Unemployment in Prairie County, Montana, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Prairie 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 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Prairie County's score
In Prairie County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 69.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Prairie 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, Prairie County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (29.8%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 69.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.0% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income29.8% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 36.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.8% · 202437th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,469 · 202462nd percentile
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- 12.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.4% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202520th percentile
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- 12.5 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 score22.2% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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- 5.0 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 working11.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Prairie 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 Prairie County, 42.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Prairie County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Prairie County had its largest drop, from 29.3% in 2009 to 22.4% in 2014.
In Prairie County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 30.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Prairie County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 30.8%; 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 Prairie County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2022 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 0.0% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Prairie County, Montana.
How Prairie County has changed
Prairie County's population had its largest drop, from 1,764 in 1984 to 1,452 in 1989.
Prairie County's population fell 38% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 1,876 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Prairie County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Prairie County had its largest rise in the last span, from 269 in 2020 to 474 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Prairie County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 269 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Prairie County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 1.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.8% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,447 | 2024 $62,469 |
The table uses 1.9% 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 Prairie County's history
1915
Created February 5, 1915 from parts of Custer, Dawson, and Fallon Counties. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 3,941. The 2020 Census counted 1,088, 28% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1997
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Prairie County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Prairie County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Prairie County, five score higher. Of the group, Prairie County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (30.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County, MT | 40 | 11.2% | 23.1% |
| Garfield County, MT | 23 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 19 | 11.5% | 28.5% |
| Dawson County, MT | 16 | 12.0% | 25.2% |
| McCone County, MT | 14 | 13.6% | 27.1% |
| Prairie County, MT | 13 | 11.2% | 30.8% |
| Fallon County, MT | 6 | 9.3% | 20.6% |
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 Prairie County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Prairie County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 39th 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, Prairie County ranks 42nd of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Prairie 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 Prairie 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 Prairie County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.