Unemployment in Cascade County, Montana, is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties
In Cascade County, 3.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cascade County's score
In Cascade County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 31.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cascade 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, Cascade County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.6%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.9 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 rent17.9% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.6% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 43.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.1% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability16.3% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,905 · 202458th percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.0% · August 202541st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.2 · 202532nd percentile
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- 34.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.2% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.2% · second quarter of 202638th percentile
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- 31.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202627th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.4% · 2020 to 202435th 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 Cascade 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 Cascade County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cascade County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cascade County had its largest rise, from 16.8% in 2004 to 20.0% in 2009.
In Cascade County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Cascade County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cascade County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.1% in 2011 to 10.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Cascade County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 10.4%
Low on the chart: 8.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cascade County, Montana.
How Cascade County has changed
Cascade County's population had its largest drop, from 84,475 in 1979 to 80,318 in 1984.
Cascade County's population rose 4% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 85,126 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cascade County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Cascade County rose by about a quarter to 36,192, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 31,078. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cascade County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.5% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,005 | 2024 $63,905 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.4% 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 Cascade County's history
1890
Black Eagle Dam opened in 1890, first hydroelectric dam in Montana and on Missouri River. Wikipedia
1929
Great Falls had two oil refineries by 1920; devastating fire left city with just one after 1929. Wikipedia
1941
East Base (now Malmstrom Air Force Base) established in Great Falls in 1941 during World War II. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 84,414, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in May 2023 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cascade County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cascade County beside its neighbors
Cascade County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Cascade County ranks 5th of the six; Meagher County is highest, at 29.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chouteau County, MT | 37 | 13.8% | 23.2% |
| Cascade County, MT | 37 | 11.6% | 21.9% |
| Teton County, MT | 14 | 14.0% | 23.3% |
| Meagher County, MT | 14 | 15.2% | 29.4% |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | 12 | 7.6% | 19.3% |
| Judith Basin County, MT | 11 | 12.3% | 22.9% |
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 Cascade County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Cascade County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 35th 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, Cascade County ranks 19th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cascade 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 Homeownership Network Dba Neighborworks Montana
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Neighborworks Great Falls
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Rural Dynamics, Inc. Dba CCCS of MT
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Cascade 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 Cascade County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.