Unemployment in Powder River County, Montana, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Powder River County, 2.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Powder River County's score
In Powder River County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 41.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 14.0. About one in nine people with a credit file (11.5%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Powder River 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.
Powder River County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 41.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.1% · 202431st percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.5% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability13.7% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,612 · 202465th percentile
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- 23.8 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 rent4.7% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
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- 19.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.0% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
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- 16.1 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 score30.9% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 14.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.5% · August 20257th 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 Powder River 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 Powder River County, 30.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Powder River County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Powder River County moved most in two steps: 24.0% in 2009 to 16.7% in 2014; 16.7% in 2014 to 24.0% in 2019.
In Powder River County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 22.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Powder River County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 22.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Powder River County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.4% in 2017 to 2.5% in 2018.
The share of households in Powder River County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 5.4%
Low on the chart: 0.7% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Powder River County, Montana.
How Powder River County has changed
Powder River County's population had its largest drop, from 2,834 in 1969 to 2,305 in 1974.
Powder River County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 2,834 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Powder River County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Powder River County rose 43% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 619 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Powder River County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 11.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,557 | 2024 $61,612 |
The table uses 2.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.0% 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 Powder River County's history
1865
Federal government sent soldiers in 1865 to Powder River country to combat Native Americans. Wikipedia
1919
Founded March 17, 1919, formed from southern Custer County. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 3,909. The 2020 Census counted 1,694, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1978
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Powder River County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Powder River County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Powder River County, in Montana and Wyoming, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Powder River County ranks 5th of the eight; Big Horn County is highest, at 37.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Horn County, MT | 78 | 22.2% | 37.1% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 65 | 16.3% | 26.8% |
| Custer County, MT | 40 | 11.2% | 23.1% |
| Campbell County, WY | 20 | 8.5% | 15.4% |
| Carter County, MT | 15 | 13.0% | 27.1% |
| Sheridan County, WY | 8 | 9.0% | 17.0% |
| Powder River County, MT | 7 | 11.1% | 22.2% |
| Crook County, WY | 2 | 7.7% | 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 Powder River County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Powder River County's poverty rate was 11.1% in 2024, 41st 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, Powder River County ranks 51st of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Powder River 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 Powder River 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 Powder River County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.