Economic Intelligence | Any Geography

Yellowstone County, MT

Welcome to Yellowstone County.

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Yellowstone County is the most populous in the state of Montana, representing 15% of the state's population.

Total GDP for the county increased 27%, in the five years ending in 2022, to reach $11.9 billion.

Between 2000 and 2024 presidential elections, Yellowstone County voted for Republican candidates six out of six times and never voted for a Democratic candidate.

Yellowstone County comprises Billings, MT metropolitan area.

The largest city in the county is Billings.

Surrounding counties and county equivalents include: Big Horn County, Carbon County, Golden Valley County, Musselshell County, Rosebud County, Stillwater County, and Treasure County.

Presidential Election

🔵 Democrat    🔴 Republican

Election Year
Candidates (Party)*
Votes (% Total)Landslide
Scale**
🔵🔴
2000
🔴George W. Bush
🔵Al Gore
35.43%59%++
2004
🔴George W. Bush
🔵John Kerry
36.39%61.71%++
2008
🔵Barack Obama
🔴John McCain
45.49%51.8%+
2012
🔵Barack Obama
🔴Mitt Romney
38.37%58.86%++
2016
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Hillary Clinton
32.08%59.21%++
2020
🔵Joe Biden
🔴Donald Trump
36.6%60.57%++
2024
🔴Donald Trump
🔵Kamala Harris
Notes:
*Presidential Tickets
2000 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D) Al Gore & Joe Lieberman
2004 (R) George W. Bush & Dick Cheney; (D)John Kerry & John Edwards
2008 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) John McCain & Sarah Palin
2012 (D) Barack Obama & Joe Biden; (R) Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan
2016 (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence; (D) Hillary Clinton & Tim Kaine
2020 (D) Joe Biden & Kamala Harris; (R) Donald Trump & Mike Pence
2024 (R) Donald Trump & JD Vance; (D) Kamala Harris & Tim Waltz
**Landslide Scale (county)
+ Victory margin was less than 20 percent
++ Victory margin was between 20 to 49 percentage points of more votes
+++ Victory margin was more than half but below three quarters
++++ Victory margin was three quarters or more

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Economic Significance

Key IndustryAs %
County GDP
GDP
Growth*
County GDP1100%27%
Government
Enterprises
9%18%
Private Industries91%28%
Agriculture1%102%
Mining<1%8%
Utilities<1%23%
Construction6%29%
Manufacturing14%6%
– Durable1%35%
– Nondurable13%4%
Trade16%33%
– Wholesale9%36%
– Retail7%29%
Transportation5%50%
Information2%27%
Finance & Insurance5%34%
Real Estate12%36%
Professional &
Business Services
9%37%
Educational Services<1%34%
Healthcare &
Social Services
13%24%
Arts, Recreation &
Entertainment
1%33%
Accommodation &
Food Services
4%48%
Other Services22%34%
Notes:
*Growth rates are based on most recent five-year value available and are updated dynamically
1. All industry total.
2. Includes various repairs, maintenance, personal care, religious organizations, social and professional organizations etc.

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Local Vibrancy

Total*Vibrancy
Indicator
(1-100)**
🚙 Automobile Dealers5559
🪑 Furniture &
Home Furnishings
4046
📺 Electronics & Appliance2239
🛒 Grocery Stores3440
🍾 Beer, Wine & Liquor Stores1012
⚕️ Health & Personal Care4650
⛽ Gasoline Stations5642
👕 Clothing Stores4348
👠 Shoe Stores1318
🧳 Luggage, Leather Goods & Jewelry89
🏸 Sporting Goods2440
📚 Book Stores & News Dealers59
🏬 Department Stores2021
💐 Florists68
🎁 Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Shops1016
🐕 Pet & Pet Supplies 811
🍺 Bars & Taverns5060
🍽️ Full-service restaurants13763
🍔 Limited-service restaurants14161
🏠 Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers18272
🛏️ Traveler Accommodation5459
Notes:
* Total counts of establishments are places of business.
** Vibrancy score is based on comparisons of relevant establishments per square mile of land area among all counties and county equivalents in the United States; A score of 100 means the county is in the top one percentile.

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Wealth Indicators

Household Income by Distribution
As % County’s
Total Household Income
Average Household Income
Maximum Household Income
Top 5%117%$256,200 N/A
Top 20%44%$165,000 $185,200
Next highest 20%27%$99,400 $123,000
Middle 20%15%$57,100 $74,000
Second lowest 20%10%$36,100 $41,300
Bottom 20%4%$13,900 $24,900
Notes:
1. Households with aggregate income above 95% of all households in the county
% Total
Households
Average Household
Income*
Wages & Salaries64%$75,300
Self-Employment24%$49,400
Investment Income124%Below $10,000
Social Security42%$20,100
Supplemental Security5%$12,400
Public AssistanceLess than 1%
Retirement24%$16,400
Notes:
* Calculation based on households claim to have specific source of income; Households may have more than one source of income
1Includes interest, dividends, and net rental income

Under
25*
Age 25
to 49*
Age 50
to 64*
Age 65
& Older*
Below
$25K
1%3%4%6%
$25K
– $49K
2%6%5%7%
$50K
– $99K
1%12%10%9%
$100K
– $199K
<1%10%10%4%
$200K
& more
<1%3%4%2%
Notes:
* Age of heads of households

 

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Median Earnings by Worker Characteristics
Race/EthnicityMaleFemale
Non-Hispanic White$59,100 $29,300
African-American
Hispanic
Asian
Level of Education MaleFemale
Below Highschool$49,400
Highschool & GED$57,100 $28,800
Some College to
Associate’s
$60,400 $30,800
College/Bachelor’s
Degree
$118,600
Graduate Degree$60,900 $65,200
OccupationMaleFemale
White-Collar1$48,400 $46,700
STEM2
Gray-Collar3
Pink-Collar4
Sales5$65,300 $24,300
Blue-Collar6$53,800
Notes:
1. Management, business, science, and arts occupations
2. Computer, engineering, and science occupations
3. Protective service occupations including firefighters and law enforcement
4. Personal care and service occupations
5. Sales and sales related
6.Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

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Climate Risks

Disaster CategoryNatural Hazard
Risk Rating
Annual Loss
Per Capita
Avalanche
Coastal Flooding
Cold Waves++$
Drought++
Earthquake+$
Hail++$
Heat Waves$
Hurricane
Ice Storm+$
Landslide+
Lightning++$
Riverine Flooding+$
Strong Wind+$
Tornado+$
Tsunami
Volcanic Activity
Wildfires+$
Winter Weather+$
Notes:
Locations with insufficient data or not rated are left blank.
+: Very low to Relatively low risk ratings
++: Relatively moderate
+++: Relatively high
++++: Very high
$: Expected per capita annual loss from the natural disaster is below $100
$$: $100-499
$$$: $500-999
$$$$: $1,000 and more

 

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