The county economy from official statistics, with source and year on every table.
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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Custer County is a county of Montana with 11,961 residents. Its economy produced $696 million in 2024 (ranked #18 of 56 counties) and had 5,400 jobs with an average annual pay of $50,339 (#24 for pay). The unemployment rate was 2.1% in 2026M09.
Custer County produced about $696 million of goods and services in 2024, which is 0.9% of the combined output of the 56 counties of Montana that BEA reports (about 1.1% of the state's population lives here), and ranks it 18th of 56 on that measure. Per resident that is $58,157, 17% below the state average; the average for all counties of the state taken together is $70,233. In current dollars output grew 11.4% from 2023 to 2024, before adjusting for inflation. The gap between its output rank (18th) and its output-per-resident rank (28th) shows that population is large relative to the value of what is produced here.
BLS counts 5,400 jobs located in Custer County on average in 2024, spread over 556 employer sites (about 10 jobs per site). That is 0.45 jobs for every resident, above the 0.32 of the typical county in Montana, which tells you whether the county is a place people mostly commute to for work or a place they commute from. The average annual pay per job was $50,339, 14% below the average of all counties in the state ($50,339 against $58,806). Average pay is total wages divided by jobs, so it is pulled up by high earners and counts part-time jobs as whole jobs; it is not the pay of a typical worker. The number of jobs rose 0.7% from 2023 to 2024.
The three largest private industries are retail trade (29.6% of private jobs, $38,179 a year on average), accommodation and food services (22.0% of private jobs, $22,375 a year on average), finance and insurance (11.7% of private jobs, $78,757 a year on average). Together they hold 63.3% of private-sector jobs. Among industries with at least 3% of jobs, the best paying is finance and insurance at $78,757 a year, followed by construction ($59,860). The county is specialised in an industry: retail trade (1.6 times the US share, 837 jobs). A location quotient above 1 means an industry employs a larger share of workers here than in the whole country, so these are the industries where local employers compete hardest for skills. Several of the biggest employers pay well below the county average: accommodation and food services ($22,375), other services (except public administration) ($34,396). Jobs there are plentiful but the pay is lower than the headline average suggests.
In 2026M09 the unemployment rate in Custer County was 2.1%, 15% below the average of the state's counties (2.1% against 2.5%). The labour force (people working or looking for work) numbered 6,387. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 2.1% (2026M09) to 4.0% (2026M01); the latest month is preliminary and BLS revises it. These county rates are not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month across years.
The median household income was $70,605 (ACS 2020–2024), about the same as the state median ($70,605 against $72,509). The guide covers 1 city with this as the main county: Miles City. Open any of them for rent, home values, commuting and climate.
Counties close to Custer County in output are Fergus County, Stillwater County, Beaverhead County, Madison County. Compare their jobs, pay and unemployment on their own pages.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ | Rank among the 56 counties of Montana ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,961 | 17 of 56 |
| GDP 2024 | $696 million | 18 of 56 |
| GDP per resident | $58,157 | 28 of 56 |
| Jobs (QCEW 2024) | 5,400 | 13 of 56 |
| Average annual pay | $50,339 | 24 of 56 |
| Job change vs 2023 | +0.7% | 32 of 56 |
| Unemployment rate (lower is better) | 2.1% | 16 of 56 |
| Median household income | $70,605 | 17 of 56 |
Federal jobs in Montana (253) →All cities of MontanaState guide: Montana
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.
Cities of this guide whose main county is Custer County.
| City ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Bachelor's+ ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miles City | 8,407 | $67,727 | $926 | $200,200 | 25.4% |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 837 | 29.6% | $38,179 | 1.55 |
| Accommodation and food services | 622 | 22.0% | $22,375 | 1.27 |
| Finance and insurance | 329 | 11.7% | $78,757 | 1.50 |
| Administrative and waste services | 238 | 8.4% | $48,820 | 0.75 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 186 | 6.6% | $34,396 | 1.14 |
| Construction | 175 | 6.2% | $59,860 | 0.62 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 143 | 5.1% | $17,385 | 1.58 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 116 | 4.1% | $45,806 | 2.65 |
| Manufacturing | 68 | 2.4% | $49,044 | 0.15 |
| Information | 45 | 1.6% | $55,361 | 0.44 |
| Real estate and rental | 43 | 1.5% | $33,291 | 0.51 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 21 | 0.7% | $71,821 | 1.03 |
A location quotient above 1 means the industry is more concentrated here than in the US. BLS withholds sectors with too few employers.
| Measure ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Labour force | 6,387 |
| Employed residents | 6,254 |
| Unemployed residents | 133 |
| Unemployment rate | 2.1% |
| Jobs located in the county (QCEW) | 5,400 |
| Employer sites | 556 |
Residents employed and jobs located here differ: many residents commute to other counties.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP 2024 ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Unemployment ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone County | 168,957 | $14,022 million | $82,994 | 87,348 | $62,688 | 2.5% |
| Gallatin County | 124,074 | $11,875 million | $95,712 | 73,217 | $66,213 | 2.0% |
| Missoula County | 120,672 | $9,086 million | $75,298 | 65,649 | $59,583 | 2.3% |
| Flathead County | 110,695 | $7,210 million | $65,135 | 50,611 | $58,339 | 2.4% |
| Cascade County | 84,606 | $5,712 million | $67,507 | 36,513 | $55,412 | 2.6% |
| Lewis and Clark County | 73,464 | $5,688 million | $77,420 | 39,957 | $62,248 | 2.4% |
| Ravalli County | 46,727 | $1,926 million | $41,213 | 13,757 | $52,992 | 2.8% |
| Silver Bow County | 35,785 | $2,216 million | $61,929 | 16,507 | $55,167 | 2.9% |
| Lake County | 32,561 | $1,355 million | $41,611 | 9,768 | $50,280 | 2.8% |
| Lincoln County | 21,175 | $880 million | $41,580 | 6,260 | $47,582 | 4.3% |
| Park County | 17,710 | $899 million | $50,755 | 7,207 | $52,162 | 1.9% |
| Hill County | 16,155 | $925 million | $57,278 | 6,756 | $49,190 | 2.6% |
| Glacier County | 13,637 | $650 million | $47,639 | 4,213 | $51,534 | 3.7% |
| Sanders County | 13,285 | $552 million | $41,563 | 3,306 | $45,909 | 3.8% |
| Big Horn County | 12,891 | $1,286 million | $99,731 | 3,743 | $55,992 | 4.5% |
| Jefferson County | 12,774 | $393 million | $30,750 | 2,711 | $54,570 | 2.3% |
| Custer County | 11,961 | $696 million | $58,157 | 5,400 | $50,339 | 2.1% |
| Fergus County | 11,687 | $777 million | $66,462 | 4,664 | $48,764 | 2.1% |
| Richland County | 11,235 | $1,188 million | $105,727 | 5,235 | $63,143 | 2.0% |
| Carbon County | 11,116 | $524 million | $47,113 | 3,052 | $47,497 | 2.3% |
| Roosevelt County | 10,526 | $549 million | $52,182 | 3,392 | $49,249 | 3.3% |
| Beaverhead County | 9,713 | $673 million | $69,242 | 4,036 | $48,480 | 1.9% |
| Deer Lodge County | 9,597 | $431 million | $44,937 | 3,422 | $53,260 | 3.1% |
| Madison County | 9,223 | $651 million | $70,589 | 2,993 | $57,421 | 4.2% |
| Stillwater County | 9,182 | $725 million | $78,968 | 3,401 | $75,084 | 2.3% |
| Dawson County | 8,827 | $515 million | $58,358 | 3,382 | $50,128 | 2.3% |
| Rosebud County | 8,165 | $1,078 million | $131,981 | 3,607 | $63,780 | 3.1% |
| Broadwater County | 7,668 | $307 million | $39,972 | 1,490 | $45,076 | 2.4% |
| Valley County | 7,519 | $394 million | $52,399 | 2,918 | $49,648 | 2.1% |
| Powell County | 7,053 | $356 million | $50,545 | 2,468 | $58,435 | 2.7% |
| Blaine County | 6,949 | $227 million | $32,725 | 1,319 | $47,033 | 2.4% |
| Teton County | 6,353 | $300 million | $47,212 | 1,784 | $43,842 | 2.0% |
| Pondera County | 6,035 | $302 million | $50,054 | 1,562 | $45,334 | 2.8% |
| Chouteau County | 5,906 | $292 million | $49,518 | 1,237 | $44,304 | 2.5% |
| Musselshell County | 5,152 | $514 million | $99,753 | 1,325 | $62,379 | 3.6% |
| Toole County | 5,061 | $489 million | $96,595 | 1,794 | $55,786 | 1.9% |
| Mineral County | 4,959 | $164 million | $32,993 | 1,226 | $43,527 | 3.1% |
| Phillips County | 4,221 | $164 million | $38,809 | 1,160 | $41,451 | 2.1% |
| Sweet Grass County | 3,720 | $315 million | $84,633 | 1,629 | $68,954 | 1.9% |
| Sheridan County | 3,669 | $241 million | $65,638 | 1,276 | $48,594 | 1.9% |
| Granite County | 3,462 | $166 million | $47,882 | 964 | $44,235 | 3.5% |
| Fallon County | 2,760 | $224 million | $80,981 | 1,259 | $59,334 | 2.0% |
| Judith Basin County | 2,071 | $139 million | $66,925 | 552 | $42,042 | 1.7% |
| Wheatland County | 2,056 | $107 million | $52,251 | 584 | $42,277 | 2.9% |
| Meagher County | 2,007 | $90 million | $44,673 | 712 | $42,775 | 2.2% |
| Liberty County | 1,952 | $324 million | $165,865 | 513 | $41,372 | 2.1% |
| Powder River County | 1,815 | $153 million | $84,361 | 571 | $53,159 | 1.4% |
| McCone County | 1,670 | $151 million | $90,326 | 552 | $49,884 | 2.2% |
| Daniels County | 1,494 | $123 million | $82,087 | 559 | $49,725 | 2.1% |
| Carter County | 1,308 | $92 million | $70,433 | 326 | $44,945 | 1.5% |
| Prairie County | 1,250 | $62 million | $49,718 | 478 | $43,683 | 2.1% |
| Wibaux County | 1,193 | $59 million | $49,604 | 251 | $40,356 | 2.0% |
| Garfield County | 1,094 | $43 million | $39,325 | 322 | $36,428 | 1.7% |
| Golden Valley County | 899 | $33 million | $36,642 | 226 | $48,494 | 2.2% |
| Treasure County | 732 | $108 million | $147,182 | 210 | $42,813 | 1.4% |
| Petroleum County | 447 | $23 million | $50,872 | 100 | $34,642 | 2.6% |
11,961 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024).
$696 million in 2024 (BEA, current dollars).
2.1% in 2026M09 (BLS, not seasonally adjusted; the latest month may be revised).
5,400 jobs on average in 2024 with an average annual pay of $50,339 (BLS QCEW).