Montana energy profile

Manufacturing energy costs in Montana

The current industrial power rate in Montana is 5.99 cents per kWh (Apr 2026, EIA), ranking 2 of 51 states and sitting 30.8% below the national average.

Current prices in Montana

  • Industrial electricity: 5.99 cents per kWh (Apr 2026, EIA).
  • Commercial electricity, the rate a warehouse or distribution center in Montana typically pays: 12.66 cents per kWh.
  • Industrial natural gas: 6.74 per Mcf (Apr 2026), 37.6% above the national average.
  • Just below Montana on the price ladder: Oklahoma at 5.86 cents. Just above: Arkansas at 6.2, Iowa at 6.26, New Mexico at 6.27 cents.

What the rate does to operating cost

  • A 10 kW machine running a 4,000 hour year costs about 2,396 in electricity at Montana rates versus 3,464 at the national average; at 50 kW the gap is 11,980 versus 17,320, and at 200 kW it is 47,920 versus 69,280.
  • For site selection and quoting, Montana sits on the favorable side of the power map. Processes that live or die on electricity cost, from electrolysis to induction heating, price out better here than in most states.

What factory labor pays in Montana

  • Industrial production managers: $58.03/hr median in Montana versus $60.61 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial engineers: $50.21/hr median in Montana versus $49.25 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Production supervisors: $33.06/hr median in Montana versus $35.79 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Industrial machinery mechanics: $32.33/hr median in Montana versus $31.02 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Machinists: $29.29/hr median in Montana versus $28.24 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Quality inspectors and testers: $27.92/hr median in Montana versus $23.35 nationally (OEWS 2025).
  • Montana employs about 21,000 manufacturing workers as of May 2026 (BLS).

Sources and update cadence

  • Prices come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration and refresh automatically when the agency publishes; this page also archives each month's Montana observation so the local price history deepens over time.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.