About one in four people in Glacier County, Montana, lives below the poverty line
In Glacier County, 25.9% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Glacier County's score
In Glacier County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 91.7. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (34.0%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 85.9.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Glacier County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (7.3, 2025).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Glacier County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 91.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.0% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202688th percentile
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- 85.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line29.1% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,492 · 202483rd percentile
- People below the poverty line25.9% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance23.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 81.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind16.3% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.4% · Q4 202588th percentile
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- 75.1 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.3% · August 202580th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people7.3 · 20255th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Glacier County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Glacier County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Glacier County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 25 cents. Benefit checks were 29 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Glacier County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 29 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Glacier County, Montana: 29.3% and 45.5% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 29.3% of all personal income in Glacier County, Montana (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Glacier County, 13.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Glacier County has changed
The number of people living in Glacier County grew by about 24% between 1969 and 2024, from 10,883 to 13,503. The number of jobs located there grew by about 18% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.9% in 1990 to 5.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,883 | 2024 13,503 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,568 | 2024 4,213 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.9% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.1% | 2024 25.9% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $17,650 | 2024 $54,492 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 12.3% | 2024 29.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Glacier County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 13,778, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1919
Glacier County was founded in 1919. Wikipedia
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Since 1974
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Glacier County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Glacier County beside its neighbors
Glacier County scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Glacier County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glacier County, MT | 90 | 25.9% | 29.3% |
| Pondera County, MT | 35 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Toole County, MT | 22 | 15.6% | 17.9% |
| Flathead County, MT | 21 | 8.6% | 17.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Glacier County the poorest county in Montana?
Yes, Glacier County's poverty rate was 25.9% in 2024, the highest of 56 counties in Montana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Glacier County ranks 1st of 56 in the state.
Glacier County in photographs
Places in Glacier County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
( On Two Medicine Trestle East Glacier MT.
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Alien Mothership at Glacier park MT.
Glacier County, Montana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Glacier County, Montana?
25.9% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 29.1%.
Is Glacier County the poorest county in Montana?
Yes, Glacier County's poverty rate was 25.9% in 2024, the highest of 56 counties in Montana (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Glacier County ranks 1st of 56 in the state.
What is the population of Glacier County, Montana?
About 13,503 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 13,778, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Glacier County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Glacier County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Glacier County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.