Jobs, pay and daily life in Laurel, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Laurel is a city in Montana with 7,215 residents. The median household earns $68,474 a year and the median rent is $974 a month, which is 17.1% of the median household income. It is part of the Billings, MT metropolitan area, where BLS counts 93,800 jobs.
How Laurel compares. Among the 30 largest places in Montana, Laurel is #17 by population, #28 for college degrees (#1 = most), #6 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #10 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Yellowstone County, is #6 of 56 counties for average pay ($62,688).
Laurel has 7,215 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.6% of the population of Montana. It covers 3 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,770 people per square mile. The median age is 37.1, 8% younger than the state median (37.1 against 40.4).
The median gross rent is $974 a month (rent plus utilities), 10% below the state median ($974 against $1,081). Over a year that is 17.1% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $235,100, which is 3.4 times the median household income ($68,474); a ratio under 4 usually means ownership is within reach for many households. 58.7% of households own their home, 15% below the state average (58.7% against 69.2%).
The Billings, MT metropolitan area has 93,800 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $49,060 a year, 4% below the national median ($49,060 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (10,550 jobs, median $46,010); food preparation and serving related (10,020 jobs, median $30,420); sales and related (9,130 jobs, median $38,440). The area is most specialised in construction and extraction (1.4 times) and food preparation and serving related (1.2 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($103,690) and healthcare practitioners and technical ($82,120). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Yellowstone County was 2.5%. 69.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Yellowstone County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 65.1% drive alone, 2.0% use public transit, 2.5% walk, 12.1% work from home. 3.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 61% below the state average (3.2% against 8.2%).
20.8% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 41% below the state share (20.8% against 35.2%). 2.5% of residents were born outside the United States, 8% above the state share (2.5% against 2.3%). The poverty rate is 10.0%, 13% below the state rate (10.0% against 11.5%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 74°F (23.4°C), and the coolest is Dec at 26°F (-3.4°C). About 430 mm (17 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (76 mm) and Jan the driest (18 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Billings (13 miles, rent 17% higher); Lockwood (21 miles, rent 17% higher); Powell (63 miles, rent 22% lower); Cody (81 miles, rent 8% higher). Rent differences are against Laurel; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Montana (253) →State guide: MontanaCountry guideYellowstone CountyMontana rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 253 federal postings open in Montana (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Montana →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 3,310 | 1.42 | $29,130 | $23,200 | $36,290 | -7% |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,900 | 1.23 | $35,760 | $28,610 | $48,170 | +1% |
| Registered Nurses | 2,550 | 1.25 | $82,300 | $70,120 | $116,610 | -16% |
| General and Operations Managers | 2,030 | 0.96 | $96,980 | $52,790 | $195,670 | -8% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,990 | 1.60 | $60,850 | $47,470 | $77,630 | +4% |
| Cashiers | 1,880 | 1.01 | $33,120 | $24,680 | $39,560 | +1% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,780 | 1.04 | $39,050 | $33,280 | $48,240 | +5% |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,670 | 1.12 | $45,570 | $31,830 | $63,340 | +1% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,660 | 0.64 | $36,640 | $30,230 | $44,740 | +2% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,390 | 1.05 | $37,550 | $28,720 | $49,120 | +2% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 1,370 | 1.61 | $38,260 | $30,300 | $47,340 | +2% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,320 | 0.96 | $22,940 | $22,010 | $47,730 | -35% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,240 | 0.69 | $44,350 | $33,620 | $53,170 | +10% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,160 | 1.40 | $47,830 | $35,180 | $64,700 | -6% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,090 | 0.70 | $44,580 | $35,610 | $58,270 | -0% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 1,090 | 1.61 | $50,050 | $36,450 | $77,190 | +3% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 970 | 1.30 | $62,410 | $38,880 | $108,560 | -13% |
| Nursing Assistants | 950 | 1.09 | $39,150 | $37,930 | $49,980 | -7% |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 910 | 1.74 | $35,920 | $28,920 | $48,650 | +1% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 850 | 0.92 | $47,840 | $35,360 | $67,640 | -4% |
These figures are for the whole Billings, MT metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $49,060 (US $50,980); unemployment 2.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Retail trade | 20.1% |
| Education and health care | 18.5% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 12.2% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 7.9% |
| Construction | 7.4% |
| Other services | 7.0% |
| Manufacturing | 6.0% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.5% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 5.2% |
| Public administration | 3.6% |
| Information | 3.2% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.5% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Laurel lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone County | 168,957 | $14,022 million | $82,994 | 87,348 | 7,794 | $62,688 | +0.8% | 2.5% | 87,838 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 15,076 | 19.3% | $74,899 | 1.20 |
| Retail trade | 10,847 | 13.9% | $42,689 | 1.24 |
| Accommodation and food services | 10,229 | 13.1% | $26,744 | 1.29 |
| Construction | 6,226 | 8.0% | $74,299 | 1.36 |
| Wholesale trade | 5,560 | 7.1% | $85,630 | 1.62 |
| Professional and technical services | 4,876 | 6.2% | $92,341 | 0.80 |
| Administrative and waste services | 3,994 | 5.1% | $48,546 | 0.78 |
| Manufacturing | 3,809 | 4.9% | $92,864 | 0.53 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 3,733 | 4.8% | $63,588 | 1.01 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 3,691 | 4.7% | $41,289 | 1.40 |
| Finance and insurance | 3,173 | 4.1% | $95,158 | 0.90 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 2,217 | 2.8% | $23,770 | 1.51 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,169 | 1.5% | $56,936 | 0.86 |
| Educational services | 892 | 1.1% | $34,530 | 0.49 |
| Information | 850 | 1.1% | $71,881 | 0.52 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 685 | 0.9% | $60,577 | 0.97 |
| Management of companies | 425 | 0.5% | $96,759 | 0.29 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 302 | 0.4% | $123,741 | 0.91 |
| Utilities | 288 | 0.4% | $108,756 | 0.87 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 65.1% |
| Public transit | 2.0% |
| Walk | 2.5% |
| Work from home | 12.1% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 3.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $68,474 |
| Income per person | $38,869 |
| Median gross rent per month | $974 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 17.1% |
| Median home value | $235,100 |
| Homeowners | 58.7% |
| Poverty rate | 10.0% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 93.5 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $49,060 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 5.65%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 37.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 95.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 20.8% |
| Born abroad | 2.5% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 69.6% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -2.9 | 27 | 18 |
| Feb | -2.7 | 27 | 21 |
| Mar | 2.3 | 36 | 27 |
| Apr | 6.5 | 44 | 48 |
| May | 12.0 | 54 | 76 |
| Jun | 17.9 | 64 | 59 |
| Jul | 23.4 | 74 | 29 |
| Aug | 21.6 | 71 | 30 |
| Sep | 15.8 | 60 | 37 |
| Oct | 7.5 | 46 | 43 |
| Nov | 1.4 | 35 | 22 |
| Dec | -3.4 | 26 | 20 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | MT | 13 mi | 119,434 | $73,712 | $1,138 |
| Lockwood | MT | 21 mi | 7,181 | $75,700 | $1,138 |
| Powell | WY | 63 mi | 6,503 | $63,523 | $764 |
| Cody | WY | 81 mi | 10,276 | $72,570 | $1,051 |
| Livingston | MT | 86 mi | 8,780 | $65,861 | $1,046 |
| Lewistown | MT | 100 mi | 6,087 | $48,750 | $1,007 |
| Sheridan | WY | 107 mi | 19,285 | $62,867 | $936 |
| Bozeman | MT | 110 mi | 56,114 | $85,747 | $1,717 |
| Four Corners | MT | 116 mi | 5,791 | $100,917 | $1,338 |
| Belgrade | MT | 116 mi | 11,872 | $97,328 | $1,877 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
7,215 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$974 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 17.1% of the median household income.
$68,474 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
2.5% (BLS county, Yellowstone County (latest month 2026M09)).
Montana. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.