About one in 15 people in Petroleum County, Montana, has a disability
In Petroleum County, 6.7% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 68% of U.S. counties.
What drives Petroleum County's score
In Petroleum County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 51.1. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 19.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Petroleum 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, Petroleum County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (33.0%, fiscal year 2027) and median household income ($56,394, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.5% · 202460th percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.7% · 202470th percentile
- People with a disability6.7% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,394 · 202479th percentile
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- 50.0 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income33.0% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 41.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202675th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.9% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
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- 35.4 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 score47.6% · second quarter of 202673rd percentile
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- 19.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202518th 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 Petroleum 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 Petroleum County, 28.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Petroleum County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Petroleum County, benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the bars shown, but pay leads in 2024
In Petroleum County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about five times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 27.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Petroleum County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 0.5%
Low on the chart: 0.5% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Petroleum County, Montana.
How Petroleum County has changed
Petroleum County's population had its largest drop, from 601 in 1984 to 521 in 1989.
Petroleum County's population fell 28% from 1969 to 2019, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 696 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Petroleum County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Petroleum County rose most sharply from its first year (64 in 1990) to 91 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Petroleum County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 113 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Petroleum County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.3% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.3% | 2024 14.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,207 | 2024 $56,394 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Petroleum County's history
1920
Oil discovered in SE part of county in February 1920, Cat Creek Oil Field developed. Wikipedia
1922
Winnett population nearly doubled from 1,213 in April 1922 to over 2,000 in 1923 from oil boom. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 2,045. The 2020 Census counted 496, 24% of the peak. Census Bureau
1930
Claims reverted to federal government in 1930 as settlers deserted town. Wikipedia
1930
Winnett declined in population and amenities since oil boom of 1920s. Wikipedia
1998
Lightning in September 1998 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1986
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Petroleum County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Petroleum County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Petroleum County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Petroleum County ranks 3rd of the six; Musselshell County is highest, at 32.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Musselshell County, MT | 71 | 14.5% | 32.9% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 65 | 16.3% | 26.8% |
| Petroleum County, MT | 31 | 14.5% | 27.6% |
| Garfield County, MT | 23 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Phillips County, MT | 22 | 15.4% | 30.8% |
| 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 Petroleum County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Petroleum 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, Petroleum County ranks 20th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Petroleum 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 Petroleum 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 Petroleum County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.