About one in eight people with a credit file in Madison County, Montana, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Madison County, 12.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Madison County's score
In Madison County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 64.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 13.8. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.8%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Madison 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, Madison County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (6.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 64.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
-
- 56.6 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.3% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
-
- 25.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.4% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.2% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance7.1% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$76,300 · 202426th percentile
-
- 17.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.0% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people84 · 202527th percentile
-
- 13.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.3% · second quarter of 20266th 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 Madison 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 Madison County, 30.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Madison County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Madison County had its largest drop, from 19.9% in 2014 to 16.2% in 2019.
In Madison County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by more than half since 1969, reaching 17.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Madison County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.5% in 2016 to 3.2% in 2017.
The share of households in Madison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 1.9% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Madison County, Montana.
How Madison County has changed
Madison County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 8,485 in 2019 to 9,753 in 2024.
Madison County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 9,753, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 7,711. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Madison County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Madison County had its largest drop in the last span, from 4,059 in 2020 to 2,981 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Madison County was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 4,059 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Madison County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 5.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,827 | 2024 $76,300 |
The table uses 5.4% for 2025; the score uses 6.1% 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 Madison County's history
1863
Gold discovered near Alder Creek on May 26, 1863. Wikipedia
1865
Founded 1865 as part of Montana Territory. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 8,623, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1997
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Madison County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Madison County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Madison County, in Montana and Idaho, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Madison County ranks 5th of the six; Fremont County is highest, at 24.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Bow County, MT | 53 | 12.9% | 23.1% |
| Madison County, MT | 25 | 8.4% | 17.5% |
| Fremont County, ID | 18 | 11.3% | 24.8% |
| Beaverhead County, MT | 14 | 12.0% | 23.6% |
| Gallatin County, MT | 8 | 7.1% | 8.7% |
| 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 Madison County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Madison County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, 50th 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, Madison County ranks 25th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.