Editing Billings, Montana (section)

==Economy==
Billings' location was essential to its initial economic success. Billings' future as a major trade and distribution center was basically assured from its founding as a railroad hub due to its geographic location. As Billings quickly became the region's economic hub, it outgrew the other cities in the region. The Billings trade area serves over a half million people.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> A major trade and distribution center, the city is home to many regional headquarters and corporate headquarters. Because Montana has no sales tax, Billings is a retail destination for much of Wyoming, North and South Dakota as well as much of Montana east of the [[Continental Divide]]. $1 out of every $7 spent on retail purchases in Montana is spent in Billings. The percentage of wholesale business transactions done in Billings is even stronger: Billings accounts for more than a quarter of the wholesale business for the entire state (these figures do not include Billings portion of sales for Wyoming and the Dakotas).<ref>{{cite web | last =Lutey | first = Tom |url=http://missoulian.com/special-section/montana-economy/billings-ahead-of-almost-everywhere-agriculture-retail-energy-health-care/article_a8dcdecc-2751-11e1-940e-001871e3ce6c.html |title=Billings ahead of almost everywhere: Agriculture, retail, energy, health care driving economy |publisher=Missoulian.com |date=December 18, 2011 |access-date=August 7, 2012}}</ref> Billings is an energy center because it sits amidst the largest coal reserves in the United States, as well as large oil and natural gas fields.

[[File:Wells Fargo Plaza, Billings, Montana.JPG|thumb|upright|Wells Fargo Center]]

In 2009, ''Fortune Small Business'' magazine named Billings the best small city in which to start a business.<ref name="billingsgazette.com" /> Billings has a diverse economy including a large and rapidly growing medical corridor that includes inpatient and outpatient health care. Billings has a large service sector including retail, hospitality and entertainment. The metro area is also home to commercial and residential construction, building materials manufacturing and distribution, professional services, financial services, banking, trucking, higher education (4 campuses, 19 others have a physical presence/classes), auto parts wholesaling and repair services, passenger and cargo air, cattle, media, printing, heavy equipment sales and service, business services, consumer services, food distribution, agricultural chemical manufacturing and distribution, energy exploration and production, surface and underground mining, and metal fabrication, providing a diverse and robust economy.

Agriculture is Montana's #1 industry.<ref name="Dept of Ag">{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://agr.mt.gov/ |publisher=Montana Department of Agriculture |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref> Billings contributes to this economy with the [[Western Sugar Cooperative| Western Sugar Cooperative Plant]], processing multi-million dollar crops of sugar beets each year.<ref name="Chamber of Commerce" /> Other crops include alfalfa, wheat, barley, and corn.<ref name="chamber ag">{{cite web |title=Agriculture |url=https://www.billingschamber.com/business-advocacy/agriculture/#:~:text=The%20areas%20east%20and%20west,%2C%20corn%2C%20and%20sugar%20beets. |publisher=Billings Chamber of Commerce |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref> Billings has 2 livestock auction locations out of the 13 statewide.<ref name="Dept of Livestock">{{cite web |title=Montana Brand Offices and Livestock Markets |url=https://liv.mt.gov/Brands-Enforcement/Livestock-Markets |publisher=Montana Department of Livestock |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref> Several farm and ranch supply stores are located in Billings, providing for the large retail radius the city serves. [[Dean Foods|Meadow Gold]] has a milk processing center in the town.

Billings plays a vital part in the energy sector. Out of Montana's 4 oil refineries, 3 of those are in Yellowstone County.<ref name="EIA">{{cite web |title=Montana |url=https://www.eia.gov/state/analysis.php?sid=MT#:~:text=Montana's%204%20refineries%20can%20process,are%20in%20the%20Billings%20area. |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref> Montana has about three-tenths of the nation's estimated recoverable coal reserves.<ref name="EIA" /> In 2022, a large pumped hydro storage project was planned near Billings.<ref name="EIA" />

Corporate headquarters include [[Kampgrounds of America]], [[First Interstate BancSystem|First Interstate Bank]],<ref name="bigskyeda-edc" /> and The Waggoners Trucking.<ref>{{cite web |title=Automobile, Van, Light Truck Transportation |url=http://www.waggonerstrucking.com/customers-services/transportation-services/ |publisher=The Waggoners Trucking |access-date=21 May 2023}}</ref> Billings also has a nearby facility for [[Molson Coors]],<ref name="chamber ag" /> a manufacturing facility for Coca-Cola,<ref name="Coca-Cola">{{cite web |last1=Rogers |first1=Rob |title=Local Coca Cola bottler breaks ground on new facility in Billings |url=https://billingsgazette.com/news/local/local-coca-cola-bottler-breaks-ground-on-new-facility-in-billings/article_038f226c-c948-51bc-b71a-f9f0b2993473.html |publisher=Billings Gazette |access-date=21 May 2023 |date=Mar 31, 2022}}</ref> and several other food and beverage distributors. Some major employers include St. John's Lutheran Ministries, Avitus Group, [[United States Bakery|Franz Bakery]], and [[Komatsu Limited|Komatsu]].