About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Dawson County, Montana, have a job
In Dawson County, 10.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dawson County's score
In Dawson County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 44.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dawson 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.
Dawson County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 44.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.0% · 202440th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.0% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.6% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,029 · 202449th percentile
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- 43.1 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent12.0% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.5% · fiscal year 202767th percentile
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- 29.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.5% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people79.5 · 202525th percentile
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- 21.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.1% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.1% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 9.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202613th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County, 21.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dawson County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Dawson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Dawson County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dawson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.6% in 2020 to 4.7% in 2021.
The share of households in Dawson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 3.5%
Low on the chart: 2.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dawson County, Montana.
How Dawson County has changed
Dawson County's population fell by about a quarter to 8,731, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 11,884 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dawson County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Dawson County had its largest rise, from 3,236 in 1995 to 3,554 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Dawson County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 3,739 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dawson County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 12.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,126 | 2024 $67,029 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Dawson County's history
1869
Created January 15, 1869, the tenth county organized in Montana Territory. Wikipedia
1884
At the height of the Montana gold rush-fed cattle boom in 1884, 12,000 cattle arrived per week to stock the open range. Wikipedia
1905
In 1905 the Bureau of Reclamation developed the Lower Yellowstone Irrigation Project. Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 12,725. The 2020 Census counted 8,940, 70% of the peak. Census Bureau
1920
Between 1910 and 1920 the population increased from 2,500 to 25,000. Wikipedia
1920
Lignite coal supplied from Fort Union Formation, local natural gas supplied Glendive since at least 1920. Wikipedia
1961
A tornado in June 1961 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A thunderstorm in June 2006 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A thunderstorm in July 2015 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
Lightning in July 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1986
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dawson County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dawson County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Dawson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dawson County ranks 4th of the five; Prairie County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wibaux County, MT | 19 | 11.5% | 28.5% |
| Dawson County, MT | 16 | 12.0% | 25.2% |
| McCone County, MT | 14 | 13.6% | 27.1% |
| Prairie County, MT | 13 | 11.2% | 30.8% |
| Richland County, MT | 10 | 9.8% | 14.6% |
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 Dawson County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Dawson County's poverty rate was 12.0% in 2024, 33rd 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, Dawson County ranks 35th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dawson 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 Dawson 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 Dawson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.