GeraJobs / US Wage Premium / Custer County, MT
Custer County, Montana — Wages & Employment (2023)
Ranked #2,018 of 3,141 US counties by the Gera Local Wage Premium US (64.9, US = 100) — computed from real BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data.
What is the average wage in Custer County, MT?
Custer County, MT has a GLWP-US of 64.9 (rank #2,018 of 3,141), well below the US average. Average weekly wage: $903 (~$46,956/year, US = $1392/wk). Its highest-concentration sector is Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (LQ 2.80x). Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
Gera Local Wage Premium US
Custer County's wage premium vs US average (rank #2,018 of 3,141). Well below the US average.
How this is calculated$903
Avg weekly wage (2023)
$46,956
Approx annual pay
64.9
GLWP-US (US = 100)
#2,018 / 3,141
National rank
5,364
Average employment
$1,392
US avg weekly wage
Custer County vs US average — wage comparison
| Metric | Custer County | US Average | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avg weekly wage | $903 | $1,392 | -$489 |
| Approx annual pay | $46,956 | $72,384 | -$25,428 |
| GLWP-US index | 64.9 | 100.0 | -35.1 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023, all industries, all ownership types. Annual pay = weekly wage × 52 (derived). GLWP-US = (county wage / US $1392/wk) × 100.
Custer County — top industries by employment concentration
Location Quotient (LQ) > 1.0 means the industry is more concentrated here than the US average. Private sector, BLS QCEW 2023.
| Industry (NAICS sector) | LQ | Avg Wk Wage (sector) |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting | 2.80x | $775 |
| Retail Trade | 1.63x | $677 |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 1.58x | $326 |
| Finance & Insurance | 1.38x | $1,435 |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 1.29x | $407 |
LQ = (county sector employment share) / (US sector employment share). Source: BLS QCEW 2023, agglvl_code=74, own_code=5 (private sector).
Custer County — GLWP-US breakdown
GLWP-US
64.9
US = 100
National Rank
#2,018
of 3,141 counties
Wage Premium
$489
vs US avg/wk
GLWP-US = 64.9 (rank #2,018 of 3,141, well below the US average). Formula: ($903/wk ÷ $1392/wk) × 100 = 64.9.
Explore US County Wage Premiums — Interactive
US average = $$1,392/wk (GLWP-US 100). Showing top 50 results.
| Rank | County | State | GLWP-US | Avg Wk Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #101 | Stillwater County | MT | 107.0 | $1,490 |
| #384 | Gallatin County | MT | 86.3 | $1,201 |
| #429 | Madison County | MT | 84.3 | $1,174 |
| #468 | Musselshell County | MT | 83.3 | $1,159 |
| #498 | Yellowstone County | MT | 82.7 | $1,151 |
| #506 | Lewis and Clark County | MT | 82.5 | $1,149 |
| #525 | Rosebud County | MT | 82.2 | $1,144 |
| #535 | Sweet Grass County | MT | 82.0 | $1,142 |
| #538 | Richland County | MT | 81.9 | $1,140 |
| #563 | Fallon County | MT | 81.5 | $1,134 |
| #594 | Powell County | MT | 80.9 | $1,126 |
| #694 | Missoula County | MT | 78.6 | $1,094 |
| #892 | Flathead County | MT | 75.8 | $1,055 |
| #1,017 | Big Horn County | MT | 74.1 | $1,031 |
| #1,037 | Toole County | MT | 73.9 | $1,029 |
| #1,052 | Jefferson County | MT | 73.7 | $1,026 |
| #1,064 | Silver Bow County | MT | 73.6 | $1,024 |
| #1,072 | Deer Lodge County | MT | 73.4 | $1,022 |
| #1,105 | Cascade County | MT | 73.1 | $1,018 |
| #1,233 | Park County | MT | 71.6 | $996 |
| #1,462 | Ravalli County | MT | 69.4 | $966 |
| #1,678 | Glacier County | MT | 67.7 | $943 |
| #1,703 | Dawson County | MT | 67.5 | $940 |
| #1,844 | Beaverhead County | MT | 66.4 | $924 |
| #1,907 | Valley County | MT | 65.8 | $916 |
| #1,921 | Roosevelt County | MT | 65.7 | $914 |
| #1,922 | Sheridan County | MT | 65.7 | $915 |
| #1,948 | Powder River County | MT | 65.5 | $912 |
| #1,960 | Daniels County | MT | 65.4 | $911 |
| #1,978 | Lake County | MT | 65.3 | $909 |
| #1,988 | McCone County | MT | 65.2 | $908 |
| #2,018 | Custer County | MT | 64.9 | $903 |
| #2,028 | Hill County | MT | 64.8 | $902 |
| #2,093 | Fergus County | MT | 64.4 | $897 |
| #2,372 | Blaine County | MT | 62.0 | $863 |
| #2,382 | Lincoln County | MT | 61.9 | $861 |
| #2,476 | Broadwater County | MT | 61.1 | $851 |
| #2,477 | Carbon County | MT | 61.1 | $851 |
| #2,628 | Sanders County | MT | 59.6 | $829 |
| #2,648 | Granite County | MT | 59.3 | $826 |
| #2,672 | Carter County | MT | 59.0 | $821 |
| #2,706 | Pondera County | MT | 58.5 | $815 |
| #2,747 | Teton County | MT | 58.0 | $807 |
| #2,781 | Golden Valley County | MT | 57.5 | $801 |
| #2,807 | Treasure County | MT | 57.2 | $796 |
| #2,812 | Prairie County | MT | 57.1 | $795 |
| #2,853 | Judith Basin County | MT | 56.5 | $787 |
| #2,889 | Mineral County | MT | 55.9 | $778 |
| #2,932 | Chouteau County | MT | 55.2 | $769 |
| #2,933 | Wheatland County | MT | 55.2 | $769 |
Source: BLS QCEW 2023 Annual Single File, US public domain. GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage ÷ US avg $1,392/wk) × 100. Top sector LQ = employment location quotient (private sector). Computed by GeraJobs.
Custer County wages — FAQ
- What is the GLWP-US score for Custer County, MT?
- Custer County, MT has a Gera Local Wage Premium US (GLWP-US) of 64.9 (US average = 100), ranking #2,018 of 3,141 US counties. This puts it well below the US average. Source: BLS QCEW 2023.
- What is the average weekly wage in Custer County, Montana?
- The BLS QCEW 2023 data shows the annual average weekly wage in Custer County, Montana is $903, equating to approximately $46,956/year. The US average is $1392/wk ($72,384/year). GLWP-US: 64.9 (US = 100).
- How many people are employed in Custer County?
- In 2023, Custer County, Montana had an annual average employment of 5,364 workers covered by unemployment insurance, per the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. This covers private-sector and government workers across all industries.
- What industries are most concentrated in Custer County?
- Based on BLS QCEW 2023 employment Location Quotients, the most concentrated private-sector industries in Custer County, Montana are: Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (LQ 2.80x, avg $775/wk); Retail Trade (LQ 1.63x, avg $677/wk); Arts, Entertainment & Recreation (LQ 1.58x, avg $326/wk); Finance & Insurance (LQ 1.38x, avg $1435/wk); Accommodation & Food Services (LQ 1.29x, avg $407/wk). An LQ above 1.0 means the county has a higher share of that industry than the US overall.
- How does Custer County's wage compare to Montana overall?
- Custer County has a GLWP-US of 64.9 vs the US average of 100. To see how Custer County compares to other counties in Montana, explore the full GeraJobs US Wage Premium rankings. The GLWP-US is computed from BLS QCEW 2023 establishment data covering all industries and ownership types.
How the Gera Local Wage Premium US is calculated
GLWP-US = (county avg weekly wage / US avg weekly wage) × 100. US average $1392/wk in 2023 → US = 100 by construction. Data: BLS QCEW 2023 annual singlefile, all industries, all ownership. Suppressed cells excluded. No imputation. Full methodology · Licence: US public domain.
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW 2023 Annual Single File (data.bls.gov/cew/data/files/2023/csv/2023_annual_singlefile.zip). US public domain. Area title from BLS area_titles.csv. FIPS: 30017. No figure is modelled or estimated.