BBER PUBLICATIONS SEARCH RESULTS

Cooperatives in Montana are so ubiquitous that their unique importance to the economies of the communities where they are located can be overlooked. This study aims to address that situation. Using operating and financial data gathered from 126 separate cooperative businesses located in every corner of the state, we construct a measure of their ultimate economic contribution in terms of jobs, incomes, spending, population, and other measures. In carrying out this task, we also learn many details about what they do, who they serve, and how their activities underpin the prosperity of many parts of the state.

This report is on the state of Montana manufacturing conducted for the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC). The report and analysis was done by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana. This is the 25th year that BBER and MMEC have collaborated to produce reports on Montana?s manufacturing climate. The three primary topics are: the state of manufacturing at the state and national level in a general economic context; a survey of Montana manufacturers about the state of Montana manufacturing; and an impact survey of firms which used MMEC?s consulting services.

Cooperatives have been part of the fabric of Montana nearly as long as we have been a state. They employ thousands and make Montana''s economy significantly larger.

Montana''s health centers contribute a sizable, ongoing and permanent impact on the state''s economy. Spending, demand and an aging population are spurring growth.

Includes sections on: Statewide Economic Performance - Is Montana''s Economic Hole Shallower Than the Rest? The Performance of the BBER Forecast - Economic Shocks Challenge Forecast Montana?s Regions and Cities - Seeing Beyond the Pandemic''s Grip State Revenue Report - Montana''s Employment Losses Slow Growth Major Economic Events of 2019 - A Year We Won''t Forget

How COVID-19 Has Reshaped the Economy - What Changes Are Here to Stay? A Life-Or-Death Moment for Cities - New York and Other Metropolises Must Protect Themselves From pandemics or Our Future Will Be Far Less Urban The State of Manufacturing in Montana - Manufacturing Growth Stalls Due to COVID-19

A discussion of the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic seen through the lens of the Current Employment Survey (CES). Each month the U.S. Bureau of the Labor Statistics surveys about 697,000 work sites in the country and tallies the number of workers, as of the 12th of the month. The number of workers are reported nationwide, statewide and for each major metropolitan statistical area (MSA).

This article looks at nine of Montana''s key industries; Farming and Ranching: Price Declines and Exports Make for a Challenging Year, Forest Products: Positive Signs for Montana, Energy: What to Watch for in 2020, Manufacturing: Montana Outpaces Nation as a Whole, Travel, Tourism and Recreation: Nonresident Visitation Stable, Health Care: The Impact of Medicaid Expansion, Transportation and Logistics: A Shortage of Drivers Continues to Cause Concern, Technology and Innovation: Record Revenue, Jobs and Venture Capital Investment, Real Estate and Construction: Housing Markets Lack Inventory.

Each Montana community has its own unique economy. Take a look at the largest communities in the state, as we summarize their recent economic trends.

As we work toward solutions in Montana, high housing costs are emerging as a significant public policy issue.

What would the economy of the state of Montana look like if the eight largest hard rock mines did not exist?

Forest related industries have long played a major role in Montana?s economy ? especially in the western part of the state. The decades-long drum roll of layoffs, reduced employment and mill closings have been the subject of many discussions and headlines in the media. This paper takes a systematic view of Montana?s forest industry during the past few decades and identifies the major causes of industry trends. The conclusion is that timber harvest volumes in Montana are the major factor impacting industry conditions, including employment and labor earnings. Labor productivity has generally increased in Montana?s larger timber-processing facilities, but these gains are not driving reduced employment and labor earnings in Montana?s forest industry.

This study examines the implications of closing Units 3 and 4 of the Colstrip Electric Generating Station early. Specifically, we examine the consequences for jobs, income, population, economic output and other measures of economic activity.

Medicaid expansion in Montana generates several thousand additional jobs and several hundred million dollars in additional income. It also pays for itself and grows the economy.

This is the fourth annual report on the high tech industry in the state of Montana. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA), formed in 2014, is a member-driven group of high tech businesses and other organizations statewide. The Alliance asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research. The fourth iteration of this study adds new questions focused on hiring and the high tech labor force.

We asked speakers from the 2018 Economic Outlook Seminar to share their insights on the prospects for some key sectors of the state economy.

Fifty-eight percent of all women participate in the workforce, but are paid less than men, earning 77 percent of what men earn. Every state in the nation has an earnings gap, but Montana ranks near the bottom at 46th in the nation.

Missoula is a great place - the natural beauty and wealth of available activities are two aspects that have brought consistent population growth to the area. But a large proportion of Missoula households, both renters and owners, are financially burdened by the costs of housing.

The 2017 Economic Outlook Seminar covered a wide range of sectors and topics from job growth to energy and tourism. In this round table discussion, we highlight some of those topics and industries in an effort to better understand the state?s economic climate.

High-tech and manufacturing companies are projected to grow seven times faster than the overall Montana economy and pay average annual salaries of $57,000 ? more than twice the median Montana wage. The sector shows no signs of slowing down in 2017.

Median earnings for Montana workers over age 24 are $31,800 and places Montana 45th among all states. How can Montana increase wages and develop a robust knowledge economy of skilled workers?

This report explores the contribution of health care to Flathead County?s economy. Specifically, we investigate how health care contributes by addressing eight questions: 1) What is health care?; 2) What is health care in Flathead County?; 3) How does one evaluate the contribution of an industry to a regional economy?; 4) How valuable is health care?; 5) Is Flathead County?s health care sector efficient?; 6) If Flathead County?s health care sector disappeared, what would happen to Flathead County?s economy?; 7) How large is the traded component of Flathead County?s health care sector?; 8) What does the future hold for health care in Flathead County?

The American energy boom began with improvements in technology and led to the shale-energy revolution. This article attempts to put events into perspective by looking at the Bakken area on the Montana-North Dakota border over the entire boom and bust cycle.

Deciding where to attend college can be one of life?s pivotal decisions ? one that can largely shape a student?s future. What can we learn about college quality from the average earnings of its students?

Strong growth in Montana manufacturing employment occurred despite permanent closures in several manufacturing industries. Employment in the wood and paper products industry decreased by 550 workers between 2009Q2 and 2013Q3. Employment in all the other components of Montana manufacturing increased by about 1,600 workers, or 11.3 percent. In summary, since the start of the recovery Montana manufacturing employment has increased considerably faster than the national rate. This strong performance was in spite of permanent closures in the wood and paper products industries.

This report on the high-tech industry in the state of Montana is the first of its kind. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA), a newly formed, member-driven group of high-tech businesses and other organizations statewide, asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research.

Montana''s high-tech industry will grow 8-10 times the projected statewide growth rate, with average wages at about $50,000 - twice the median earnings per Montana worker, according to a recent study by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

For the past five years, we?ve witnessed something of an economic miracle in the eastern third of our state. Even more so in the western third of North Dakota. Towns and communities that were once depopulating and shrinking to the point where their schools and basic institutions were threatened have come roaring back, thanks to the Bakken oil boom. And for the first time in living memory, the rural portions of Montana ? particularly in the east ? were growing faster collectively than any of the urban areas.

If Rip Van Winkle were an economist, he would marvel at the changes in the Custer County economy since he went to sleep for 20 years. What was once a regional center for state and federal agencies and businesses serving area farms and ranches has now evolved into a trade and finance center and, most recently, home to firms serving the Bakken oil fields.

The most recent federal data report accelerating growth in the Flathead economy. After a crippling decline during the Great Recession, the Flathead County economy posted an increase of 2.4 percent in 2011, about 3 percent in 2012, and a stunning 4.2 percent in 2013. The most recent figures suggest this rapid growth may have moderated in 2014.

Until about 10 years ago, Richland County has enjoyed a relatively stable and prosperous economy based on agriculture, food processing, and a utility company. Then technological advances enabled the extraction of crude oil, which was previously uneconomic. It has been dubbed the ?unconventional energy revolution.?

Cascade County is a classic example of why historic data, however accurate, may not be a reliable indicator of what is happening now. Specifically, the latest annual data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis do not reflect the new indirect energy-related manufacturing activity that only started to show up late in 2013.

The Gallatin County economy has been on an economic roller coaster since the onset of the Great Recession in 2008. The Bozeman-area economy experienced a significant contraction early in the recession. But the economy began to turn around in 2010 and has continued upward ever since. In fact, Gallatin County is one of only two major urban areas in the state (the other being Yellowstone County) to significantly exceed the statewide growth rates during the recovery phase of this business cycle.

The Helena economy has traditionally been non-cyclic because of its dependence of state and federal government. The data corresponding to the Great Recession certainly confirm this notion. Lewis and Clark County was one of the very few urban areas in Montana which did not have at least one year of decline during the last decade.

Economic growth in Missoula?s economy has been frustratingly slow. After three straight years of decline during the Great Recession, the Missoula economy turned upward in 2011. But the growth rates have been have been anemic. The Missoula economy expanded about 1.5 percent per year in 2012 and 2013, as compared to 3 percent to 4 percent annual growth before the recession.

Recent economic statistics demonstrate Ravalli County?s economy is slowly emerging from the downturn experienced in the Great Recession.

The Yellowstone County economy continues to benefit from the indirect impacts of the Bakken oil field developments on the Montana- North Dakota line. Even though Billings is more than 300 miles and five hours driving time from the epicenter of the drilling activity in Williston, North Dakota, it is an attractive location for the indirect and service activities associated with the oil boom. A number of North Dakota cities are closer to Williston, but at best they have roughly half of the population of Yellowstone County. This means that industries such as finance, wholesale trade, and professional services are probably much larger and have more depth and resources in Billings than in the North Dakota cities.

The objective of this poster is to describe the value and types of restoration work occurring in the Southwestern Crown of the Continent, along with who is capturing that work, and provide a baseline against which future investments made through the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program could be compared.

This is a study of the economic contribution of Montana craft brewing to Montana?s economy. The first study of this nature on the brewing industry was conducted in 2012, based on operating conditions in 2010 and 2011. The current study builds on that work by investigating the trends during 2012 and 2013 and estimating the current economic contribution of the industry. There were 40 breweries operating in the state by the end of 2013, with another 11 breweries in planning. This ranks Montana third in the nation in breweries per 100,000 adults over age 21, according to the Brewers Association.

A BBER study found that Montana''s beer and wine distributors are major contributors to the economy, with impacts throughout the state and across industry sectors.

Using the REMI economic model the economic impact of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts was analyzed for Montana. The operations of the Foundation, which produces and sells ceramics, its educational workshops, and the summer festival it hosts were all considered in the analyses. It ultimately supports 26 year-round jobs and about $1.4 million of income to Montana households (37 year-round equivalent jobs and $2.1 million in festival years).

While women now participate equally in the wage economy and earn a majority of all bachelor''s degrees, this has not led to financial equality. Women do not share equally in the economic well-being of the state.

North Dakota is experiencing an oil boom that has increased total U.S. oil production as well as sheltered the state from the economic impacts of the Great Recession. Montana doesn''t have as much oil development activity as North Dakota, but is experiencing impacts of the development in Western North Dakota.

The U.S. economy is now in the fourth year of an exceedingly slow recovery that began from a cyclic trough in the second quarter of 2009. The recovery is under way in manufacturing. The comeback of durable goods production accounted for most of the growth. This report was prepared by Montana State University Montana Manufacturing Extension Center and the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research and examines trends in Montana manufacturing.

Although the Great Recession officially ended in 2009, manufacturing in Montana continued declining through 2010, falling to fewer than 20,000 workers after the pre-recession level of nearly 24,000. However, both 2011 and 2012 revealed growth for Montana manufacturers, with annual sales increasing to more than $13 billion and employment topping 21,000 workers for the first time since the recession's end.

Although the Great Recession officially ended in 2009, manufacturing in Montana continued declining through 2010, falling to under 20,000 workers after the pre-recession level of nearly 24,000. However, both 2011 and 2012 revealed growth for Montana manufacturers, with annual sales increasing to more than $13 billion and employment topping 21,000 workers for the first time since the recession''s end. This article includes the results from the annual survey of Montana''s largest manufacturers, which queries manufacturers on a variety of business issues pertaining to both the year just completed and the outlook for the coming year.

The 2013 outlook shows the economy of Butte-Silver Bow is continuing to diversify. Strong growth in health care and administrative support services have helped propel this growth.

The good news for Great Falls and Cascade County is that the recession of 2008-09 was kinder and gentler to the local economy than in almost any other part of the state.

Despite its image as a wild and woolly cowtown, Miles City has a diverse economic base dependent on federal and state government, agriculture, and agricultural-related activities and transportation.

Probably all are painfully aware of the impact the Great Recession had in the Flathead Valley economy. The Flathead is over 4,000 jobs shy of its 2007 peak employment of more than 41,000 jobs. Economy-wide wages are $57 million shy of their peak in 2008.

Is the Gallatin County economy regaining its pre-recession form? Judging from the most recent data you might be tempted to say it has.

There is no doubt about it Helena is a government town. The end of the state government pay freeze should temporarily boost growth in 2014. But the near-term trends for all levels of government will keep overall growth in the Lewis Clark County economy less than 2.0 percent per year, less than the statewide average.

This has been a long recession for the Missoula County economy, but the end may finally be in sight. The latest data for employment show definite growth during 2012 while corresponding figures for inflation-adjusted wages also turned upward, but with significant volatility.

The past decade has been an economic roller coaster for Richland County. Annual growth rates ranged from a -7 percent to almost 19 percent. Most of the volatility can be traced to the Bakken oil boom and trends in the mining industry.

The direct and indirect impacts of the eastern Montana energy boom made for a short recession in Yellowstone County. There was one year of stagnation (2008) and one year of decline (2009) followed by accelerating growth in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

This report summarizes the findings of an investigation into the likely impacts on the Montana economy of a significant expansion in coal production at the Spring Creek mine operated by Cloud Peak Energy near Decker, Montana.

The objective of this study is to determine the spatial distribution of businesses engaged in restoration activities in the SW Crown and measure the success of local contractors in accessing these job opportunities while comparing these trends to the surrounding region, previous years, and non-Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) projects.

To say that the behavior of the economy deviated from normal during the 2008-09 recession would be an understatement. The downturn was long and severe, and it left no county in Montana untouched. For the third consecutive year, the nation's economy has stumbled at mid-year.

The 2011 national high school graduation rate was 75 percent. The remaining 25 percent, about 1.2 million high school seniors across the country, did not attain a high school diploma.

There are more than 36 million people with a disability in the United States, accounting for almost 12 percent of the total civilian non-institutionalized population. In Montana, the proportion with a disability is greater. Thirteen percent (125,302) of the civilian non-institutionalized population in Montana has a disability. Working age adults with a disability, those 18-64 years of age, comprise over half of the disabled population in Montana and nearly 11 percent of all working adults in this age group. With continued increases in the cost of health care and an increase in the number of working-age Montanans with disabilities as a result of the aging baby boom generation, the federal and state share of spending to support this population represents a large and faster growing share of all federal and state expenditures. The aging of the baby boom generation is expected to contribute to growth in Social Security Disability Insurance awards for at least another decade. In Montana, federal government payments for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income alone totaled more than $469 million in 2010, up 5 percent from 2009, and almost 10 percent from 2008.

This report details the findings of a comprehensive evaluation of labor force availability in the 11 counties of north central Montana. During the summer and fall of 2008, researchers at The University of Montana''s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) surveyed a random sample of adults in Blaine, Cascade, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty, Phillips, Pondera, Teton, and Toole counties to assess the labor force status, availability, training preferences and other characteristics. The purpose of the project was to construct and present a more comprehensive assessment of labor force status and availability than can be obtained from the employment and unemployment statistics gathered regularly by state and federal statistical agencies. The emphasis was on those in the adult labor force who are receptive to new job opportunities. This includes both the under- and the unemployed.