About one in nine people with a credit file in Broadwater County, Montana, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Broadwater County, 11.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Broadwater County's score
In Broadwater County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 83.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.3. About one in seven adults aged 25 to 54 (13.6%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Broadwater 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, Broadwater County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (33.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 83.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent33.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.1% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 23.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.8% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$91,182 · 20249th percentile
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- 13.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.7% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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- 11.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.5% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people62.3 · 202515th percentile
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- 11.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.6% · 2020 to 202410th 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 Broadwater 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 Broadwater County, 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Broadwater County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Broadwater County had its largest rise, from 11.6% in 1979 to 18.3% in 1984.
In Broadwater County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 20.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Broadwater County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Broadwater County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.3% in 2009 to 7.6% in 2010.
The share of households in Broadwater County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 3.5%
Biggest drop: 2013 to 2014, reaching 10.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Broadwater County, Montana.
How Broadwater County has changed
Broadwater County's population tripled to 8,302, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 8,302. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Broadwater County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Broadwater County doubled to 1,568, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 1,568. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Broadwater County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,576 | 2024 $91,182 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Broadwater County's history
1864
Gold discovered in Big Belt Mountains in 1864, bringing several mining towns to Broadwater County area. Wikipedia
1897
Founded 1897. Wikipedia
2007
Lightning in May 2007 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 6,774, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1975
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Broadwater County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Broadwater County beside its neighbors
Broadwater County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Broadwater County ranks 3rd of the five; Meagher County is highest, at 29.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadwater County, MT | 15 | 8.3% | 20.4% |
| Meagher County, MT | 14 | 15.2% | 29.4% |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | 12 | 7.6% | 19.3% |
| Gallatin County, MT | 8 | 7.1% | 8.7% |
| Jefferson County, MT | 1 | 7.4% | 20.5% |
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 Broadwater County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Broadwater County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 51st highest of 56 in Montana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Glacier County, at 25.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Broadwater County ranks 37th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Broadwater 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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Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA)
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 Broadwater 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 Broadwater County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.