In Musselshell County, Montana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Musselshell County, 27.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 71% of U.S. counties.
What drives Musselshell County's score
In Musselshell County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 80.5. Unemployment averaged 5.0%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 81% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 72.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Musselshell 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.
Musselshell County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.2%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (94.2, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 80.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202681st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 72.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.6% · 202466th percentile
- People with a disability23.1% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.1% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$58,416 · 202474th percentile
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- 66.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.3% · August 202562nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202642nd percentile
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- 54.1 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 rent11.2% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.7% · fiscal year 202792nd percentile
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- 39.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector22.0% · August 202545th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.2 · 202532nd 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 Musselshell 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 Musselshell County, 29.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Musselshell County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Musselshell County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 32.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Musselshell County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 32.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Musselshell County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 17.2% in 2020 to 13.7% in 2021.
The share of households in Musselshell County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 10.2%
Low on the chart: 7.9% 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, Musselshell County, Montana.
How Musselshell County has changed
Musselshell County's population rose 43% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 5,452. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Musselshell County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Musselshell County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 1,274, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 1,330 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Musselshell County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.6% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,143 | 2024 $58,416 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Musselshell County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 12,030. The 2020 Census counted 4,730, 39% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Musselshell County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Musselshell County beside its neighbors
Musselshell County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Musselshell County ranks 2nd of the six; Golden Valley County is highest, at 33.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musselshell County, MT | 71 | 14.5% | 32.9% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 65 | 16.3% | 26.8% |
| Golden Valley County, MT | 38 | 20.2% | 33.0% |
| Petroleum County, MT | 31 | 14.5% | 27.6% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 26 | 8.3% | 16.8% |
| Fergus County, MT | 18 | 12.3% | 23.8% |
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 Musselshell County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Musselshell County's poverty rate was 14.5% in 2024, 18th 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, Musselshell County ranks 4th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Musselshell 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 Musselshell 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 Musselshell County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.