Janitorial Wages in Montana (2026)

Montana's janitorial workforce earns a statewide mean and median hourly wage of $17.98 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011) — well above the national median and reflecting the state's tight post-pandemic labor market, influx of remote-worker transplants (particularly in Bozeman), and the absence of right-to-work restrictions. The state minimum wage is $10.85/hr effective January 1, 2026 (CPI-indexed), creating a $7.13/hr gap between the legal floor and the prevailing market wage.

What employers should plan for

• Floor: $10.85/hr effective January 1, 2026 (Mont. Code Ann. §39-3-409; CPI-indexed annually, adjusted by DLI no later than September 30 each year using August CPI data). Montana's minimum wage is substantively above the federal floor but irrelevant to commercial cleaning market wages, which run $7+ above it.
• Local floors: No Montana city or county has enacted a local minimum wage above the state rate. Bozeman, Missoula, and Helena do not have municipal wage ordinances.
• Loaded labor rate: Commercial cleaning bids in Montana run approximately $28–$34/hr total loaded cost. Bozeman commands a premium; Great Falls and rural Montana markets are lower. Montana's WC costs are moderate.
• Workers' comp class 9014 — Montana is an NCCI jurisdiction; estimated base rate approximately $1.80–$2.30/$100 payroll. Rich States Poor States WC index shows Montana at $1.34/$100 average — moderate, below national average.

High-wage metros vs. low-wage metros

Bozeman MSA leads Montana at a striking median $19.89/hr (25th: $17.78, 75th: $22.00, 90th: $23.96) — elevated by Bozeman's technology sector transplant economy (significant tech company remote workers), tourism industry, and extremely tight labor market driven by rapid in-migration. Competition for workers with ski resorts, tech campuses, and hospitality has pushed janitorial wages to near-premium levels. Missoula MSA follows at $18.04/hr median (University of Montana anchor). On the lower end, Great Falls MSA (median $17.30/hr) and Southwest Montana nonmetro area (median $17.42/hr — includes Butte, Anaconda) trail by approximately $0.60–$0.70/hr, reflecting smaller commercial bases and less acute labor shortages than Bozeman.

Wage percentile distribution (BLS OEWS 2024)

• 10th percentile: $13.33/hr
• 25th percentile: $16.12/hr
• Median (50th): $17.98/hr
• 75th percentile: $21.08/hr
• 90th percentile: $22.74/hr

Montana's distribution shows a pronounced gap from the 10th percentile ($13.33/hr) to the 25th ($16.12/hr) — a $2.79/hr step reflecting part-time and seasonal cleaning work at lower-wage rural employers versus full-time commercial cleaning. The relatively compressed upper range (75th to 90th: $1.66/hr) and the tight clustering between 25th and median suggest a relatively homogeneous full-time commercial cleaning wage structure outside the Bozeman outlier.

Union presence

Montana is notably one of the few Mountain West states that is NOT a right-to-work state, giving unions greater organizing leverage. Private-sector union density runs approximately 8–10% — above-average for the region. However, commercial cleaning has not been a primary SEIU organizing target in Montana markets. Some University of Montana and Montana State University custodians are covered under MPEA (Montana Public Employees Association, an AFSCME affiliate) agreements for state-classified employees. Private commercial cleaning — the primary sector for this analysis — is predominantly non-union statewide. The higher-than-average union density is concentrated in construction, healthcare, and public sector rather than property services.

What this means for bid math

Montana's $17.98/hr median wage — surprisingly competitive with Midwest and Northeast states — reflects the real impact of the Bozeman-led growth economy on statewide wage norms. Commercial cleaning budgets should use $17.98/hr as the statewide base with a 1.65–1.80× loaded multiplier for total labor costs of $29–$32/hr. Bozeman contracts should be modeled separately at $19.89/hr base ($33–$38/hr total loaded). Rural Montana and smaller cities can be priced at $17.00–$17.50/hr base ($27–$30/hr loaded). The absence of right-to-work status and the CPI-indexed minimum wage are worth monitoring — Montana's political environment is more receptive to wage legislation than neighboring Idaho, Wyoming, or South Dakota.

Primary sources

• O*NET Local Wages — Montana (BLS OEWS May 2024 data)
• Montana DLI Employment Standards — Minimum Wage ($10.85 in 2026)
• DOL WHD State Minimum Wage Laws