HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen today announced a record number of new businesses were created in Montana last year. At Copperline Smashburgers! in Helena, Secretary Jacobsen reported that Montanans registered more than 59,420 new businesses with her office in 2023, surpassing the previous record set in 2022 by nearly 6,000 businesses.

“With a new record for business creation and more Montanans working than ever before, it’s clear – Montana is open for business,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’ll continue to foster a climate where businesses can thrive and more Montanans can prosper and achieve the American dream.”

“At the Secretary of State’s Office, we work with a servant’s heart each and every day, and we’re proud to support our local businesses and to partner with the business community to make it easier to do business in Montana,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “The continued growth of new businesses remains a key indicator for economic strength in Montana.”

This marks the third time in as many years Montana has had record new business registration, beginning with governor and secretary’s first year in office in 2021. Roughly 50,000 new businesses were registered that year, while approximately 54,000 were created in 2022.

Sec. Jacobsen joined Gov. Gianforte on Wednesday morning to announce the news at Copperline Smashburgers! in Helena. The local burger shop was one of the 59,424 new businesses in 2023.

“Montana has been a really awesome place to start a business. Awesome community, great customers, great people – we’ve just been so grateful,” said Copperline Smashburgers! owner Chris Abrego.

Recruiting job-creating businesses to Montana to create greater opportunities for Montanans is a top priority of the Gianforte administration. Since Gov. Gianforte took office, he has reformed the state’s tax code to promote business investment and job creation.

Under the leadership of Secretary Jacobsen, the Secretary of State’s Office has increased efficiencies, including through the online business filing system, which reduces review and processing time by the SOS staff. Businesses now enjoy 24/7 access to their registrations, filings, and documents.

As a result, Secretary Jacobsen cut registration fees in half for new Montana businesses, eliminated several other fees, and waived the 2024 Annual Report filing fee for all businesses that file by the April 15th deadline.

“Our Montana neighbors work hard to follow the dream of opening their own business, and it’s an honor for us to help them achieve their goals by making it easier to do business in Montana,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “Montana is getting new businesses in the industries of construction, farming and ranching, retail, insurance, and more, and we continue to support and appreciate our Montana businesses. Thank you for doing business in Montana.”

Through the Secretary of State’s modern, user-friendly Montana Business Economic Report, valuable data is provided about the health of the business economy in Montana. Per the report, March had the largest number of business registrations in 2023, with 5,557 new businesses registering with the Secretary of State’s Office.

The Montana Business Economic Report can be found on the Secretary of State’s website by clicking here.