Labor Market Pulse

Great Falls, MT Metro Edition

Focus: HR

Great Falls stays tight as Montana's wage growth outpaces the nation.

3.0%

Cascade County unemployment

vs 4.1% national, up from 2.9% in May 2026

4.7%

Montana hourly wage growth

2024-2025, 2nd fastest in U.S. (BLS OEWS)

$24.32/hr

Montana living wage, single adult

vs $10.85 state minimum wage floor

$71,211

Recruiter advertised pay, metro

vs $68,167 national median

This Month's Takeaways

01

Local unemployment inched up, but don't read it as slack.

Cascade County's rise from 2.9% to 3.0% in two months still sits a full point below the national 4.1%, and Montana's statewide rate has held under 3% for twelve straight months. Treat this as noise within a persistently tight labor supply, not a signal to ease hiring urgency.

02

Recruiter pay is outrunning its national counterpart.

Metro Recruiter advertised pay sits at $71,211 against a national median of $68,167 — a local premium that's unusual given Great Falls' smaller labor market and may reflect employers competing harder to fill their own talent acquisition pipelines amid sustained scarcity.

03

HR Coordinator pay is moving fastest of any HR role tracked.

Metro advertised pay for HR Coordinator roles is up significantly this month, outpacing the national trend of moderate growth. This looks consistent with Montana's broader wage compression pattern, where entry- and mid-level roles are seeing sharper movement than leadership tiers.

04

Healthcare's hiring gravity is reshaping the local talent map.

Hospital employment statewide posted its largest annual increase since 2016 while manufacturing contracted 2.8%, a divergence playing out locally given Great Falls' healthcare and federal employment concentration. Compensation benchmarking should weight healthcare roles more heavily than historical mix would suggest.

Local Labor Conditions

Cascade County's unemployment rate ticked up to 3.0% in July 2026 from 2.9% in May, still well below the national 4.1% and consistent with Montana's twelfth straight month under 3% statewide, pointing to persistent labor scarcity rather than cooling demand. Great Falls' economic base remains anchored by Malmstrom Air Force Base and federal civilian employment, with healthcare continuing to outpace manufacturing and hospitality as the metro's primary growth engine.

Leadership & Talent Implications

Tight county-level unemployment combined with Montana's second-fastest wage growth nationally (hourly wages up 4.7% in 2025) means Great Falls employers compete against a rising statewide pay floor even as national hiring urgency eases, so local retention strategy can't simply follow national cooling signals. Healthcare's outsized role in local job growth and manufacturing's decline suggest workforce planning should diverge sharply by sector — aggressive retention where labor is scarce, restructuring readiness where it isn't. Consider reviewing compensation structures against Montana's $24.32/hour single-adult living wage benchmark, particularly for hourly and entry-level roles where compression risk is highest.

Advertised Pay Indicators

Role	P25	Median	P75	Local Trend	National	Nat. Trend
Compensation Analyst	—	—	—	— No data	$101,727	→ Stable
HR Business Partner	$57,200	$70,746	$77,146	↑ Significant increase	$83,766	↑ Significant increase
Benefits Manager	$87,350	$114,327	$122,901	↑ Moderate increase	$117,888	↑ Moderate increase
HRIS Analyst	—	—	—	— No data	$97,555	↑ Moderate increase
HR Coordinator	$38,544	$48,152	$55,104	↑ Significant increase	$50,000	↑ Moderate increase
Recruiter	$54,076	$71,211	$71,760	↑ Significant increase	$68,167	↑ Moderate increase
Payroll Specialist	—	—	—	— No data	$59,855	↑ Moderate increase

Some roles reflect state-level data where local metro sample size was insufficient.

Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days

Expected release

BLS metro-level data for Great Falls MSA covering September won't post until October 20. Expect any local softening or tightening signal to arrive with a lag — plan compensation reviews around that release date rather than national monthly prints.

Emerging pressure point

Montana's minimum wage rose to $10.85/hour in January and adjusts annually by CPI, compounding with statewide wage growth running near 3.5% year-over-year. Entry-level and hourly compensation structures may need interim adjustment before the next scheduled review cycle.

Worth watching

Statewide information and technology employment grew 28% in 2025 even as Great Falls' base remains federal- and healthcare-heavy. Watch whether any spillover tech hiring or remote-work talent competition reaches the metro and pulls on HR, recruiting, or coordinator-level pay locally.

Potential inflection point

Montana's 406 JOBS initiative is expanding registered apprenticeships and rural health workforce programs. Great Falls employers facing healthcare or skilled-trade scarcity may find near-term pipeline relief through state-subsidized partnerships rather than pay alone.

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