Garfield County, Montana

County Distress Index: Normal · 47.8 | 1,211 people · 20th most distressed in Montana
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Garfield County, MT falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 47.8 — 1763rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Montana, it ranks 20th of 56 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Garfield County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 73.0 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 73.0
Poverty Rate 72
Income vs. State Median 76
Child Poverty Rate 71
Employment & Wages 55.4
Unemployment Rate 30
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 93
Business Formation Rate 43
Community Vulnerability 49.0
Uninsured Rate 70
Disability Rate 28
Housing Cost Burden 37.5
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 11
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 12
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 16
Homeownership Rate 69
Rent-to-Income Ratio 79
Debt & Delinquency 24.1
Debt in Collections 18
Medical Debt 48
Student Loan Delinquency 19
Auto Loan Delinquency 16
Credit Card Delinquency 16
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 27

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Garfield County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Garfield County
Garfield County, MT 47.8 Normal —
Rosebud County, MT 57.6 Elevated +9.8
Custer County, MT 51.6 Elevated +3.8
Petroleum County, MT 47.9 Normal +0.0
Prairie County, MT 46.5 Normal -1.4
Valley County, MT 45.0 Normal -2.9
Phillips County, MT 44.1 Normal -3.7
McCone County, MT 38.1 Normal -9.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Garfield County
Sutton County, TX 47.8 Normal -0.0
Petroleum County, MT 47.9 Normal +0.0
Alpine County, CA 47.9 Normal +0.1
Cheyenne County, KS 47.9 Normal +0.1
Ritchie County, WV 47.9 Normal +0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Garfield County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Garfield County

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State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service 406-442-7660

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Garfield County residents at no cost.

Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) 1-800-666-6899

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Garfield County, Montana?

    Garfield County has a County Distress Index score of 47.8 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 1,763rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 20th in Montana out of 56 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Garfield County?

    The primary driver of distress in Garfield County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 73.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Garfield County compare to neighboring counties?

    Garfield County (47.8) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Rosebud County, MT (57.6); Custer County, MT (51.6); Petroleum County, MT (47.9).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Garfield County?

    Garfield County, Montana has a population of approximately 1,211 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.