In Gallatin County, Montana, benefit checks make up only 9 cents of every dollar of income
In Gallatin County, 8.7% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gallatin County's score
In Gallatin County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 80.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.6. About one in nine adults aged 25 to 54 (11.6%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gallatin 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, Gallatin County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.1%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (22.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.2 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 rent22.7% · 2020 to 202476th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.1% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 13.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.8% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people72 · 202520th percentile
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- 10.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.1% · 20244th percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.5% · 20241st percentile
- People with a disability8.9% · 2020 to 20241st percentile
- People without health insurance6.9% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$100,953 · 20245th percentile
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- 6.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.3% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.9% · second quarter of 20262nd percentile
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- 5.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20266th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.6% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Gallatin 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 Gallatin County, 13.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gallatin County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gallatin County had its largest rise, from 8.9% in 2004 to 11.5% in 2009.
In Gallatin County, pay from work still brings in about seven times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Gallatin County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 8.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gallatin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.6% in 2011 to 5.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Gallatin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about half
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 4.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Gallatin County, Montana.
How Gallatin County has changed
Gallatin County's population had its largest rise, from 98,770 in 2014 to 116,955 in 2019.
Gallatin County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 126,984, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 49,546. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gallatin County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Gallatin County had its largest rise in the last span, from 59,022 in 2020 to 74,277 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Gallatin County grew to about four times its 1990 size in 2025, reaching 74,277, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 42,482. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gallatin County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.8% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 7.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,367 | 2024 $100,953 |
The table uses 2.5% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Gallatin County's history
1865
Founded in 1865. Wikipedia
1999
Lightning in June 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Hail in June 2010 did $60 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 118,960, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in April 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1981
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gallatin County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gallatin County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Gallatin County, in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gallatin County ranks 8th of the nine; Meagher County is highest, at 29.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County, MT | 25 | 8.4% | 17.5% |
| Fremont County, ID | 18 | 11.3% | 24.8% |
| Broadwater County, MT | 15 | 8.3% | 20.4% |
| Meagher County, MT | 14 | 15.2% | 29.4% |
| Park County, MT | 11 | 9.2% | 19.2% |
| Park County, WY | 10 | 9.9% | 18.8% |
| Gallatin County, MT | 8 | 7.1% | 8.7% |
| Jefferson County, MT | 1 | 7.4% | 20.5% |
| Teton County, WY | 0 | 5.4% | 1.8% |
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 Gallatin County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Gallatin County's poverty rate was 7.1% in 2024, the lowest 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, Gallatin County ranks 50th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gallatin 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 Gallatin 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 Gallatin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.