The fourth season of the hit television series Yellowstone, which was filmed in and around Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, brought in more than $70 million in additional spending for the state, according to a study by the University of California’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research Montana.
The study found a wide range of impacts from Yellowstone, the globally hit Paramount TV series starring Kevin Costner. That included 527 permanent jobs in the state, not including the 624 Montana residents who worked as extras during filming.
The show resulted in an annual personal income of $25.3 million for Montana households. There was also $85.8 million in additional gross receipts for Montana businesses and non-business organizations.
Additionally, annual state government revenue was $10.6 million higher, according to BBER director Patrick Barkey.
“The manufacturing activities of Season 4 of ‘Yellowstone’ in Montana created jobs and incomes well in excess of its own economic footprint and made Montana’s economy larger and more prosperous than it otherwise would have been,” Barkey said. “The high-paying nature of manufacturing-related jobs and the significant demand for locally produced goods and services are key reasons why the economic impact has been so significant.”
The report noted that Montana has seen television and film growth over the past 10 years, with 122 productions filmed in 2019. Some of these films qualified for a tax credit. More than 30 states, including Montana, currently offer studios some form of tax credit, often transferable, in exchange for localizing activity in their states.
The Yellowstone BBER study was sponsored by the MEDIA Coalition of Montana and Paramount.
“We felt it was important to have accurate data on the impact of the media industry in Montana,” said Steve Grover, CEO of Montana Studios and co-founder of the MEDIA Coalition of Montana.
During five months of filming in western Montana, the studio’s substantial spending on everything from lodging and car rentals to veterinary and pet services benefited a wide array of Montana businesses.
“The deal we got from Yellowstone really helped us,” said Lynn-Wood Fields, owner of Montana Media Center, a local service provider.
Barkey said the economic gains should continue as Montana becomes a more regular location for large-scale film productions of a similar scale and scope to Yellowstone.
The full study results can be found on the Bureau of Business and Economic Research’s website at www.bber.umt.edu. Based in the UM College of Business, BBER was formed in 1948 to oversee Montana’s economic and business conditions.
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