About one in eight people in Hill County, Montana, has a disability
In Hill County, 12.0% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Hill County's score
In Hill County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 27.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 43 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hill 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, Hill County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.9%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.9 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.9% · fiscal year 202783rd percentile
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- 48.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.8% · 202463rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.7% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance8.3% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,163 · 202460th percentile
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- 43.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202625th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.7% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 38.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score42.6% · second quarter of 202658th percentile
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- 27.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.7% · August 202548th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43 · 20256th 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 Hill 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 Hill County, 16.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hill County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hill County rose most in two steps: 9.0% in 1974 to 12.1% in 1979; 18.8% in 2004 to 21.9% in 2009.
In Hill County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Hill County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hill County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 16.1% in 2020 to 13.3% in 2021.
The share of households in Hill County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Hill County, Montana.
How Hill County has changed
Hill County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1999 and 2004
High on the chart: 18,169 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hill County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Hill County had its largest rise, from 5,177 in 1990 to 5,966 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Hill County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 6,783
High on the chart: 6,981 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hill County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.8% | 2024 14.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,492 | 2024 $63,163 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Hill County's history
1879
Fort Assinniboine was garrisoned by the United States Army in 1879 as the first European-American settlement in Hill County. Wikipedia
1912
Founded in 1912. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 18,653. The 2020 Census counted 16,309, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in April 2023 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in May 2024 did $1.21 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1986
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hill County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hill County beside its neighbors
Of the three counties that border Hill County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Hill County ranks 2nd of the four; Blaine County is highest, at 35.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaine County, MT | 55 | 18.1% | 35.1% |
| Hill County, MT | 38 | 14.8% | 25.1% |
| Chouteau County, MT | 37 | 13.8% | 23.2% |
| Liberty County, MT | 20 | 14.6% | 19.8% |
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 Hill County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Hill County's poverty rate was 14.8% in 2024, 16th 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, Hill County ranks 17th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hill 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.
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 Hill County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.