About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Roosevelt County, Montana, are not working
In Roosevelt County, 39.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Roosevelt County's score
In Roosevelt County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 84.5. About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 (39.8%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.7.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Roosevelt County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (38.8, 2025) and people with a disability (12.6%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Roosevelt County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 84.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working39.8% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.7% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202673rd percentile
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- 75.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line28.1% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,302 · 202481st percentile
- People below the poverty line22.8% · 202493rd percentile
- People without health insurance25.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 62.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.5% · Q4 202573rd percentile
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- 57.8 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.1% · fiscal year 202788th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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- 39.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.9% · August 202573rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people38.8 · 20255th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Roosevelt County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Roosevelt County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Roosevelt County in 2024, pay from work was 48 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 16 cents. Benefit checks were 36 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 11 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Roosevelt County, benefit checks rose from 11 to 36 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Roosevelt County, Montana: 36.4% and 48.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 36.4% of all personal income in Roosevelt County, Montana (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Roosevelt County, 12.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Roosevelt County has changed
The number of people living in Roosevelt County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 10,520 to 10,197. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.0% in 1990 to 4.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,520 | 2024 10,197 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,284 | 2024 3,392 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.0% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.4% | 2024 22.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,230 | 2024 $55,302 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.3% | 2024 36.4% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Roosevelt County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 11,731. The 2020 Census counted 10,794, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
1919
Created in 1919 by the Montana Legislature from a portion of Sheridan County. Wikipedia
1999
Wildfire: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Thunderstorm wind: $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Thunderstorm wind: $1.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1997
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Roosevelt County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Roosevelt County beside its neighbors
Roosevelt County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Montana and North Dakota. Of the group, Roosevelt County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (36.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt County, MT | 73 | 22.8% | 36.4% |
| Sheridan County, MT | 27 | 12.4% | 27.4% |
| Williams County, ND | 18 | 7.9% | 9.5% |
| McCone County, MT | 14 | 13.6% | 27.1% |
| Richland County, MT | 11 | 9.8% | 14.6% |
| Valley County, MT | 11 | 11.6% | 25.9% |
| Daniels County, MT | 5 | 11.4% | 26.1% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Roosevelt County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Roosevelt County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, 2nd 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, Roosevelt County ranks 3rd of 56 in the state.
Roosevelt County in photographs
Places in Roosevelt County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Roosevelt County Courthouse- Wolf Point MT.
Roosevelt County, Montana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Roosevelt County, Montana?
22.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in four people. Among children it was 28.1%.
Is Roosevelt County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Roosevelt County's poverty rate was 22.8% in 2024, 2nd 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, Roosevelt County ranks 3rd of 56 in the state.
What is the population of Roosevelt County, Montana?
About 10,197 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 10,794, 92% of the county's peak of 11,731 in 1960.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Roosevelt County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Great Northern Development Corporation
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Roosevelt County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Roosevelt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.