Two Industries in Missoula Where the Pay Is Higher Than Average

 The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its 10-year report on labor force projections and they’re projecting that both the economy and GDP growth will be affected. They cite an aging workforce as well as lower fertility rates as contributing factors.

Montana’s Work Habits 

In Montana, we’ve seen from recent Wallet Hub data that we’re not as affected by long-term unemployment as other states, though we also rank high for workers who have resigned in the last month or the last 12 months. Given, this reality, Missoulians may want to keep in mind the professions that will likely provide the potential for the highest income if they do find themselves looking for a new job. 

Three Industries in Missoula Where the Pay is Lower Than Average 

Data from the Bureau of Labor as recent as 2021 shows the average hourly wage for 22 different industries.  

Read more: We Asked AI How to Improve Missoula Montana. Here's What It Said: 

While most industries in Missoula pay lower than the national average wage, the three lowest industries were all at a rate that was over a 30% difference in salary.  

• -31% Computer and mathematical 
• -32% Arts design, entertainment, sports and media 
• -35% Legal 

For each of these industries, the hourly wages were as follows: 

• Computer and mathematical: US $48.01, MT $32.99 
• Arts design, entertainment, sports and media: US $31.78, MT $21.70 
• Legal: US $54.38, MT $35.57 

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Two Industries in Missoula Where the Pay is Higher Than Average

If we look at individual job titles, then we’ll see that certain jobs pay higher than others. Collectively, however, there are two industries that have a higher hourly wage than the national average. 

• 2% Healthcare practitioners and technical 
• 6% Protective Service 

Again, specific jobs may have higher pay, but the average hourly wages were:  

• Healthcare practitioners and technical: US $43.80, MT $44.48 
• Protective service: US $25.68, MT $27.23 

It’s encouraging to see these two important industries have higher average hourly wages. If you’d like to drill down further, take a look at these individual job titles and the average hourly wage for each one.