How Many Food Manufacturing Jobs Are in Billings? New Study Reveals Local Impact

When you pick up a loaf of bread, carton of milk, frozen vegetables, or cereal at the store, it is easy to forget how many people are involved before that food ever reaches a shelf. A new study puts some numbers behind that work in the Billings area.

According to a Trace One analysis of food manufacturing employment, the Billings metro has 492 food manufacturing workers. The metro also has 29 food manufacturing establishments.

Where Billings Ranks for Food Manufacturing Employment

The Billings metro ranks No. 142 among small U.S. metros for food manufacturing employment concentration. The study found that Billings has 2.6 food manufacturing workers for every 1,000 employees in the metro’s overall workforce.

That number helps show how large a role food manufacturing plays in the local economy compared to other types of work. The higher the number, the more concentrated food manufacturing employment is in that area.

Billings Food Manufacturing Compared With National Numbers

Across the country, food manufacturing employed 1,774,702 people in 2025, according to the full Trace One report. Nationally, there were 11.4 food manufacturing workers for every 1,000 employees and 42,971 food manufacturing establishments.

The industry includes businesses that turn agricultural products into finished items such as bread, dairy products, meat, beverages, frozen foods, and other grocery staples. The study notes that food manufacturing also supports work connected to transportation, packaging, warehousing, and equipment supply.

Key Data Behind Billings Food Manufacturing

Trace One used 2025 annual average employment and establishment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. The analysis looked at food manufacturing workers per 1,000 employees, total food manufacturing employment, and the concentration of food manufacturing businesses.

You can read the complete report and see how Billings compares with other metro areas here. The report includes data for all 50 states and more than 600 metropolitan areas.