Pondera County, Montana

County Distress Index: Elevated · 52.1 | 6,125 people · 13th most distressed in Montana
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Pondera County, MT registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 52.1 — 1448th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Montana, it ranks 13th of 56 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Pondera County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 81.0 — worse than roughly 81% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 81.0
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 91
Child Poverty Rate 69
Community Vulnerability 58.4
Uninsured Rate 45
Disability Rate 71
Employment & Wages 54.5
Unemployment Rate 41
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 88
Business Formation Rate 34
Housing Cost Burden 44.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 13
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 8
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 24
Homeownership Rate 81
Rent-to-Income Ratio 95
Debt & Delinquency 22.7
Debt in Collections 22
Medical Debt 47
Student Loan Delinquency 19
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 22
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 21

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Pondera County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Pondera County
Pondera County, MT 52.1 Elevated —
Glacier County, MT 72.1 Serious +20.0
Toole County, MT 45.1 Normal -7.0
Liberty County, MT 43.7 Normal -8.4
Flathead County, MT 39.9 Normal -12.2
Chouteau County, MT 39.5 Normal -12.6
Teton County, MT 36.8 Normal -15.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Pondera County
Baca County, CO 52.2 Elevated +0.1
Chattahoochee County, GA 52.3 Elevated +0.2
Boyd County, NE 51.9 Elevated -0.2
Roger Mills County, OK 52.3 Elevated +0.2
Mellette County, SD 52.4 Elevated +0.3

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Pondera County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Pondera County

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State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service 406-442-7660

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Pondera County residents at no cost.

Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) 1-800-666-6899

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Pondera County, Montana?

    Pondera County has a County Distress Index score of 52.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,448th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 13th in Montana out of 56 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Pondera County?

    The primary driver of distress in Pondera County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 81.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Pondera County compare to neighboring counties?

    Pondera County (52.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Glacier County, MT (72.1); Toole County, MT (45.1); Liberty County, MT (43.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Pondera County?

    Pondera County, Montana has a population of approximately 6,125 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.