Unemployment in Custer County, Montana, is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties
In Custer County, 2.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 59% of U.S. counties.
What drives Custer County's score
In Custer County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 78.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 15.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Custer 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, Custer County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (28.4%, fiscal year 2027) and people with a disability (21.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.6 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 rent20.2% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.4% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 47.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability21.3% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- People without health insurance7.7% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,101 · 202445th percentile
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- 46.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202564th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.5% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 33.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector20.3% · August 202539th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people83.4 · 202527th percentile
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- 15.4 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 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.7% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Custer 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 Custer County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Custer County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Custer County moved most in two steps: 22.0% in 2009 to 18.7% in 2014; 18.7% in 2014 to 22.0% in 2019.
In Custer County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 23.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Custer County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Custer County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.7% in 2011 to 10.3% in 2012.
The share of households in Custer County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.2% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Custer County, Montana.
How Custer County has changed
Custer County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 13,242 in 1984 to 11,861 in 1989.
Custer County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 13,242 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Custer County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Custer County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,261, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 5,463 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Custer County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.1% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,909 | 2024 $68,101 |
The table uses 2.8% 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 Custer County's history
1865
Established June 2, 1865, as one of nine original counties of Montana Territory. Originally named Big Horn County of old Montana Territory, renamed February 16, 1877. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 14,123. The 2020 Census counted 11,867, 84% of the peak. Census Bureau
1998
A flash flood in July 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in June 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in July 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2000
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Custer County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Custer County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Custer County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Custer County ranks 5th of the seven; Prairie County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosebud County, MT | 65 | 16.3% | 26.8% |
| Custer County, MT | 40 | 11.2% | 23.1% |
| Garfield County, MT | 23 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Carter County, MT | 15 | 13.0% | 27.1% |
| Prairie County, MT | 13 | 11.2% | 30.8% |
| Powder River County, MT | 7 | 11.1% | 22.2% |
| Fallon County, MT | 6 | 9.3% | 20.6% |
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 Custer County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Custer County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 39th 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, Custer County ranks 13th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Custer 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 Custer 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 Custer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.