About one in eight people with a credit file in Flathead County, Montana, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Flathead County, 12.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Flathead County's score
In Flathead County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 77.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 12.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Flathead 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, Flathead County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.4%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 77.9 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 rent20.9% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.4% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 31.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.6% · 202412th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.4% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance10.0% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,444 · 202426th percentile
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- 16.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.8% · second quarter of 202612th percentile
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- 12.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.9% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people57.2 · 202513th 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 Flathead 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 Flathead County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Flathead County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Flathead County had its largest rise, from 15.4% in 2004 to 20.0% in 2009.
In Flathead County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 17.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Flathead County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Flathead County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.2% in 2011 to 8.7% in 2012.
The share of households in Flathead County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 6.5%
Low on the chart: 5.8% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Flathead County, Montana.
How Flathead County has changed
Flathead County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 102,894 in 2019 to 114,527 in 2024.
Flathead County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 114,527, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 58,437. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Flathead County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Flathead County more than doubled to 51,035, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 51,035. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Flathead County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 8.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,502 | 2024 $76,444 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% 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 Flathead County's history
1893
Founded in 1893. Wikipedia
2000
A thunderstorm in July 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flash flood in November 2006 did $7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 104,357, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
Hail in July 2022 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Flathead County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Flathead County beside its neighbors
Of the nine counties that border Flathead County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Flathead County ranks 9th of the 10; Lincoln County is highest, at 37.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier County, MT | 90 | 25.9% | 29.3% |
| Sanders County, MT | 65 | 13.9% | 36.5% |
| Lincoln County, MT | 58 | 15.1% | 37.1% |
| Lake County, MT | 47 | 14.9% | 27.8% |
| Pondera County, MT | 38 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Powell County, MT | 22 | 15.0% | 25.7% |
| Flathead County, MT | 20 | 8.6% | 17.8% |
| Missoula County, MT | 18 | 9.2% | 15.9% |
| Teton County, MT | 14 | 14.0% | 23.3% |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | 12 | 7.6% | 19.3% |
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 Flathead County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Flathead County's poverty rate was 8.6% in 2024, 49th 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, Flathead County ranks 31st of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Flathead 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 Flathead 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 Flathead County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.