Montana · Finance Director Salary
Director of Finance Salary in Montana
What finance directors earn in Montana — an estimated median and range built on the verified BLS OEWS May 2025 wage for accountants and auditors in the state.
Estimate · verified BLS Montana wage ($75,810) → director of finance role multiplier · updated June 2026
How much does a Director of Finance make in Montana?
Verified: the BLS OEWS May 2025 Montana wage for Accountants & Auditors (SOC 13-2011). The director of finance figure is a modeled Estimate layered on it — BLS publishes no role-specific wage.
Director of Finance · estimated median
$185,700
Modeled median for a director of finance in Montana, scaled from the verified BLS state wage.
Model your payMontana · verified BLS median
$75,810
The measured OEWS May 2025 median for accountants & auditors in Montana — the base every estimate here is built on.
All Montana payState rank (verified)
#41 of 51
Where Montana ranks on the BLS-measured median for accountants & auditors.
Compare statesVerified baseline
The BLS measurement behind this page
BLS OEWS May 2025 reports wages for the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011) in Montana — not for finance directors, and not for CPAs. These percentiles are direct measurements.
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49,250 | $23.68/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $61,690 | $29.66/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $75,810 | $36.45/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $97,320 | $46.79/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $125,290 | $60.24/hr | Top earners |
The Montana figures above, straight from the OEWS May 2025 release: a $75,810 median across 4,730 accountants and auditors employed in Montana.
Every director of finance figure on this page — $185,700 median included. It is the verified state median scaled by this role’s multiplier (2.45×), because BLS publishes no director of finance-specific wage.
Comparison
Director of Finance pay in Montana vs. national
Montana's measured accountant median runs -9.4% versus the U.S. figure. The role rows are estimates built on those two verified benchmarks.
Director of Finance — Montana
estimated median
$185,700
+145.0%Director of Finance — national
estimated median
$205,000
+170.4%All accountants — Montana
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$75,810
baseAll accountants — national
BLS OEWS May 2025 · verified
$83,680
+10.4%
The director of finance estimate sits +145.0% above the verified Montana accountant median and -9.4% versus the national director of finance estimate. Verified rows are BLS measurements; role rows are modeled.
Montana market
What shapes director of finance pay in Montana
Montana’s smaller economy rests on energy, agriculture, healthcare, and a growing tourism sector, with professional roles spread across Billings, Missoula, and Bozeman. Pay generally sits below the national median, with a cost of living that has risen in its fast-growing mountain towns.
The director of finance directs strategy, FP&A, and accounting leadership — budgeting, forecasting, business partnering, and capital planning. The orientation is forward-looking where a controller’s is backward-looking, and it is the most common last stop before the CFO seat.
Scope varies widely by company size, so local pay tracks the corporate headquarters and mid-market employer base in a market more than it tracks the public-accounting firm presence. Markets with more company headquarters carry more of these seats, and more of the larger-scope versions of them.
Role ladder
Director of Finance vs. other roles in Montana
Each level's multiplier applied to Montana's verified BLS median. Estimates — the comparison is consistent because every row shares one measured base.
Estimated pay by role · Montana
On Montana's verified pay base, estimated pay spans $77,300 (Senior Accountant) to $295,700 (Chief Financial Officer). Director of Finance sits at $185,700.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $295,700 | ||
| Director of Finance | $185,700 | ||
| Controller | $147,800 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $107,700 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $77,300 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
Director of Finance pay by experience in Montana
Montana's verified pay base scaled across experience bands at the director of finance level. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $159,700 | $178,900 |
| 2–4 years | $178,300 | $199,700 |
| 5–7 years | $200,600 | $224,700 |
| 8–12 years | $222,900 | $249,600 |
| 13–20 years | $245,200 | $274,600 |
| 20+ years | $263,700 | $295,300 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
Director of Finance pay by employer type in Montana
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at this role's level on the verified state pay base. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $208,000 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $195,000 | +0.9% |
| Regional firm | $182,000 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $170,900 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $193,200 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
By metro
Director of Finance pay across Montana metros
BLS measures 5 metro areas for accountants and auditors in Montana. The measured median is verified; the director of finance column applies this role's multiplier to it.
| Metro area | Accountants medianBLS verified | Director of Finance medianEstimate |
|---|---|---|
| Bozeman | $77,400 | $189,600 |
| Helena | $76,700 | $187,900 |
| Billings | $75,780 | $185,700 |
| Missoula | $72,920 | $178,700 |
| Great Falls | $72,510 | $177,600 |
Metro medians are direct BLS OEWS May 2025 measurements. The director of finance column is modeled from them.
Peer markets
States that pay like Montana
Ranked immediately around Montana (#41 of 51) on the verified BLS accountant median — the closest comparables for a director of finance weighing a move.
Compare states
Director of Finance pay in other states
Where finance directors are estimated to earn the most, built on each state's verified BLS median — Montana ranks #41 of 51.
Director of Finance salary in Montana — FAQ
- How much does a Director of Finance make in Montana?
- A director of finance in Montana earns an estimated $185,700 per year, typically ranging from $151,100 to $238,400+. That is -9.4% versus the national director of finance estimate of $205,000. The figure is a modeled estimate: BLS publishes no director of finance-specific wage, so we scale the BLS OEWS May 2025 verified Montana median for accountants and auditors ($75,810) by this role's multiplier.
- What do BLS figures actually say about Montana?
- BLS measures the broad occupation "Accountants and Auditors" (SOC 13-2011), not CPAs or finance directors specifically. For Montana, the verified OEWS May 2025 median is $75,810, with a 25th–75th percentile band of $61,690–$97,320 and 4,730 accountants and auditors employed in Montana. Everything role-specific on this page is layered on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate.
- Is Montana a good state to work as a Director of Finance?
- Montana ranks #41 of 51 on the verified BLS median for accountants and auditors, running -9.4% versus the national median. Finance directors are estimated to track that same gap. Weigh it against cost of living, the local mix of firms and industry employers, and remote roles that may pay to a national band.
- Does a Director of Finance in Montana earn more than the average accountant?
- Yes — the director of finance estimate of $185,700 runs +145.0% versus the verified Montana median for all accountants and auditors ($75,810). That gap is the modeled role premium, not a measured one: BLS reports one wage for the whole occupation, and senior and specialized roles sit above that broad-occupation midpoint.
- Which Montana metro pays finance directors the most?
- On the verified BLS metro medians for accountants and auditors, Bozeman leads Montana at $77,400 — about +6.7% versus Great Falls ($72,510). Director of Finance pay is estimated to follow the same metro ordering, since the role multiplier applies on top of each metro's measured base.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your Montana director of finance salary
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