About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Judith Basin County, Montana, have a job
In Judith Basin County, 9.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Judith Basin County's score
In Judith Basin County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 41.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 8.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Judith Basin 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.
Judith Basin County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 41.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line19.0% · 202460th percentile
- People with a disability9.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance6.8% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,014 · 202461st percentile
-
- 36.4 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 rent8.4% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
-
- 29.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.7% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202520th percentile
-
- 12.5 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 score18.7% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
-
- 8.2 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 202611th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.8% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
-
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 Judith Basin 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 Judith Basin County, 26.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Judith Basin County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Judith Basin County fell most sharply after its 2009 high, from 24.1% in 2009 to 16.7% in 2014.
In Judith Basin County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 22.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Judith Basin County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Judith Basin County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop in the last span, from 7.4% in 2023 to 5.3% in 2024.
The share of households in Judith Basin County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 5.3%
Low on the chart: 2.7% in 2011. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Judith Basin County, Montana.
How Judith Basin County has changed
Judith Basin County's population had its largest drop, from 2,622 in 1984 to 2,323 in 1989.
Judith Basin County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2019, reaching 2,027, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 2,712 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Judith Basin County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Judith Basin County had its largest rise, from 413 in 2010 to 505 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Judith Basin County fell to its lowest on the chart in 1995, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 368 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Judith Basin County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.4% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.9% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,767 | 2024 $63,014 |
The table uses 3.3% 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 Judith Basin County's history
1875
Stanford began with the establishment of a trading post by Thomas C. Power in 1875. Wikipedia
1895
In 1895, Yogo sapphires were discovered at Yogo Gulch, about 15 miles southwest of Utica. Wikipedia
1908
In 1908 the town moved about 3 miles to be next to the new railroad. Wikipedia
1920
Formed on December 10, 1920 from area taken from western Fergus County and eastern Cascade County. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 5,238. The 2020 Census counted 2,023, 39% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1975
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Judith Basin County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Judith Basin County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Judith Basin County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Judith Basin County ranks 5th of the six; Wheatland County is highest, at 29.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatland County, MT | 53 | 17.3% | 29.8% |
| Chouteau County, MT | 37 | 13.8% | 23.2% |
| Cascade County, MT | 37 | 11.6% | 21.9% |
| Fergus County, MT | 18 | 12.3% | 23.8% |
| Meagher County, MT | 14 | 15.2% | 29.4% |
| Judith Basin County, MT | 11 | 12.3% | 22.9% |
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 Judith Basin County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Judith Basin County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 28th 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, Judith Basin County ranks 46th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Judith Basin 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.
-
Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA)
Legal aid
-
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 Judith Basin 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 Judith Basin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.