GALLATIN COUNTY — It’s been a couple of weeks since the weekly $600 in additional federal unemployment benefits stopped going out.
The Montana Department of Labor And Industry reports back in April, more than 10,000 Gallatin County residents filed for unemployment. But that number has significantly dropped to 2,800 people this past week.
And the county is still seeing lower unemployment rates compared to the state overall.
“Gallatin County’s 4.9 percent is much better than other areas of the state. It’s lower than the state as a whole by over a percentage. That’s a good sign. It just reflects a stronger job growth in the Bozeman area,” explained Barbara Wagner with the department.
The unemployment agency says different factors go into that decrease in applications, including residents returning back to work.