Unemployment in Golden Valley County, Montana, is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Golden Valley County, 2.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Golden Valley County's score
In Golden Valley County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 87.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 17.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Golden Valley 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, Golden Valley County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (32.3%, fiscal year 2027) and children below the poverty line (33.3%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 87.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line20.2% · 202487th percentile
- Children below the poverty line33.3% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability18.1% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- People without health insurance22.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$49,939 · 202491st percentile
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- 50.0 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 rent2.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income32.3% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 32.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people119.8 · 202546th percentile
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- 28.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202516th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.0% · second quarter of 202653rd percentile
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- 17.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.7% · 2020 to 202425th 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 Golden Valley 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 Golden Valley County, 28.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Golden Valley County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Golden Valley County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 33.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Golden Valley County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Golden Valley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 0.8%
Biggest drop: 2019 to 2020, reaching 6.9%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Golden Valley County, Montana.
How Golden Valley County has changed
Golden Valley County's population had its largest drop, from 1,048 in 1984 to 917 in 1989.
Golden Valley County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1999 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 1,088 in 1999. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Golden Valley County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Golden Valley County had its largest drop, from 180 in 1990 to 131 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Golden Valley County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 131 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Golden Valley County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.6% | 2024 20.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,623 | 2024 $49,939 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Golden Valley County's history
1920
Created on March 8, 1920. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 2,126. The 2020 Census counted 823, 39% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1977
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Golden Valley County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Golden Valley County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Golden Valley County, two score higher. Of the group, Golden Valley County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.0%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musselshell County, MT | 71 | 14.5% | 32.9% |
| Wheatland County, MT | 53 | 17.3% | 29.8% |
| Golden Valley County, MT | 38 | 20.2% | 33.0% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 26 | 8.3% | 16.8% |
| Fergus County, MT | 18 | 12.3% | 23.8% |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | 6 | 9.8% | 21.6% |
| Stillwater County, MT | 1 | 8.3% | 20.5% |
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 Golden Valley County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Golden Valley County's poverty rate was 20.2% in 2024, 4th 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, Golden Valley County ranks 16th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Golden Valley 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 Golden Valley 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 Golden Valley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.