Unemployment in Montgomery County, Indiana, is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Montgomery County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Montgomery County's score
In Montgomery County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 65.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 17.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Montgomery County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Montgomery County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (223, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 65.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector23.1% · August 202549th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people223 · 202580th percentile
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- 62.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.5% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.4% · August 202566th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.7% · second quarter of 202655th percentile
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- 36.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,249 · 202435th percentile
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- 29.2 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 17.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Montgomery County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Montgomery County, 18.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Montgomery County
Indiana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 16.4% in 2004 to 22.0% in 2009.
In Montgomery County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 26.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Montgomery County, Indiana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.2% in 2011 to 13.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Montgomery County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 9.2%
Low on the chart: 8.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Montgomery County, Indiana.
How Montgomery County has changed
Montgomery County's population rose 14% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 36,254. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Montgomery County, Indiana.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County had its largest rise, from 15,940 in 1990 to 18,637 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Montgomery County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 18,637 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Montgomery County, Indiana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.5% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,870 | 2024 $72,249 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Montgomery County's history
1822
December 21, 1822 (authorized) March 1, 1823 (organized). Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in April 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in June 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
A tornado in May 1995 did $3.5 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in August 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 38,124. The 2020 Census counted 37,936, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Montgomery County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Montgomery County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Montgomery County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Montgomery County ranks 3rd of the eight; Parke County is highest, at 29.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parke County, IN | 48 | 13.9% | 29.9% |
| Tippecanoe County, IN | 42 | 16.8% | 17.8% |
| Montgomery County, IN | 36 | 10.3% | 26.0% |
| Clinton County, IN | 30 | 12.6% | 26.0% |
| Fountain County, IN | 22 | 11.4% | 29.7% |
| Hendricks County, IN | 20 | 5.6% | 14.5% |
| Putnam County, IN | 19 | 10.9% | 23.9% |
| Boone County, IN | 5 | 5.6% | 9.9% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Montgomery County the poorest county in Indiana?
No, Montgomery County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 59th highest of 92 in Indiana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Delaware County, at 20.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Montgomery County ranks 49th of 92 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Montgomery County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Indiana Legal Services (ILS)
Legal aid
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Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Montgomery County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Montgomery County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.