Montana, Flathead Jobless Rates Fall

Montana’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate fell slightly to 5.6 percent in February.

The state Department of Labor and Industry says Montana’s unemployment rate has remained in the 5.6 percent to 5.7 percent range for the past four months.

Meanwhile, Flathead County’s non-seasonally adjusted rate fell to 9.8 percent in February from 10.6 percent in January. The current rate is 0.9 percentage points lower than the same month a year prior

The national unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 7.7 percent in February.

Labor Commissioner Pam Bucy says the state’s economy continues to add jobs, despite federal budget cuts, the expiration of the payroll tax break and higher gasoline prices.

Montana’s payroll employment increased by 1,100 jobs in February. The state has added over 7,700 payroll jobs over the past year, which does not include the self-employed or agricultural workers.

Here are the jobless rates for every Montana county.

Flathead unemployment rates by month:

February 2013: 9.8%
January 2013: 10.6%
December 2012: 9.1%
November 2012: 9%
October 2012: 8.3%
September 2012: 7.4%
August 2012: 7.9%
July 2012: 7.9%
June 2012: 8.5%
May 2012: 9.2%
April 2012: 10%
March 2012: 10.7%
February 2012: 10.7%