Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in Montana

Counties in Montana by job destruction rate

Phillips County had the highest job destruction rate of 56 counties in 2021, at 22.801%. Sweet Grass County had the lowest, at 3.926%. The median was 11.487% and the figure for Montana was 12.179%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest22.801Phillips County
Lowest3.926Sweet Grass County
Median11.48756 counties
Montana12.179History

Map of counties, 2021

Beaverhead County: 12.711 %Big Horn County: 16.106 %Blaine County: 10.184 %Broadwater County: 17.303 %Carbon County: 15.925 %Carter County: 7.735 %Cascade County: 11.667 %Chouteau County: 10.952 %Custer County: 11.609 %Daniels County: 6.476 %Dawson County: 19.759 %Deer Lodge County: 8.917 %Fallon County: 14.418 %Fergus County: 12.413 %Flathead County: 10.792 %Gallatin County: 12.946 %Garfield County: 10.895 %Glacier County: 11.732 %Golden Valley County: 9.677 %Granite County: 11.989 %Hill County: 10.914 %Jefferson County: 16.019 %Judith Basin County: 11.155 %Lake County: 8.626 %Lewis and Clark County: 11.365 %Liberty County: 4.792 %Lincoln County: 11.925 %McCone County: 6.336 %Madison County: 13.846 %Meagher County: 11.094 %Mineral County: 9.553 %Missoula County: 13.133 %Musselshell County: 16.27 %Park County: 16.599 %Petroleum County: 5.556 %Phillips County: 22.801 %Pondera County: 9.144 %Powder River County: 14.871 %Powell County: 9.867 %Prairie County: 5.128 %Ravalli County: 10.838 %Richland County: 15.18 %Roosevelt County: 8.831 %Rosebud County: 15.675 %Sanders County: 9.119 %Sheridan County: 9.274 %Silver Bow County: 14.927 %Stillwater County: 13.235 %Sweet Grass County: 3.926 %Teton County: 11.185 %Toole County: 10.685 %Treasure County: 16.216 %Valley County: 10.539 %Wheatland County: 18.605 %Wibaux County: 13.1 %Yellowstone County: 12.406 %
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%, 2021. 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, 2021

Phillips County: 22.801 %Phillips County22.801Dawson County: 19.759 %Dawson County19.759Wheatland County: 18.605 %Wheatland County18.605Broadwater County: 17.303 %Broadwater County17.303Park County: 16.599 %Park County16.599Musselshell County: 16.27 %Musselshell County16.27Treasure County: 16.216 %Treasure County16.216Big Horn County: 16.106 %Big Horn County16.106Jefferson County: 16.019 %Jefferson County16.019Carbon County: 15.925 %Carbon County15.925Rosebud County: 15.675 %Rosebud County15.675Richland County: 15.18 %Richland County15.18Silver Bow County: 14.927 %Silver Bow County14.927Powder River County: 14.871 %Powder River County14.871Fallon County: 14.418 %Fallon County14.418Madison County: 13.846 %Madison County13.846Stillwater County: 13.235 %Stillwater County13.235Missoula County: 13.133 %Missoula County13.133Wibaux County: 13.1 %Wibaux County13.1Gallatin County: 12.946 %Gallatin County12.946Beaverhead County: 12.711 %Beaverhead County12.711Fergus County: 12.413 %Fergus County12.413Yellowstone County: 12.406 %Yellowstone County12.406Granite County: 11.989 %Granite County11.989Lincoln County: 11.925 %Lincoln County11.925Glacier County: 11.732 %Glacier County11.732Cascade County: 11.667 %Cascade County11.667Custer County: 11.609 %Custer County11.609Lewis and Clark County: 11.365 %Lewis and Clark County11.365Teton County: 11.185 %Teton County11.185Judith Basin County: 11.155 %Judith Basin County11.155Meagher County: 11.094 %Meagher County11.094Chouteau County: 10.952 %Chouteau County10.952Hill County: 10.914 %Hill County10.914Garfield County: 10.895 %Garfield County10.895Ravalli County: 10.838 %Ravalli County10.838Flathead County: 10.792 %Flathead County10.792Toole County: 10.685 %Toole County10.685Valley County: 10.539 %Valley County10.539Blaine County: 10.184 %Blaine County10.184Powell County: 9.867 %Powell County9.867Golden Valley County: 9.677 %Golden Valley County9.677Mineral County: 9.553 %Mineral County9.553Sheridan County: 9.274 %Sheridan County9.274Pondera County: 9.144 %Pondera County9.144Sanders County: 9.119 %Sanders County9.119Deer Lodge County: 8.917 %Deer Lodge County8.917Roosevelt County: 8.831 %Roosevelt County8.831Lake County: 8.626 %Lake County8.626Carter County: 7.735 %Carter County7.735Daniels County: 6.476 %Daniels County6.476McCone County: 6.336 %McCone County6.336Petroleum County: 5.556 %Petroleum County5.556Prairie County: 5.128 %Prairie County5.128Liberty County: 4.792 %Liberty County4.792Sweet Grass County: 3.926 %Sweet Grass County3.926Phillips County: 22.801 %Phillips County22.801Dawson County: 19.759 %Dawson County19.759Wheatland County: 18.605 %Wheatland County18.605Broadwater County: 17.303 %Broadwater County17.303Park County: 16.599 %Park County16.599Musselshell County: 16.27 %Musselshell County16.27Treasure County: 16.216 %Treasure County16.216Big Horn County: 16.106 %Big Horn County16.106Jefferson County: 16.019 %Jefferson County16.019Carbon County: 15.925 %Carbon County15.925Rosebud County: 15.675 %Rosebud County15.675Richland County: 15.18 %Richland County15.18Silver Bow County: 14.927 %Silver Bow County14.927Powder River County: 14.871 %Powder River County14.871Fallon County: 14.418 %Fallon County14.418Madison County: 13.846 %Madison County13.846Stillwater County: 13.235 %Stillwater County13.235Missoula County: 13.133 %Missoula County13.133Wibaux County: 13.1 %Wibaux County13.1Gallatin County: 12.946 %Gallatin County12.946Beaverhead County: 12.711 %Beaverhead County12.711Fergus County: 12.413 %Fergus County12.413Yellowstone County: 12.406 %Yellowstone County12.406Granite County: 11.989 %Granite County11.989Lincoln County: 11.925 %Lincoln County11.925Glacier County: 11.732 %Glacier County11.732Cascade County: 11.667 %Cascade County11.667Custer County: 11.609 %Custer County11.609Lewis and Clark County: 11.365 %Lewis and Clark County11.365Teton County: 11.185 %Teton County11.185Judith Basin County: 11.155 %Judith Basin County11.155Meagher County: 11.094 %Meagher County11.094Chouteau County: 10.952 %Chouteau County10.952Hill County: 10.914 %Hill County10.914Garfield County: 10.895 %Garfield County10.895Ravalli County: 10.838 %Ravalli County10.838Flathead County: 10.792 %Flathead County10.792Toole County: 10.685 %Toole County10.685Valley County: 10.539 %Valley County10.539Blaine County: 10.184 %Blaine County10.184Powell County: 9.867 %Powell County9.867Golden Valley County: 9.677 %Golden Valley County9.677Mineral County: 9.553 %Mineral County9.553Sheridan County: 9.274 %Sheridan County9.274Pondera County: 9.144 %Pondera County9.144Sanders County: 9.119 %Sanders County9.119Deer Lodge County: 8.917 %Deer Lodge County8.917Roosevelt County: 8.831 %Roosevelt County8.831Lake County: 8.626 %Lake County8.626Carter County: 7.735 %Carter County7.735Daniels County: 6.476 %Daniels County6.476McCone County: 6.336 %McCone County6.336Petroleum County: 5.556 %Petroleum County5.556Prairie County: 5.128 %Prairie County5.128Liberty County: 4.792 %Liberty County4.792Sweet Grass County: 3.926 %Sweet Grass County3.926
%. 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

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Phillips County22.801+12.64 pts
2Dawson County19.759+10.72 pts
3Wheatland County18.605-5.88 pts
4Broadwater County17.303-0.07 pts
5Park County16.599+1.35 pts
6Musselshell County16.27+8.78 pts
7Treasure County16.216-25.34 pts
8Big Horn County16.106-3.5 pts
9Jefferson County16.019+1.69 pts
10Carbon County15.925+4.76 pts
11Rosebud County15.675+9.62 pts
12Richland County15.18+2.37 pts
13Silver Bow County14.927+5.23 pts
14Powder River County14.871+6.86 pts
15Fallon County14.418-0.7 pts
16Madison County13.846-2.27 pts
17Stillwater County13.235+7.2 pts
18Missoula County13.133+1.65 pts
19Wibaux County13.1+2.57 pts
20Gallatin County12.946+0.97 pts
21Beaverhead County12.711-2.44 pts
22Fergus County12.413+2.33 pts
23Yellowstone County12.406+1.67 pts
24Granite County11.989-3.36 pts
25Lincoln County11.925-2.39 pts
26Glacier County11.732+2.5 pts
27Cascade County11.667+0.39 pts
28Custer County11.609+4.75 pts
29Lewis and Clark County11.365+1.83 pts
30Teton County11.185-2.78 pts
31Judith Basin County11.155+1.82 pts
32Meagher County11.094-1.43 pts
33Chouteau County10.952-2.8 pts
34Hill County10.914+1.49 pts
35Garfield County10.895+5.32 pts
36Ravalli County10.838+0.28 pts
37Flathead County10.792+0.59 pts
38Toole County10.685-0.11 pts
39Valley County10.539+1.5 pts
40Blaine County10.184-3.43 pts
41Powell County9.867+0.81 pts
42Golden Valley County9.677-2.29 pts
43Mineral County9.553-2.22 pts
44Sheridan County9.274-2.62 pts
45Pondera County9.144-5.12 pts
46Sanders County9.119-1.97 pts
47Deer Lodge County8.917-0.84 pts
48Roosevelt County8.831-1.59 pts
49Lake County8.626-1.46 pts
50Carter County7.735-65.95 pts
51Daniels County6.476-1.58 pts
52McCone County6.336-3.65 pts
53Petroleum County5.556-13.8 pts
54Prairie County5.128-5.82 pts
55Liberty County4.792-21.24 pts
56Sweet Grass County3.926-4.98 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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_montana_by_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/montana-counties?period=2021.
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?

Phillips County, with 22.801% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Sweet Grass County, with 3.926% in 2021.

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