Safety and EHS managers in Montana report a median salary near $83,000 a year — a figure best read against the state’s mining, ranching and low-density labor market, not in isolation. Below: who enforces the rules and what pushes pay higher.
Montana’s estimated median for a safety or EHS manager sits around $83,000 a year, with most roles clustering between $64,740 and $112,050. The number is derived from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OES, May 2024 release), which puts the national median for occupational health & safety specialists (SOC 19-5011) at $83,910, then scales it to Montana’s wage level. Montana’s safety-manager demand leans heavily on resource industries — hard-rock and coal mining, ranching and agriculture, timber, and a modest but real oil and gas presence in the eastern part of the state — plus a tourism sector built around Glacier and Yellowstone. Outside of Bozeman and Big Sky, where housing costs have climbed sharply, cost of living in Montana generally runs below the national median, so a given salary figure often stretches further here than the raw number suggests.
Montana has not adopted its own OSHA State Plan, which means workplace safety enforcement runs directly through federal OSHA rather than a state agency. Safety managers here work to federal OSHA standards, and there is no separate Montana-specific licensing or credentialing track for the role — national certifications carry the same weight here as anywhere else in the federal-plan states.
Billings, the state’s largest metro and an oil-refining and healthcare hub, carries the deepest bench of EHS roles, followed by Missoula (timber, healthcare, university) and Bozeman (a smaller but fast-growing market pulled by tech, outdoor recreation and construction). Smaller mining and energy operations in eastern Montana also hire safety staff, often at a premium given the remoteness.
Get a personalised range by role, experience, industry and certification.
Open the free Salary Estimator →
See also: national salary guide · certification roadmap · all states
What’s the median safety manager salary in Montana?
Around $83,000 a year, with a typical range of $64,740 to $112,050 depending on industry, experience, employer size and certification. The figure is an estimate anchored on BLS OES data scaled to Montana’s wage level, not a guaranteed number.
Does Montana run its own OSHA program?
No — Montana is one of the states that has not adopted an OSHA State Plan, so workplace safety in the state is enforced directly by federal OSHA rather than a state agency.
What industries drive safety manager demand in Montana?
Mining (coal and hard-rock), ranching and agriculture, timber, a modest oil and gas presence in eastern Montana, and tourism around Glacier and Yellowstone are the biggest drivers of EHS hiring in the state.
How do I push my salary higher as a Montana safety manager?
Certification (the BCSP CSP is the biggest single lever), moving into a higher-hazard industry like mining or oil and gas, taking on multi-site or director-level scope, and building tenure all help. The free salary estimator can model a personalized number.
Salary figures are estimates derived from BLS national OES data scaled to state wage levels — not a guarantee or an offer. Verify current local data with BLS and employers. ← All states · Home