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. 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 looks at five parts of household money trouble in Glacier 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.
Glacier County does better than most counties on one measure: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (7.3, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working34.0% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 85.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line25.9% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line29.1% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability17.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- People without health insurance23.6% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$54,492 · 202483rd percentile
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- 83.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind16.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score57.9% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 75.1 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 rent19.2% · 2020 to 202456th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.1% · fiscal year 202793rd 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 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 Glacier 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 Glacier County, 13.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Glacier County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Glacier County had its largest rise, from 13.9% in 1979 to 18.7% in 1984.
In Glacier County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Glacier County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Glacier County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2021 low, from 17.6% in 2021 to 21.7% in 2022.
The share of households in Glacier County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 23.8%
Low on the chart: 17.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Glacier County, Montana.
How Glacier County has changed
Glacier County's population rose most sharply after its 1979 low, from 10,379 in 1979 to 11,628 in 1984.
Glacier County's population rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13,503
High on the chart: 13,820 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Glacier County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Glacier County rose by about a fifth from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,214, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 4,463 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Glacier County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.9% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 32.1% | 2024 25.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,650 | 2024 $54,492 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Glacier County's history
1919
Glacier County was founded in 1919. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 13,778, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1974
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Glacier County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 38 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Toole County, MT | 22 | 15.6% | 17.9% |
| Flathead County, MT | 20 | 8.6% | 17.8% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Glacier 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 Glacier 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 Glacier County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.