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Billings, Montana is known as “the Magic City.” A visitor in 1882 coined the nickname after watching the young city grow so quickly that it seemed to materialize suddenly out of thin air.
Over the following centuries, Billings has kept its magic alive with nearby wonders like Yellowstone National Park and Rimrocks, a lively brewery district, and countless parks, museums, and heritage sites.
The 2022 population estimate for Billings falls at 109,843, making Billings the largest city in Montana. It also hosts more national & regional gatherings than any other city in the area – conventions, concerts, festivals, you name it! Billings draws crowds to celebrate and reunite year round. Billings is also the birthplace of the world’s largest campground network – Kampgrounds of America. Because of its large-scale events and adjacency to Yellowstone, Billings has a robust travel and tourism industry.
Other prominent industries include healthcare, mining, finance, conservation, forestry, and agriculture. IT and tech services are an important segment of the economy too, with about 6% of the labor force employed in a technical role. The economic development organization Think Billings, theorized that so many data and IT companies have recently been flocking to the city due to the availability of a youthful and energized workforce. Young adults aged 25-39 are increasingly moving out of large cities to be closer to nature and Billings is just the kind of place that draws them. Ample employment opportunities paired with outdoor adventure is a combination that many young people can’t resist.
Billings’ economy is welcoming to new workers with impressive skillsets. The unemployment rate has continually been lower in Billings than in the country as a whole – and lower than the rest of Montana too. Poverty is also below the national average, while per capita income in Billings is higher than average. Interestingly, the percentage of the Billings population with postgraduate education (like a Master’s or Ph.D.) is slightly below the national average, implying that Billings is a great place for workers to make a good living without first completing rigorous advanced education. The cost of living is lower than the national average too, which is great news for people looking to buy a home and live comfortably.
Another good economic indicator is that the Gini coefficient – a measure of economic inequality between haves and have-nots – is lower than the national average. This indicates that opportunity is better distributed and not prohibitive to those with fewer resources.
Jobs that are particularly popular among workers in Billings include civil engineers, geological technicians, environmental engineers, information and records professionals, and computer network architects. While coding skills are not the only tools necessary for a career in engineering, they can make engineers’ work a lot easier and allow them to take on more complex projects. Using a coding language like Python, engineers can simulate and model their projects before making them a reality.
| Occupation | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Civil Engineer | $90,800 |
| Geological Technician | $76,050 |
| Environmental Engineer | $93,690 |
| Information & Records Professional | $40,360 |
| Network Architect | $127,580 |
