How many sign shops are in Montana, and what do they pay?
Where Montana sits in the state ranking
| # | State | Sign shops | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Arkansas | 471 | $52,649 | |
| 37 | Nebraska | 469 | $56,481 | |
| 38 | Montana | 223 | $55,176 | |
| 39 | New Mexico | 298 | $58,394 | |
| 40 | New Hampshire | 277 | $72,163 |
Every state's shop count, ranked, is on the home page. The most shops: Texas with 748. U.S. total: 7,672 shops, 76,766 employees, $65,386 average pay.
Sign shops in Montana since 2014
Montana had 38 sign shops in 2014 and 43 in 2025, 5 more. Average pay moved from $39,733 to $55,176, up 38.9%. Every state's pay, ranked, is on the sign maker salary page.
| Year | Sign shops | Employees | Weekly pay | Annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 | 223 | $1,061 | $55,176 |
| 2024 | 44 | 232 | $1,020 | $53,029 |
| 2023 | 44 | 212 | $948 | $49,320 |
| 2022 | 41 | 214 | $939 | $48,838 |
| 2021 | 41 | 212 | $901 | $46,860 |
| 2020 | 42 | 202 | $861 | $44,749 |
| 2019 | 44 | 209 | $841 | $43,730 |
| 2018 | 44 | 207 | $810 | $42,099 |
| 2017 | 39 | 213 | $803 | $41,766 |
| 2016 | 38 | 202 | $761 | $39,553 |
| 2015 | 38 | 194 | $811 | $42,193 |
| 2014 | 38 | 194 | $764 | $39,733 |
Sign shops by metro area in Montana
The largest metro areas touching Montana, from the BLS 2024 metro figures, the latest year published for metro areas. A metro area that crosses a state line is counted whole. "Concentration" compares sign shops' share of the area's private employers with their share nationally (1.00× = the national share).
| Metro area | Sign shops | Employees | Avg pay | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helena area | 8 | — | — | 2.82× |
| Billings area | 7 | 54 | $58,382 | 1.26× |
| Bozeman area | 6 | 42 | $66,296 | 0.98× |
| Missoula area | 6 | 17 | $43,704 | 1.35× |
| Great Falls area | 5 | — | — | 2.49× |
Every metro area, ranked by sign shops.
Putting up a sign in Montana
Every city these shops sell into permits signs under its own code, and the permit is usually the longest step in a sign job. PrinterFlo's sign-code summaries by city set out, for the cities covered so far, what needs a permit, the size limits and what the city checks before a sign goes up.
Common questions
How many sign shops are in Montana?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 43 sign manufacturing establishments in Montana in 2025 (annual average, private employers), ranking Montana 38 of 51 states. Together they employed 223 people, about 5.2 per shop.
How much do sign makers make in Montana?
Average annual pay across Montana's sign shops was $55,176 in 2025, 16% below the U.S. sign industry average of $65,386. That is total payroll divided by employment, so it blends fabricators, designers, installers and owners on payroll.
What counts as a sign shop in these figures?
An establishment with payroll classified under NAICS 339950, Sign Manufacturing: businesses whose main activity is making signs, including electric and non-electric signs, channel letters, printed banners and vehicle graphics. Print shops, engravers and installation contractors classified under other codes are not included, and neither are owner-only shops with no employees.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), annual averages, private ownership, NAICS 339950 Sign Manufacturing, Montana, 2014 to 2025 annual averages (metro areas 2024), read September 24, 2026. Average pay = total annual wages ÷ annual average employment. Ranks computed from the 51 states with a published establishment count.