Recent Growth Trends in Montana

Population declined in Montana between 1985 and 1990, then grew by almost 10 percent between 1990 and 1995. This pace of growth decreased to only 3 percent from 1995 to 2000 and continued at only 3.6 percent growth from 2000 to 2005. But while population growth cooled after the mid-‘90s, income growth heated up, increasing by 14.4 percent from 1990 to 1995 and by 18 percent from 1995 to 2000. Income growth is continuing more recently, increasing by over 17 percent since 2000.

Slowing population growth combined with relatively fast income growth is translating into large gains in per capita income. In fact, for the ten-year period from 1995 to 2005, Montana ranks 7th in per capita income growth among states (excluding the District of Columbia, which ranks first). Over the course of this recent ten-year period, per capita income in Montana rose by 29 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars. This compares with 23 percent growth in per capita income nation-wide. Gains by Montana and other Rocky Mountain West states are shown below in purple.