Major economic development, new housing options, and a growing entrepreneurial culture are changing what it means to be young in Montana. But is it enough to keep the next generation here?
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For 21-year-old Isabelle Swanson, the answer is yes — and she is not alone.
According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, people aged 18 to 24 are the largest group of in-movers to Montana, suggesting that young people are not just staying — they are arriving. Swanson, a Montana native, says she has no plans to leave Great Falls. And she says the reason is simpler than most people might expect.
"But mainly what keeps people here, I think, is other people. And there's kind of just a more small-town family feel to Great Falls, but it also attracts new things, which is fun," Swanson said.
The data backs her up. About 71 percent of Cascade County residents ages 16 to 24 participate in the labor force — compared to a statewide average of 67 percent for the same age group, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, using U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data from 2015 to 2024. In other words, youth in Cascade County are more likely to be working or seeking work than their peers elsewhere in Montana.
Challenges remain. Close to 42,000 Montanans between the ages of 16 and 24 statewide are neither working nor actively seeking employment, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Swanson says community organizations like her church are working to close that gap.
"We really believe in the next generation that not only can they help contribute to our future, but also, they can contribute right now. So, we want to build them up, equip them, encourage them," she said.
The most common industries employing young Montanans are accommodation and food services at 23 percent and retail trade at 19 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey data pooled from 2021 to 2025. Health care, construction, and educational services are also significant employers for this age group.
But the job landscape may be shifting. For Rosie Kuska, the arrival of major employers like Janicki Industries — which anticipates hiring roughly 200 people as operations begin at its new Great Falls facility — represents something beyond the traditional entry-level sectors that have historically defined young adult employment in Montana.
"I think that the fact that we're going to have so many job opportunities is so good with the rate that the pay looks like it's going to be is going to be really beneficial to people that are our age and trying to build their life, because right now the economy is hard. And so having these opportunities is really a blessing for us," Kuska said.
The broader economic picture supports her optimism. According to Gov. Greg Gianforte's office, Montana's real gross-domestic product grew 16.1 percent between 2021 and 2025 — nearly 50 percent faster than the national average of 10.8 percent, ranking the state fifth in the nation for fastest-growing economies. Montana also ranks third in the nation for wage growth and is one of only two states where wages have outpaced inflation since 2020. The average wage earned by Montana workers reached $60,037 in 2024.
For young people like Rosie and Isabelle, the data and the feeling are starting to point in the same direction — Great Falls may be exactly the right place to build a life.
