Unemployment in Liberty County, Montana, is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Liberty County, 2.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Liberty County's score
In Liberty County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 54.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 13.4. About one in nine people with a credit file (11.1%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Liberty 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, Liberty County is worse off than most counties on children below the poverty line (25.1%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 54.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.1% · 202482nd percentile
- People with a disability18.2% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance3.4% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,790 · 202455th percentile
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- 47.5 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 rent20.0% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
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- 33.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.6% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
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- 15.1 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 score29.9% · second quarter of 202612th percentile
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- 13.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.1% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202520th 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 Liberty 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 Liberty County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Liberty County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Liberty County had its largest rise, from 6.2% in 1974 to 11.8% in 1979.
In Liberty County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 19.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Liberty County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 19.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Liberty County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 5.6% in 2009 to 1.6% in 2010.
The share of households in Liberty County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2011, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 1.2% 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, Liberty County, Montana.
How Liberty County has changed
Liberty County's population had its largest drop, from 2,173 in 2014 to 1,998 in 2019.
Liberty County's population fell by about a fifth to 1,934, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 2,453 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Liberty County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Liberty County had its largest drop, from 584 in 2005 to 474 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Liberty County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 593 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Liberty County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 2.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,748 | 2024 $64,790 |
The table uses 2.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.3% 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 Liberty County's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 2,624. The 2020 Census counted 1,959, 75% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1986
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Liberty County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Liberty County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Liberty County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Liberty County ranks 4th of the five; Hill County is highest, at 25.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pondera County, MT | 38 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Hill County, MT | 38 | 14.8% | 25.1% |
| Chouteau County, MT | 37 | 13.8% | 23.2% |
| Toole County, MT | 22 | 15.6% | 17.9% |
| 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 Liberty County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Liberty County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 17th 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, Liberty County ranks 30th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Liberty 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 Liberty 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 Liberty County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.