Big Horn County, Montana
Above the national median for unemployment — and 19.0× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Loving County, TX — 0%).
Main Findings
Big Horn County, Montana ranks 634th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
- 634th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-most distressed fifth, 2nd in Montana.
- 6% of the labor force is unemployed (U.S. median 4%). Unemployment at the 93rd percentile nationally.
- Uninsured rate at 18% — national median 8%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Auto loan delinquency at 12% — national median 5%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 30% — national median 21%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 40-point drop to Powder River County marks where the Montana distress corridor ends.
"Big Horn County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix."
"The CDI places this county in the second-most distressed fifth nationally. The county sits above the median distress position, with the five-domain profile showing which local pressures carry the score."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Big Horn County's credit card delinquency indicator is at the 23rd percentile — while every other indicator in the delinquency domain sits at or above the 82nd percentile. The gap stands out against auto loan delinquency. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Hardin.
The Indicators Behind Big Horn County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Big Horn County's value shown alongside MT's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Big Horn | MT median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 67 · Rank 982 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 12% | 3% | 5% | 95th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 3% | 5% | 23rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 33% | 16% | 23% | 82nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 46 · Rank 1,714 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 36% | 15% | 23% | 87th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 24 | 73 | 126 | 5th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 50 · Rank 1,521 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 30% | 26% | 21% | 95th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 7% | 14% | 18% | 6th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 93 · Rank 217 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 6% | 3% | 4% | 93rd | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 78 · Rank 486 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 24% | 17% | 18% | 76th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 13% | 16% | 16% | 21st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 22% | 13% | 14% | 90th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 37% | 25% | 27% | 88th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 18% | 8% | 8% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
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), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Big Horn County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 155-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
HARDIN, Mont. — Big Horn County ranks 634th 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 67 out of 100 places Big Horn in the second-most distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 633 counties rank more distressed. Within Montana, Big Horn ranks second of 56 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies labor as the primary driver in Big Horn. 6% of the labor force is unemployed — above the national median of 4%.
"Big Horn County ranks in the second-most distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The score is above the national county midpoint, with the domain table showing the local pressure mix," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Big Horn County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Big Horn County's distress score?
How does Big Horn County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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