Top Occupations in Montana by Political Donations

See which occupations donate the most in Montana. 72 occupations, $4.0M in donations from Montana.

The occupational breakdown of political donors in Montana reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within Montana, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.

#OccupationMontana TotalNational Total
1CONTRACTOR$1.7M$14.0M
2RANCHER$871K$8.2M
3BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT$129K$2.5M
4CANDIDATE$115K$6.4M
5GOVERNOR$109K$13.4M
6GENERAL CONTRACTOR$106K$3.0M
7GROWER$93K$538K
8EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT$73K$1.4M
9DOCTOR OF OPTOMETRY$60K$1.7M
10PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT$59K$1.1M
11LEGISLATOR$43K$732K
12RANCH MANAGER$35K$164K
13BIOLOGIST$28K$1.1M
14FARMER/RANCHER$27K$252K
15RANCHING$26K$685K
16OIL & GAS$25K$1.3M
17AVIATION$19K$220K
18FITNESS INSTRUCTOR$18K$315K
19COMPUTER CONSULTANT$17K$509K
20VIDEO PRODUCTION$17K$123K
21CATTLE RANCHER$17K$391K
22MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST$16K$429K
23RETIRED PHYSICIAN$16K$724K
24OIL PRODUCER$16K$164K
25GEOPHYSICIST$16K$293K
26HOTEL OWNER$16K$343K
27RESEARCH PROFESSOR$15K$835K
28AUTO SALES$14K$407K
29SMALL BUSINESS$14K$320K
30LEGISLATIVE AIDE$13K$155K
31OWNER/PRINCIPAL/PARTNER$13K$237K
32WEALTH MANAGEMENT ADVISOR$12K$230K
33BUSINESS MANAGEMENT$12K$504K
34LINEMAN$12K$227K
35SPECIALIST$11K$169K
36CONSERVATION$10K$152K
37LANDMAN$10K$547K
38MACHINE LEARNING ENGINEER$9K$155K
39CITY COUNCIL$8K$99K
40JANITOR$8K$186K
41LIBRARY ASSISTANT$8K$125K
42HVAC CONTRACTOR$7K$169K
43TECH EXECUTIVE$7K$401K
44ENDODONTIST$7K$191K
45MUSEUM DIRECTOR$7K$182K
46MUSIC DIRECTOR$7K$107K
47INSURANCE AGENCY OWNER$6K$115K
48DVM$6K$97K
49HYDROLOGIST$6K$160K
50ROOFING CONTRACTOR$6K$156K
51OIL$6K$107K
52RETIRED EDUCATOR$5K$152K
53GENERAL SURGEON$5K$88K
54BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR$5K$85K
55LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT$5K$103K
56GALLERIST$4K$409K
57RETAIL STORE OWNER$4K$129K
58VP OF ENGINEERING$4K$160K
59AVP, FIELD OPERATIONS$4K$69K
60WINEMAKER$4K$413K
61FILM DIRECTOR$3K$666K
62FISHERMAN$3K$194K
63CITY COUNCILOR$3K$106K
64CONCRETE$3K$106K
65BUILDING INSPECTOR$3K$119K
66FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST$3K$78K
67SR ADVISOR$3K$240K
68CLIENT EXECUTIVE$2K$69K
69DECORATOR$2K$111K
70PRACTICE MEDICAL DIRECTOR$2K$135K
71CITY COUNCIL MEMBER$2K$135K
72OILFIELD$2K$97K

Frequently Asked Questions

What occupations donate the most in Montana?

The top political donors by occupation in Montana typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 72 tracked occupations, Montana residents have contributed $4.0M to federal campaigns.

Does Montana's occupation mix differ from the national average?

Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the Montana and National Total columns to spot these differences.

How are occupation categories determined?

Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.

More Montana Data

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