Montana County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 56 counties in Montana, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 35.5. 1 county scores high, very high, or extreme.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Montana Snapshot
56 Counties Scored
35.5 Mean Score
32.2 Median Score
70.9 Glacier County Most Distressed
12.5 Jefferson County Least Distressed
1 high county distress2 moderate-high county distress5 moderate county distress8 moderate-low county distress18 low-moderate county distress18 low county distress4 very low county distress
Score Label Distribution Montana County Map
Loading interactive map…
Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 56 Montana counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Montana's 56 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Montana Counties
56 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 454 | Glacier County | 70.9 | high county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 2 | 713 | Big Horn County | 66.0 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 3 | 1,018 | Musselshell County | 60.5 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 4 | 1,060 | Rosebud County | 59.8 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 5 | 1,117 | Roosevelt County | 58.7 | moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 6 | 1,211 | Sanders County | 56.9 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 7 | 1,274 | Lincoln County | 55.8 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 8 | 1,489 | Silver Bow County | 52.0 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 1,741 | Mineral County | 47.3 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 10 | 1,807 | Deer Lodge County | 46.1 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 11 | 1,880 | Wheatland County | 44.9 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 12 | 1,932 | Custer County | 44.1 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 13 | 1,968 | Granite County | 43.5 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 14 | 2,024 | Blaine County | 42.2 | moderate-low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 15 | 2,040 | Madison County | 41.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 16 | 2,070 | Hill County | 41.3 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 17 | 2,157 | Golden Valley County | 39.7 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 18 | 2,171 | Lake County | 39.5 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 19 | 2,276 | Cascade County | 37.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 20 | 2,294 | Pondera County | 37.0 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 21 | 2,326 | Yellowstone County | 36.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 22 | 2,369 | Powell County | 35.6 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 23 | 2,379 | Petroleum County | 35.3 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 24 | 2,389 | Sheridan County | 35.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 25 | 2,438 | Prairie County | 34.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 26 | 2,483 | Toole County | 33.1 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 27 | 2,519 | Flathead County | 32.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 28 | 2,522 | Chouteau County | 32.4 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 29 | 2,533 | Dawson County | 32.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 30 | 2,541 | Missoula County | 31.8 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 31 | 2,582 | Ravalli County | 30.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 32 | 2,590 | Broadwater County | 30.8 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 33 | 2,606 | Wibaux County | 30.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 34 | 2,625 | Garfield County | 29.9 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 35 | 2,645 | Judith Basin County | 29.4 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 36 | 2,654 | Beaverhead County | 29.0 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 37 | 2,665 | Treasure County | 28.7 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 38 | 2,673 | Carter County | 28.5 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 39 | 2,687 | Park County | 28.2 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 40 | 2,688 | Richland County | 28.2 | low county distress | Default & Legal |
| 41 | 2,689 | Valley County | 28.2 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 42 | 2,709 | Meagher County | 27.9 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 43 | 2,711 | McCone County | 27.9 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 2,719 | Lewis and Clark County | 27.6 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 45 | 2,733 | Fergus County | 27.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 46 | 2,751 | Gallatin County | 26.5 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 47 | 2,755 | Phillips County | 26.3 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 48 | 2,834 | Fallon County | 24.3 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 49 | 2,841 | Carbon County | 24.2 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 50 | 2,871 | Liberty County | 23.1 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 51 | 2,932 | Powder River County | 21.3 | low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 52 | 2,962 | Teton County | 20.2 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 53 | 2,992 | Sweet Grass County | 19.5 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 54 | 3,004 | Daniels County | 19.2 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 55 | 3,070 | Stillwater County | 15.0 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 56 | 3,114 | Jefferson County | 12.5 | very low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
extreme county distress — 0 Montana counties
very high county distress — 0 Montana counties
high county distress — 1 Montana county
moderate-high county distress — 2 Montana counties
moderate county distress — 5 Montana counties
moderate-low county distress — 8 Montana counties
low-moderate county distress — 18 Montana counties
low county distress — 18 Montana counties
very low county distress — 4 Montana counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Montana counties