BBER PUBLICATIONS SEARCH RESULTS

Forest related industries have long played a major role in Montana?s economy ? especially in the western part of the state. The decades-long drum roll of layoffs, reduced employment and mill closings have been the subject of many discussions and headlines in the media. This paper takes a systematic view of Montana?s forest industry during the past few decades and identifies the major causes of industry trends. The conclusion is that timber harvest volumes in Montana are the major factor impacting industry conditions, including employment and labor earnings. Labor productivity has generally increased in Montana?s larger timber-processing facilities, but these gains are not driving reduced employment and labor earnings in Montana?s forest industry.

The trend in Montana''s timber harvests, which has been dropping since the late 1980s, has been the major cause of declining employment and labor earnings in Montana''s forest industry.

What would the economy of the state of Montana look like if the eight largest hard rock mines did not exist?

What would the economy of the state of Montana look like if the eight largest hardrock mines ? producing copper, palladium, gold, talc, cement and other products and materials ? did not exist? The communities in which those facilities are located ? the businesses, the households and governments whose economic fortunes are closely tied with the success of Montana?s mines ? already understand the importance of the hardrock mining industry to their own prosperity. It is perhaps less apparent ? but no less important ? to the population of the state as a whole.

Medicaid expansion in Montana generates several thousand additional jobs and several hundred million dollars in additional income. It also pays for itself and grows the economy.

Twenty-five years ago, the Family and Medical Leave Act was passed to help working families, but today the law is no longer adequate.

If you travel across the state and talk with Montana?s employers, you will hear frequent complaints about their difficulty finding workers.

The arts are a big business in Missoula, providing tangible benefits beyond their entertainment value. Missoula's nonprofit arts sector is a $54 million industry - nearly three times that of other communities the same size.

In Montana today, 19 percent of children live in poverty, while 28 percent of parents lack secure employment. Affordable housing has become an important topic in cities like Missoula and Bozeman. But the issues surrounding poverty for Montana families have been long-standing, as seen in this excerpt from the Montana Business Quarterly in 1965.

Fifty-eight percent of all women participate in the workforce, but are paid less than men, earning 77 percent of what men earn. Every state in the nation has an earnings gap, but Montana ranks near the bottom at 46th in the nation.

High-tech and manufacturing companies are projected to grow seven times faster than the overall Montana economy and pay average annual salaries of $57,000 ? more than twice the median Montana wage. The sector shows no signs of slowing down in 2017.

Median earnings for Montana workers over age 24 are $31,800 and places Montana 45th among all states. How can Montana increase wages and develop a robust knowledge economy of skilled workers?

This report explores the contribution of health care to Flathead County?s economy. Specifically, we investigate how health care contributes by addressing eight questions: 1) What is health care?; 2) What is health care in Flathead County?; 3) How does one evaluate the contribution of an industry to a regional economy?; 4) How valuable is health care?; 5) Is Flathead County?s health care sector efficient?; 6) If Flathead County?s health care sector disappeared, what would happen to Flathead County?s economy?; 7) How large is the traded component of Flathead County?s health care sector?; 8) What does the future hold for health care in Flathead County?

This study examines the size and scope of those economic contributions. Specifically, this study poses the question, "What would the economy of Missoula look like if Grizzly Athletics did not exist?" Using information from financial records, ticket sales, attendance, and a survey of Grizzly football season ticket holders, we have estimated how much larger the economy of today is - in terms of jobs, income, spending and population - than would be case if the Grizzly Athletics were not a part of it.

The American energy boom began with improvements in technology and led to the shale-energy revolution. This article attempts to put events into perspective by looking at the Bakken area on the Montana-North Dakota border over the entire boom and bust cycle.

Craft breweries are bigger than ever and contributing in large ways to Montana?s economy. This sector?s growth has been remarkably steady and shows no signs of slowing down. Since 2010, craft brewing in the state has grown by 87 percent.

Deciding where to attend college can be one of life?s pivotal decisions ? one that can largely shape a student?s future. What can we learn about college quality from the average earnings of its students?

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana was contracted to conduct a study on the utilization of local contractors by the Colville National Forest through the NEW Forest Vision 2020 Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) project. The purpose of the study aimed to identify and measure the opportunities and benefits the NEW Forest Vision 2020/CFLRP program is bringing to communities in the region. The BBER used records of service contracts, timber sale contracts and agreements to characterize the number of local entities (businesses, nonprofits, agencies, etc.) involved in meeting the restoration objectives of the CFLRP through the NEW Forest Vision 2020.

Look at any of the ?best places to live? lists and you will see many college towns. These small to mid-sized cities offer an appealing mix of amenities, but they also tend to offer something else ? a high cost of living and low wages, particularly for people with a college degree.

Intercollegiate athletics play a major role in colleges and universities, individual communities and American culture. Lean how University of Montana athletics impact the Missoula economy in visitor spending, jobs and personal income.

This is the second annual report on the high tech industry in the state of Montana. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA), formed in 2014, is a member-driven group of high tech businesses and other organizations statewide. The Alliance asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research.

Montanans love Montana. A recent Gallup poll asked whether or not respondents believed that their state was the best, or one of the best, states in which to live. 77 percent of Montanans chose their home state. For one group, though, Montana appears less desirable: the college-educated, and particularly the young and college-educated.

If you pay close attention, you will notice that almost all economic forecasts have two things in common ? first, they are optimistic. Recessions are much less common than growth, after all. But those forecasts are usually accompanied by a second thing ? a long list of problems that could make those optimistic forecasts go bad; such as a downturn in energy, mining and farming businesses. But other parts of Montana?s economy remained strong in 2015 and the state went on to post a good year.

In the next 10 years, at least 130,000 working Montanans will retire. With an aging population, Montana''s labor force will only grow by 4,100 workers per year for the next 10 years (Wagner, 2015). Given current trends, there will simply not be enough workers to fill the projected annual job growth of 6,500 to continue to grow Montana''s economy. Montana must find strategies to increase labor force participation so businesses have the workers they need.

In the United States, women earn median wages that are 71 percent of the median earnings for men. In Montana, this figure is 68 percent. The gap between the median wages for men and women is referred to as the gender wage gap. The gap between the median wages for men and women is referred to as the gender wage gap. The gap between men''s and women''s wages exists in nearly every occupation in all industries, in every state, across countries, at all education levels, and in the private, government and nonprofit sectors. While the gender pay gap is improving, the narrowing is happening at such a slow pace that it would take until 2058 to reach gender pay equity (Hayes, 2013).

Strong growth in Montana manufacturing employment occurred despite permanent closures in several manufacturing industries. Employment in the wood and paper products industry decreased by 550 workers between 2009Q2 and 2013Q3. Employment in all the other components of Montana manufacturing increased by about 1,600 workers, or 11.3 percent. In summary, since the start of the recovery Montana manufacturing employment has increased considerably faster than the national rate. This strong performance was in spite of permanent closures in the wood and paper products industries.

This is a PowerPoint presentation of the results of a survey, funded by The Greater Montana Foundation, of Montana Statewide Media Habits which collected data from a telephone survey of 526 adults in Montana in April-May 2015. Key Findings: Television remains a key source of news and information, local news from all sources is very closely followed and highly sought after, the rate of internet access in homes now matches that found nationwide, handheld devices are used by a significant portion of Montanans to access news.

Situated in the geographic center of Montana in the midst of rolling hills, farms, and ranches is something a little unexpected: one of the most vibrant manufacturing communities in the state. With a population of about 6,500, Lewistown has a cluster of companies that design, engineer, and manufacture products for airports, oil companies, federal agencies, food distribution centers, sports arenas, hospitals, banks, schools, the military, and the aerospace industry, to name a few. Together, the group supports nearly 500 manufacturing jobs in the Lewistown area.

A review of the Forest Products Industry in Montana for 2014 and the outlook for 2015.

This report on the high-tech industry in the state of Montana is the first of its kind. The Montana High Tech Business Alliance (HTBA), a newly formed, member-driven group of high-tech businesses and other organizations statewide, asked the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to collect information and insights from its members so that a better assessment of its economic footprint and its prospects for continued growth could be made. This report presents the findings of that research.

Montana''s high-tech industry will grow 8-10 times the projected statewide growth rate, with average wages at about $50,000 - twice the median earnings per Montana worker, according to a recent study by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research.

Trailhead Commerce Park is a rail-accessible industrial development project located in Lockwood, Montana, that is intended to serve manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, and other commercial business development. As it is conceived by its developers, its location adjacent to the BNSF/MRL rail line, bisected by the proposed Billings bypass roadway, and situated in the strategically well-positioned Billings market area, would make it an attractive candidate for business expansion. Its successful construction and development could be a major economic event for the Billings and southeastern Montana economies.

he Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana started an annual survey of Montana?s largest manufacturers in 1999. The surveys are conducted each year during November and December and query manufacturers on a variety of business issues pertaining to both the year just completed and the outlook for the coming year. The results shown here are from the fifteenth such survey, completed in December 2013. A total of over 220 firms were contacted for this year?s survey, including Montana?s largest manufacturing facilities (as measured by the number of people employed), as well as smaller firms representative of their sectors. Of the firms contacted, 76 percent responded to the survey.

This poster presents the findings of the Bureau''s Survey of California forest products mill operations for 2012. It graphically presents the location/types of mills, California timber harvest by species, disposition, timber processing capacity and sales value. It also summarizes the results and highlights of the survey.

This poster presents the findings of the Bureau''s Survey of Four Corners state''s forest products mill operations for 2012. It graphically presents the location/types of mills, timber harvest by species, ownership, timber processing capacity & use, and industry employment. It also summarizes the results and highlights of the survey.

This poster presents the findings of the Bureau''s Survey of Idaho forest products mill operations for 2011. It graphically presents the location/types of mills, Idaho timber harvest by species, product type, timber processing capacity and sales value. It also summarizes the results and highlights of the survey

In an effort to help quantify the economic impacts of forest management, information from public databases was used to estimate direct forest industry employment from the harvesting and processing timber. Employment estimates per unit of timber harvested are referred to as direct response coefficients (DRCs). This research provides employment DRCs for 16 forest industry sectors and 11 regions within the Unites States. Employment DRCs are expressed as number of workers per million cubic feet (MMCF) of timber harvested and processed on an annual basis.

The objective of this poster is to describe the value and types of restoration work occurring in the Southwestern Crown of the Continent, along with who is capturing that work, and provide a baseline against which future investments made through the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program could be compared.

This is a study of the economic contribution of Montana craft brewing to Montana?s economy. The first study of this nature on the brewing industry was conducted in 2012, based on operating conditions in 2010 and 2011. The current study builds on that work by investigating the trends during 2012 and 2013 and estimating the current economic contribution of the industry. There were 40 breweries operating in the state by the end of 2013, with another 11 breweries in planning. This ranks Montana third in the nation in breweries per 100,000 adults over age 21, according to the Brewers Association.

A BBER study found that Montana''s beer and wine distributors are major contributors to the economy, with impacts throughout the state and across industry sectors.

This is a study of the economic contribution of the operations of the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association (MBWDA) to Montana?s economy. The beverage distributing industry is a major contributor to the economy, with impacts throughout the state and across industry sectors. To illustrate these contributions, MBWDA sought to determine precisely how distributor operations impact jobs, income, and sales of all Montana businesses and households. Using a state-of-the-art policy analysis model and data collected by MBWDA staff, the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana produced a detailed assessment of beer and wine distributors? impact on employment, income, output, and population in the Montana economy.

It''s not just people in energy industries who are benefiting from the oil boom. Workers in industries such as construction, professional services, and accommodations now have great employment opportunities and higher wages.

This is a study of the effects on the Montana economy of the operations of the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology (MBRCT), a program established by the Montana Legislature in 2000 to encourage economic development through investment in Montana-based research projects with a clear path to commercialization. The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana (BBER), using a state-of-the-art policy analysis model and publicly available data on program spending and associated impacts, produced a detailed assessment of the ultimate impact of the operations of the program on employment, income, output, and population in the Montana economy.

Living a "Montana lifestyle" with access to recreational opportunities is one of the advantages of operating a business in Montana, according to respondents to BBER''s annual manufacturers survey.

In 2005, less than 2 percent of U.S. crude oil was produced through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. In 2013, the share was more than a third, and it continues to grow rapidly. The increases in gas production are no less startling. For a state like Montana, which sites astride the Bakken formation, it has been a sea change for the entire economy.

This poster presents the findings of the Bureaus''s Survey of Alaska forest products mill operations for 2011. I graphical presents the location/types of mills, Alaska timber harvest by species, ownership, timber processing capacity and use, primary wood products and mill residues, and log and pulpwood exports by destination. It also summarizes the results and highlights of the survey.

Q&A with Montana''s leading economists and industry experts on economic issues facing Montana.

Forecasts for the U.S. economy have called for sluggish growth this year, with better growth next year. But each year in this sluggish recovery, the goalposts are moved back and we must again wait for better growth "next year." Has "next year" finally arrived in 2014?

Reversing a decades-long trend, it was the rural, eastern counties that led the state in growth and the more populous western counties that suffered the steepest declines.

The economies of Butte and Anaconda have long been intertwined. Copper used to be the connecting link; it was mined in Silver Bow County and refined in Deer Lodge County. But now the connections is workers.

The Great Recession hit the Flathead economy hard. But, unlike some other parts of western Montana, the Flathead economy recovered quickly and is now growing moderately.

Gallatin County is tied with Flathead County and trails only Bakken-fueled Yellowstone County in terms of overall economic growth since the recession trough in 2009.

Using the REMI economic model the economic impact of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts was analyzed for Montana. The operations of the Foundation, which produces and sells ceramics, its educational workshops, and the summer festival it hosts were all considered in the analyses. It ultimately supports 26 year-round jobs and about $1.4 million of income to Montana households (37 year-round equivalent jobs and $2.1 million in festival years).

Manufacturing Council, Center, and Bureau Recognize Manufacturing Day The Montana Manufacturing Council, Montana Manufacturing Extension Center, and UM Bureau of Business and Economic Research will recognize national Manufacturing Day in Montana October 8 in Kalispell. Events include manufacturer tours and a press conference.

While women now participate equally in the wage economy and earn a majority of all bachelor''s degrees, this has not led to financial equality. Women do not share equally in the economic well-being of the state.

The 2013 Montana Economic Development Summit in Butte was one of the biggest and the best. Together, with some of the most influential business leaders of our time and ambassadors from some of Montana''s most important trading partners in the world, we helped sow the seeds for unlimited potential.

Q&A with Governor Steve Bullock on statewide economic issues and plans for his first year as governor.

Even as growth continues to spread and solidify across the state, important pieces of the economy remain far from healthy. The national economy will turn in a more sluggish growth performance this year. This and other global economic developments make us a bit more measured as we re-examine Montana''s growth prospects.

Migration had dramatic impacts on Montana during the past two decades, affecting the total population, its distribution between rural and urban areas, and composition by age, including school-age populations.

North Dakota is experiencing an oil boom that has increased total U.S. oil production as well as sheltered the state from the economic impacts of the Great Recession. Montana doesn''t have as much oil development activity as North Dakota, but is experiencing impacts of the development in Western North Dakota.

The U.S. economy is now in the fourth year of an exceedingly slow recovery that began from a cyclic trough in the second quarter of 2009. The recovery is under way in manufacturing. The comeback of durable goods production accounted for most of the growth. This report was prepared by Montana State University Montana Manufacturing Extension Center and the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research and examines trends in Montana manufacturing.

Although the Great Recession officially ended in 2009, manufacturing in Montana continued declining through 2010, falling to fewer than 20,000 workers after the pre-recession level of nearly 24,000. However, both 2011 and 2012 revealed growth for Montana manufacturers, with annual sales increasing to more than $13 billion and employment topping 21,000 workers for the first time since the recession's end.

The first decade of the Twenty-first Century proved tumultuous for the West's forest products industry. A strong economy, low interest rates, easy access to credit, and real estate speculation fostered more than two million U.S. housing starts in 2005 and record lumber consumption from 2003 to 2005. With the decline in U.S. housing beginning in 2006, the 2008 global financial crisis, an over 50-year record low 554,000 housing starts in 2009, wood product prices and production fell dramatically. In 2009 and 2010, virtually every major western mill suffered curtailments and 30 large mills closed permanently. Sales value of wood and paper products in the West dropped from $49 billion in 2005 to $34 billion in 2009. Employment declined by 71,000 workers and lumber production fell by almost 50 percent from 2005 to 2009. Capacity utilization at sawmills and other timber-using facilities in the West fell from over 80 percent in 2005 to just over 50 percent in 2009 and 2010. With the exception of exports and some paper markets, U.S. wood products markets have improved little since the recession officially ended in 2009.

Although the Great Recession officially ended in 2009, manufacturing in Montana continued declining through 2010, falling to under 20,000 workers after the pre-recession level of nearly 24,000. However, both 2011 and 2012 revealed growth for Montana manufacturers, with annual sales increasing to more than $13 billion and employment topping 21,000 workers for the first time since the recession''s end. This article includes the results from the annual survey of Montana''s largest manufacturers, which queries manufacturers on a variety of business issues pertaining to both the year just completed and the outlook for the coming year.

The 2013 outlook shows the economy of Butte-Silver Bow is continuing to diversify. Strong growth in health care and administrative support services have helped propel this growth.

A lot of things started to fall into place for the recovering Montana economy in 2012. We estimate that the state economy grew by about 2.7 percent in 2012.

Despite its image as a wild and woolly cowtown, Miles City has a diverse economic base dependent on federal and state government, agriculture, and agricultural-related activities and transportation.

Probably all are painfully aware of the impact the Great Recession had in the Flathead Valley economy. The Flathead is over 4,000 jobs shy of its 2007 peak employment of more than 41,000 jobs. Economy-wide wages are $57 million shy of their peak in 2008.

According to the report, "The Economic Impact of Increased Production at the Spring Creek Mine," commissioned by the Montana Chamber of Commerce, a proposed increase of coal production by 20 million tons at the mine owned by Cloud Peak Energy would more than double output at the facility and require expansion in capital and equipment, labor force and new purchases of resources such as electricity and work uniforms.

This is a report on a study conducted by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research which examined the economic contribution of the craft brewing industry. The research was designed to answer the question, What does the craft brewing industry contribute to the Montana economy?

This report summarizes the findings of an investigation into the likely impacts on the Montana economy of a significant expansion in coal production at the Spring Creek mine operated by Cloud Peak Energy near Decker, Montana.

Craft brewing is a healthy and growing sector of Montana's economy. From 2010 to 2011, production increased by 18 percent, employment was up by 39 percent, and sales rose by 20 percent.

Spending for working-age populations with disabilities is increasing faster than gross domestic product. The return on investment for tax dollars spent on the Montana Vocational Rehabilitation Program for those successfully rehabilitated is positive.

How rich or poor are Americans? Where do they work, and what training do they have for their jobs? What languages do they speak? The American Community Survey is an ongoing survey that provides answers to questions like these and gives communities the current information they need to plan investments and services.

This report traces the flow of Oregon's 2008 timber harvest through the primary timber processing industry and provides a description of the structure, operation, and condition of Oregon's forest products industry as a whole. It is the second in a series of reports that update the status of the industry every 5 years. Based on a census conducted in 2009 and 2010, we provide detailed information about the industry in 2008, and discuss historical changes as well as more recent trends in harvest, production, and sales. To convey the severe market and economic conditions that existed in 2008, 2009, and 2010, we also provide updated information on the industry and its inputs and outputs through 2010.

This report traces the flow of California's 2006 timber harvest through the primary wood products industry (i.e., firms that process timber into manufactured products such as lumber, as well as facilities such as pulp mills and particleboard plants, which use the wood fiber or mill residue directly from timber processors) and provides a description of the structure, condition, and economic impacts of California's forest products industry. Historical wood products industry changes are discussed, as well as trends in harvest, production, mill residue, and sales. Also examined are employment and worker earnings in the state's primary and secondary forest products industry.

To say that the behavior of the economy deviated from normal during the 2008-09 recession would be an understatement. The downturn was long and severe, and it left no county in Montana untouched. For the third consecutive year, the nation's economy has stumbled at mid-year.

The 2011 national high school graduation rate was 75 percent. The remaining 25 percent, about 1.2 million high school seniors across the country, did not attain a high school diploma.

This is a study of the effects on the Montana economy of the development of Otter Creek coal in southeastern Montana. An assessment of the impact on employment, income, output, and population.

There are more than 36 million people with a disability in the United States, accounting for almost 12 percent of the total civilian non-institutionalized population. In Montana, the proportion with a disability is greater. Thirteen percent (125,302) of the civilian non-institutionalized population in Montana has a disability. Working age adults with a disability, those 18-64 years of age, comprise over half of the disabled population in Montana and nearly 11 percent of all working adults in this age group. With continued increases in the cost of health care and an increase in the number of working-age Montanans with disabilities as a result of the aging baby boom generation, the federal and state share of spending to support this population represents a large and faster growing share of all federal and state expenditures. The aging of the baby boom generation is expected to contribute to growth in Social Security Disability Insurance awards for at least another decade. In Montana, federal government payments for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income alone totaled more than $469 million in 2010, up 5 percent from 2009, and almost 10 percent from 2008.

A fact sheet outlining key indicators of the well being of Montana's children, including data on birth rates, death rates, children in poverty and other important indicators.

This report documents the research findings of how the operations and the output of The University of Montana-Missoula contributes to Montana's economy.

It certainly has been a trying time for the Montana economy. The state remains in the grip of its worst recession since the 1980s, and news of closures and layoffs is depressingly easy to find. Yet it is also apparent that a long-awaited recovery in the economy has begun to take hold.

This report details the findings of a comprehensive evaluation of labor force availability in the 11 counties of north central Montana. During the summer and fall of 2008, researchers at The University of Montana''s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) surveyed a random sample of adults in Blaine, Cascade, Chouteau, Glacier, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty, Phillips, Pondera, Teton, and Toole counties to assess the labor force status, availability, training preferences and other characteristics. The purpose of the project was to construct and present a more comprehensive assessment of labor force status and availability than can be obtained from the employment and unemployment statistics gathered regularly by state and federal statistical agencies. The emphasis was on those in the adult labor force who are receptive to new job opportunities. This includes both the under- and the unemployed.

Our basic finding is that there are a substantial number of individuals currently working who report themselves as willing and available for new job opportunities. Statewide, there were almost 261,000 adults who could be classified as available for new job opportunities.

A press release announcing that Patrick Barkey has scaled back his forecast of the state's economic performance for 2008 and 2009 from 4 percent annual growth to 3.3 percent.

Our basic finding is that the number of workers currently residing in Flathead County who are potentially available for new employment opportunities is substantially larger than official unemployment statistics would suggest. We estimate that as of summer/fall 2008, there were approximately 19,500 individuals, aged 18 or older, who identified themselves as candidates for new job openings. By contrast, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry reports that for September 2008, the most current month available at press time, the number of unemployed individuals in Flathead County was slightly less than 2,200. The wide discrepancy between these two estimates stems from the fact that the available labor pool contains substantial numbers of individuals who are currently employed, but willing to change jobs in response to new opportunities.