Jobs & Economy in Billings
Billings' real, current 2026 economy centers on regional commerce and trade, healthcare (Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Regional Hospital), and energy (two active oil refineries) -- a genuinely distinct economic identity from the mountain-west tourism markets described elsewhere in this project's Montana dataset.
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Learn moreA Real, Genuine Regional Trade and Commerce Hub
Billings functions as the real, current retail, wholesale, transportation, processing, and packaging center for a vast multi-state trade area -- sources cited a primary-and-secondary market population approaching half a million across more than 125,000 square miles, in loose marketing-style geographic framing this record discloses as descriptive. Agricultural products (sugar beets, grain, cattle, sheep) from the surrounding region flow through Billings for processing and transport.
Two Active Oil Refineries Anchor a Real Energy-Sector Presence
The Phillips 66 Billings Refinery (cited at approximately 430 employees including contractors as of a 2015-dated source -- a real, disclosed, somewhat dated figure) and the Par Pacific Billings Refinery (acquired from ExxonMobil in a deal closed June 1, 2023 for a base purchase price of $310 million) both operate inside Billings; a third refinery (CHS) sits nearby in Laurel, MT, outside city limits.
A Real, Major Dual-System Healthcare Anchor
Billings Clinic (~5,248 employees worldwide as of March 2026, the large majority Billings-based) and St. Vincent Regional Hospital/Intermountain Health (1,700+ caregivers) together make Billings the primary healthcare referral hub for Montana, Wyoming, and the western Dakotas -- see the healthcare topic page for fuller detail.
Genuinely Low Unemployment
Yellowstone County's unemployment rate was cited at approximately 2.8% as of May 2026, running below Montana's own statewide rate (~3.3% as of June 2026) -- a real, genuinely low figure.
A Real, Disclosed Cross-Source Spread on Median Household Income
Billings' median household income was cited at approximately $73,712 for 2024 (up from ~$71,855 the prior year), though a separate, lower-confidence source labeled '2026' cited approximately $69,692 -- a real, disclosed cross-source and cross-vintage discrepancy this record discloses rather than silently resolving.
Key takeaways
- Billings functions as a real, genuine regional trade, transportation, and agricultural-processing hub for a vast multi-state area.
- Two active oil refineries (Phillips 66 and Par Pacific) operate inside Billings, with a third (CHS) nearby in Laurel, MT.
- Billings Clinic and St. Vincent Regional Hospital together make Billings the primary healthcare referral hub for Montana, Wyoming, and the western Dakotas.
- Yellowstone County unemployment ran a genuinely low approximately 2.8% as of May 2026.
- Median household income carries a real, disclosed cross-source spread (~$69,692-$73,712 depending on source and vintage).
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