About one in 13 people in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, lives below the poverty line
In Lewis and Clark County, 7.6% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lewis and Clark County's score
In Lewis and Clark County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.6. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 18.4. About one in 13 children (7.9%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lewis and Clark 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.
Lewis and Clark 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.
- 50.6 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 rent14.3% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 22.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.2% · August 202515th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people86.7 · 202529th percentile
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- 21.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202621st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 19.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.6% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
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- 18.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.6% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.9% · 20245th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,284 · 202413th 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lewis and Clark County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lewis and Clark County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Lewis and Clark County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lewis and Clark County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.5% in 2013 to 9.3% in 2014.
The share of households in Lewis and Clark County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.5% 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, Lewis and Clark County, Montana.
How Lewis and Clark County has changed
Lewis and Clark County's population had its largest rise, from 36,588 in 1974 to 42,499 in 1979.
Lewis and Clark County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 75,129, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 47,322. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lewis and Clark County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Lewis and Clark County had its largest rise, from 22,347 in 1990 to 26,563 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Lewis and Clark County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 39,657, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 35,532. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lewis and Clark County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 7.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,199 | 2024 $85,284 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Lewis and Clark County's history
1864
On July 14, 1864, gold was discovered by the Four Georgians at Last Chance Gulch, leading to the founding of Helena as a gold camp. Wikipedia
1865
Established on June 2, 1865 as Edgerton County, the first of nine original counties of the Territory of Montana. Wikipedia
1868
Renamed Lewis and Clark County on March 1, 1868. Wikipedia
1888
Due to the gold rush, Helena became a wealthy city, with approximately 50 millionaires inhabiting the area by 1888. Wikipedia
2000
A wildfire in July 2000 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A wildfire in August 2000 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 70,973, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1975
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lewis and Clark County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lewis and Clark County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Lewis and Clark County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lewis and Clark County ranks 7th of the eight; Meagher County is highest, at 29.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade County, MT | 37 | 11.6% | 21.9% |
| Powell County, MT | 22 | 15.0% | 25.7% |
| Flathead County, MT | 20 | 8.6% | 17.8% |
| Broadwater County, MT | 15 | 8.3% | 20.4% |
| Teton County, MT | 14 | 14.0% | 23.3% |
| Meagher County, MT | 14 | 15.2% | 29.4% |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | 12 | 7.6% | 19.3% |
| Jefferson County, MT | 1 | 7.4% | 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 Lewis and Clark County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Lewis and Clark County's poverty rate was 7.6% in 2024, 54th 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, Lewis and Clark County ranks 44th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lewis and Clark 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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Rocky Mountain Development Council
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.