Summary of Findings

In 1992, 21.6 thousand persons were employed in Montana's manufacturing
establishments. This figure represented an increase of 7 percent from the
1987 figure of 20.1 thousand workers.

The total value added by manufacture for the State amounted to $1.4 billion
in 1992. This figure, along with all dollar figures in this report, are at
prices current for the year specified, and, therefore, are unadjusted for
changes in price levels. Consequently, when making comparisons to prior
years, users should take into consideration the inflation that has
occurred.

In the State, the leading industry groups ranked by employment were lumber
and wood products, printing and publishing, food and kindred products, and
miscellaneous manufacturing industries. They accounted for approximately 64
percent of the State's 1992 employment. This represents a shift from 1987
when lumber and wood products, printing and publishing, food and kindred
products, and primary metal industries accounted for approximately 70
percent of the State's employment.

The leading counties in the State ranked by employment were Missoula,
Flathead, Yellowstone, and Gallatin. They accounted for approximately 58
percent of the State's 1992 manufacturing employment. This represents a
shift from 1987 when Missoula, Flathead, Yellowstone, and Lincoln accounted
for approximately 57 percent of the State's employment.

Single-establishment companies with up to 20 employees (cutoff varied by
industry) were excluded from the mail portion of the census. The data for
these establishments (and a small number of larger establishments whose
reports were not received at the time the data were tabulated) were
obtained from administrative records of other agencies or developed from
industry averages. For this State, these establishments accounted for 7
percent of the total value of shipments.