HELENA — Montana’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate dropped slightly in September to 4.1 percent, compared to the revised August estimate of 4.2 percent.
The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.1 percent.
Gov. Steve Bullock notes that Montana has added over 10,000 jobs over the past 12 months.
Labor Commissioner Pam Bucy says the state’s unemployment rate has hovered around 4 percent for the past several months, which is considered an ideal level for unemployment.
Payroll employment lost 900 jobs in September, most likely due to projects finishing before the winter months.
Flathead County’s unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.4 percent. It was 4.8 percent in August. Lincoln County’s rate was 7.3 percent in September, highest in the state. Sanders County had the second highest mark at 6.9 percent. Glacier County ranked third, 6.7 percent, followed by Mineral County, 5.8 percent.
The Flathead Indian Reservation had the best employment rate among Montana’s seven reservations. The unemployment rate was 4.7 percent. There were 11,715 people employed on the reservation and 63 more jobs than a year ago. The Blackfeet Reservation had the fifth highest unemployment rate, 9.5 percent.
Montana’s labor force includes just over 524,000 people. Nearly 503,000 of them are employed, leaving just over 21,500 unemployed.
Click here to view statewide employment data.