Big Sky Service Workers Priced Out Of Town

Who Doesn't Love A Chance To Say, "Told Ya So"

Montana Cost Of Living Being Driven Up By One Percenters

For nearly 2 years now, I've been complaining about one percenters from out of state coming in and buying up our state.  Since the pandemic, these outsiders have come in and paid above market for homes and land across the state.

Nowhere in Montana is that more prevalent than in Bozeman and Big Sky.  Just look at this woman Business Insider interviewed in 2023 who moved to Bozeman from New York.

A couple of days ago, I wrote about homelessness in Montana having the largest increase in the nation.  

In that article, to quote myself, Tammie Toren, I said,

The One percenters buying up our state are going to have to wait on themselves pretty quick if we all can't afford to buy OR rent

That Prediction Is Coming To Fruition In Big Sky

Here's where the I-Told-You-So comes in.  From NBC Montana:

 a rising cost of living and soaring prices for housing have left many of these employees unable to afford to live where they work.

"These Employees" are the service workers in Big Sky.

Average Income In Big Sky, Montana

For the average person in Big Sky, the median income is $94,000 a year.  Keep in mind, the definition of "average person in Big Sky" has changed greatly in the past few years, especially since the pandemic and the show Yellowstone glamourized that portion of the state.

The average yearly income for a service worker in Big Sky is $35,000 a year.  A large number of service workers are commuting to Big Sky for work as the cost of owning or renting a home and literally everything else has skyrocketed.

Jill Holder, Food & Nutrition Director for the HRDC, says there's no way anyone in Big Sky can get by on the current yearly average.  Holder says:

In a resort community, we've all seen that (food) costs more. A great example is last year; you could not get (a) dozen eggs for less than nine bucks. In the Bozeman area, it was more like six.

More Residents Facing Food Insecurity

Holder goes on to comment that the number of people requesting assistance in Big Sky has almost tripled in the last 4 years to around 1,900 people, about half the population of the resort town. In the last year, individuals requesting food from the food bank in Big Sky has jumped 116%, more than 5 times that of the surrounding areas.

Go Ahead, Say Get A Better Job

That turned out to be pretty precarious in the pandemic as THOUSANDS of workers did just that.  Now those same people who love to say that to service industry people cry "Nobody wants to work" when their favorite restaurant is understaffed.  Or, they're a business owner who won't pay enough to staff their business.

That argument is tired and dusty and belongs in the closet with your other really bad ideas. Like when Shallon Lester said everyone in Bozeman calls in sick ski season 🙄

Oh, and did I mention, I told you so?