#2,036 Indiana · 2026

Montgomery County, Indiana

42.0 · moderate-low county distress 2,036th of 3,144 counties nationally · 38,573 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
223 Montgomery residents
vs.
126 U.S. median

Above the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 30.5× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).

Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 33 words · paste-ready

Montgomery County, Indiana ranks 2,036th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Montgomery sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

Key Findings
  • 2,036th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 42.0 · moderate-low county distress, 51st in Indiana.
  • A bankruptcy filing rate of 223 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 81st percentile nationally. Source: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025).
  • Credit card delinquency at 7% — national median 5%, ranked at the 67th percentile. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 8% — national median 8%, ranked at the 51st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 28 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Distinctive Signals
Boundary Signal

Neighbors span three CDI score labels. The 27-point drop to Boone County marks where the Indiana distress corridor ends.

County Distress Index cluster map. Montgomery County, Indiana and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Montgomery and its 7 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Montgomery County ranks 2,036th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 18 words

Montgomery County has a moderate-low county distress score. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 32 words

The CDI gives this county a moderate-low county distress label. The state rank and highest-scoring local domain add context that the composite alone cannot carry. Its highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

3.0% -0.5 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

10.3% +2.8 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

26.0% +18.6 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

26.1% -2.4 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Montgomery County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Montgomery County's value shown alongside IN's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Montgomery County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Montgomery IN median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 65 · Rank 1,049 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 6% 5% 5% 66th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 7% 5% 5% 67th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 26% 23% 23% 61st Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 65 · Rank 924 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 23% 22% 23% 50th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 223 223 126 81st Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 28 · Rank 2,491 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 19% 21% 9th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 17% 16% 18% 47th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 13 · Rank 2,697 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 3% 3% 4% 13th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 39 · Rank 2,044 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 15% 14% 18% 33rd U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 16% 15% 16% 49th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 11% 11% 14% 28th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 8% 7% 8% 51st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Default & Legal Primary driver 65
Weight 20% · Rank 924 of 3,144
Delinquency 65
Weight 20% · Rank 1,049 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 39
Weight 20% · Rank 2,044 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 28
Weight 20% · Rank 2,491 of 3,144
Labor 13
Weight 20% · Rank 2,697 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Montgomery County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 124-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — Montgomery County ranks 2,036th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 42.0 out of 100 gives Montgomery a moderate-low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,035 counties rank more distressed. Within Indiana, Montgomery ranks 51st of 92 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Montgomery sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Montgomery County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Montgomery County scores 42.0 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label moderate-low county distress. It ranks 2,036th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 51st of 92 Indiana counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Montgomery County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Default & Legal, at a domain score of 65. Bankruptcy filing rate ranks at the 81st percentile nationally.

How does Montgomery County compare to its neighbors?

Montgomery County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Tippecanoe County (47.28, moderate-low county distress). Lowest: Boone County (20.05, low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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