Big Horn County, Montana

County Distress Index: Elevated · 64.7 | 12,751 people · 2nd most distressed in Montana
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Big Horn County, MT registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 64.7 — 514th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Montana, it ranks 2nd of 56 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Big Horn County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 83.0 — worse than roughly 83% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 83.0
Poverty Rate 90
Income vs. State Median 82
Child Poverty Rate 76
Employment & Wages 78.6
Unemployment Rate 94
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 71
Business Formation Rate 71
Community Vulnerability 58.2
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 21
Debt & Delinquency 54.0
Debt in Collections 87
Medical Debt 94
Student Loan Delinquency 19
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 23
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 5
Housing Cost Burden 49.9
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 6
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 67
Homeownership Rate 77
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Big Horn County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Big Horn County
Big Horn County, MT 64.7 Elevated —
Rosebud County, MT 57.6 Elevated -7.2
Big Horn County, WY 49.0 Normal -15.7
Yellowstone County, MT 41.1 Normal -23.7
Treasure County, MT 40.8 Normal -24.0
Carbon County, MT 38.3 Normal -26.5
Sheridan County, WY 36.6 Normal -28.1
Powder River County, MT 31.6 Healthy -33.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Big Horn County
Amite County, MS 64.7 Elevated -0.0
Macon County, AL 64.7 Elevated -0.0
Bacon County, GA 64.8 Elevated +0.0
Dooly County, GA 64.7 Elevated -0.1
Pasquotank County, NC 64.8 Elevated +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Big Horn County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Big Horn County

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State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service 406-442-7660

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Big Horn County residents at no cost.

Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) 1-800-666-6899

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Big Horn County, Montana?

    Big Horn County has a County Distress Index score of 64.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 514th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 2nd in Montana out of 56 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Big Horn County?

    The primary driver of distress in Big Horn County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 83.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Big Horn County compare to neighboring counties?

    Big Horn County (64.7) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Rosebud County, MT (57.6); Big Horn County, WY (49.0); Yellowstone County, MT (41.1).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Big Horn County?

    Big Horn County, Montana has a population of approximately 12,751 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.