.416 %
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%, 2017. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2017

Musselshell County: 29.26 %Musselshell County29.26Treasure County: 28.571 %Treasure County28.571Beaverhead County: 24.06 %Beaverhead County24.06Wibaux County: 22.907 %Wibaux County22.907Sheridan County: 21.756 %Sheridan County21.756Granite County: 21.625 %Granite County21.625Carbon County: 20.73 %Carbon County20.73Stillwater County: 18.508 %Stillwater County18.508Custer County: 18.053 %Custer County18.053Richland County: 17.913 %Richland County17.913Jefferson County: 17.841 %Jefferson County17.841Roosevelt County: 17.463 %Roosevelt County17.463Garfield County: 17.073 %Garfield County17.073Park County: 17.072 %Park County17.072Mineral County: 17.067 %Mineral County17.067Glacier County: 16.916 %Glacier County16.916Toole County: 16.9 %Toole County16.9Meagher County: 16.897 %Meagher County16.897Lincoln County: 15.697 %Lincoln County15.697Dawson County: 15.194 %Dawson County15.194Teton County: 14.947 %Teton County14.947Daniels County: 14.777 %Daniels County14.777Liberty County: 13.988 %Liberty County13.988Rosebud County: 13.863 %Rosebud County13.863Prairie County: 13.746 %Prairie County13.746Golden Valley County: 13.534 %Golden Valley County13.534Judith Basin County: 13.514 %Judith Basin County13.514Fallon County: 13.483 %Fallon County13.483Lewis and Clark County: 13.329 %Lewis and Clark County13.329Ravalli County: 13.292 %Ravalli County13.292Powder River County: 13.233 %Powder River County13.233Missoula County: 13.149 %Missoula County13.149Pondera County: 12.632 %Pondera County12.632Yellowstone County: 12.416 %Yellowstone County12.416Gallatin County: 12.302 %Gallatin County12.302Lake County: 12.267 %Lake County12.267Cascade County: 12.154 %Cascade County12.154Phillips County: 12.065 %Phillips County12.065Hill County: 12.012 %Hill County12.012Flathead County: 11.418 %Flathead County11.418Deer Lodge County: 11.399 %Deer Lodge County11.399Valley County: 11.151 %Valley County11.151Madison County: 11.043 %Madison County11.043Broadwater County: 10.919 %Broadwater County10.919Chouteau County: 10.66 %Chouteau County10.66Sanders County: 10.559 %Sanders County10.559Big Horn County: 10.441 %Big Horn County10.441Silver Bow County: 10.303 %Silver Bow County10.303Carter County: 10.067 %Carter County10.067Blaine County: 9.906 %Blaine County9.906Fergus County: 9.172 %Fergus County9.172Wheatland County: 8.9 %Wheatland County8.9Sweet Grass County: 8.273 %Sweet Grass County8.273McCone County: 8.105 %McCone County8.105Powell County: 7.818 %Powell County7.818Petroleum County: 5.405 %Petroleum County5.405Musselshell County: 29.26 %Musselshell County29.26Treasure County: 28.571 %Treasure County28.571Beaverhead County: 24.06 %Beaverhead County24.06Wibaux County: 22.907 %Wibaux County22.907Sheridan County: 21.756 %Sheridan County21.756Granite County: 21.625 %Granite County21.625Carbon County: 20.73 %Carbon County20.73Stillwater County: 18.508 %Stillwater County18.508Custer County: 18.053 %Custer County18.053Richland County: 17.913 %Richland County17.913Jefferson County: 17.841 %Jefferson County17.841Roosevelt County: 17.463 %Roosevelt County17.463Garfield County: 17.073 %Garfield County17.073Park County: 17.072 %Park County17.072Mineral County: 17.067 %Mineral County17.067Glacier County: 16.916 %Glacier County16.916Toole County: 16.9 %Toole County16.9Meagher County: 16.897 %Meagher County16.897Lincoln County: 15.697 %Lincoln County15.697Dawson County: 15.194 %Dawson County15.194Teton County: 14.947 %Teton County14.947Daniels County: 14.777 %Daniels County14.777Liberty County: 13.988 %Liberty County13.988Rosebud County: 13.863 %Rosebud County13.863Prairie County: 13.746 %Prairie County13.746Golden Valley County: 13.534 %Golden Valley County13.534Judith Basin County: 13.514 %Judith Basin County13.514Fallon County: 13.483 %Fallon County13.483Lewis and Clark County: 13.329 %Lewis and Clark County13.329Ravalli County: 13.292 %Ravalli County13.292Powder River County: 13.233 %Powder River County13.233Missoula County: 13.149 %Missoula County13.149Pondera County: 12.632 %Pondera County12.632Yellowstone County: 12.416 %Yellowstone County12.416Gallatin County: 12.302 %Gallatin County12.302Lake County: 12.267 %Lake County12.267Cascade County: 12.154 %Cascade County12.154Phillips County: 12.065 %Phillips County12.065Hill County: 12.012 %Hill County12.012Flathead County: 11.418 %Flathead County11.418Deer Lodge County: 11.399 %Deer Lodge County11.399Valley County: 11.151 %Valley County11.151Madison County: 11.043 %Madison County11.043Broadwater County: 10.919 %Broadwater County10.919Chouteau County: 10.66 %Chouteau County10.66Sanders County: 10.559 %Sanders County10.559Big Horn County: 10.441 %Big Horn County10.441Silver Bow County: 10.303 %Silver Bow County10.303Carter County: 10.067 %Carter County10.067Blaine County: 9.906 %Blaine County9.906Fergus County: 9.172 %Fergus County9.172Wheatland County: 8.9 %Wheatland County8.9Sweet Grass County: 8.273 %Sweet Grass County8.273McCone County: 8.105 %McCone County8.105Powell County: 7.818 %Powell County7.818Petroleum County: 5.405 %Petroleum County5.405
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Musselshell County29.26+14.32 pts
2Treasure County28.571+23.92 pts
3Beaverhead County24.06+12.7 pts
4Wibaux County22.907+5.48 pts
5Sheridan County21.756+11.09 pts
6Granite County21.625+11.35 pts
7Carbon County20.73+6.92 pts
8Stillwater County18.508+7.06 pts
9Custer County18.053+5.41 pts
10Richland County17.913-9.45 pts
11Jefferson County17.841+7.38 pts
12Roosevelt County17.463+4.13 pts
13Garfield County17.073+9.48 pts
14Park County17.072+2.25 pts
15Mineral County17.067+2.21 pts
16Glacier County16.916+3.48 pts
17Toole County16.9+2.87 pts
18Meagher County16.897+4.82 pts
19Lincoln County15.697+3.46 pts
20Dawson County15.194-2.21 pts
21Teton County14.947-4.66 pts
22Daniels County14.777+9.63 pts
23Liberty County13.988+3.81 pts
24Rosebud County13.863+6.29 pts
25Prairie County13.746+7.6 pts
26Golden Valley County13.534+7.98 pts
27Judith Basin County13.514+0.59 pts
28Fallon County13.483-11.73 pts
29Lewis and Clark County13.329+3.92 pts
30Ravalli County13.292+3.18 pts
31Powder River County13.233+2.97 pts
32Missoula County13.149+3.95 pts
33Pondera County12.632+3.03 pts
34Yellowstone County12.416+1.71 pts
35Gallatin County12.302+1.05 pts
36Lake County12.267+1.26 pts
37Cascade County12.154+2.07 pts
38Phillips County12.065-1.79 pts
39Hill County12.012+2.14 pts
40Flathead County11.418+2.71 pts
41Deer Lodge County11.399+2.36 pts
42Valley County11.151+3.09 pts
43Madison County11.043-1.8 pts
44Broadwater County10.919+5.62 pts
45Chouteau County10.66-4.64 pts
46Sanders County10.559+1 pts
47Big Horn County10.441-2.35 pts
48Silver Bow County10.303-0.27 pts
49Carter County10.067-2.9 pts
50Blaine County9.906+0.89 pts
51Fergus County9.172-3.38 pts
52Wheatland County8.9+2.56 pts
53Sweet Grass County8.273+1.34 pts
54McCone County8.105-0.74 pts
55Powell County7.818-10.1 pts
56Petroleum County5.405-16.82 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

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: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

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: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in Montana by job destruction rate, 2017) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Montana by job destruction rate, 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/job-destruction-rate/montana-counties?period=2017. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in Montana by job destruction rate, 2017. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/montana-counties?period=2017.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in Montana by job destruction rate, 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/job-destruction-rate/montana-counties?period=2017 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_montana_by_2017,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Montana by job destruction rate, 2017}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/montana-counties?period=2017. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in Montana by job destruction rate, 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/job-destruction-rate/montana-counties?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/montana-counties?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job destruction rate?

Musselshell County, with 29.26% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Petroleum County, with 5.405% 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: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in Montana: more rankings