Carter County, Montana

County Distress Index: Normal · 42.4 | 1,418 people · 33rd most distressed in Montana

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Carter County, MT falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 42.4 — 2183rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Community Vulnerability, where health coverage gaps and disability rates are moderately elevated. Within Montana, it ranks 33rd of 56 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Carter County's primary driver is Community Vulnerability at 54.8 — above the national median.

Community Vulnerability Primary driver 54.8
Uninsured Rate 57
Disability Rate 52
Income & Poverty 52.9
Poverty Rate 51
Income vs. State Median 66
Child Poverty Rate 41
Housing Cost Burden 44.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 10
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 8
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 25
Homeownership Rate 91
Rent-to-Income Ratio 88
Employment & Wages 36.7
Unemployment Rate 6
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 88
Business Formation Rate 16
Debt & Delinquency 23.1
Debt in Collections 18
Medical Debt 48
Student Loan Delinquency 19
Auto Loan Delinquency 16
Credit Card Delinquency 16
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 21

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Carter County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Carter County
Carter County, MT 42.4 Normal
Custer County, MT 51.6 Elevated +9.2
Butte County, SD 43.4 Normal +1.0
Fallon County, MT 31.8 Healthy -10.6
Powder River County, MT 31.6 Healthy -10.7
Harding County, SD 26.7 Healthy -15.7
Crook County, WY 24.5 Healthy -17.9

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Carter County
Butte County, ID 42.3 Normal -0.1
Major County, OK 42.3 Normal -0.1
Chase County, KS 42.2 Normal -0.2
Craig County, VA 42.6 Normal +0.2
Furnas County, NE 42.6 Normal +0.2

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