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. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Roosevelt County's score
In Roosevelt County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 84.5. Income and the safety net comes next, at 75.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Roosevelt 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.5 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202673rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working39.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 75.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.8% · 202493rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.1% · 202488th percentile
- People with a disability12.6% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- People without health insurance25.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$55,302 · 202481st percentile
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- 65.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.5% · August 202590th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score51.7% · second quarter of 202683rd percentile
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- 57.8 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 rent14.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.1% · fiscal year 202788th 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: 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 Roosevelt 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 Roosevelt County, 12.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Roosevelt County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Roosevelt County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 36.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Roosevelt County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Roosevelt County getting SNAP food aid moved most in three steps: 14.9% in 2015 to 16.8% in 2016; 16.1% in 2018 to 14.2% in 2019; 14.2% in 2019 to 12.3% in 2020.
The share of households in Roosevelt County getting SNAP food aid fell by about a quarter from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.7%, with its low point on the chart in 2022
Low on the chart: 11.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Roosevelt County, Montana.
How Roosevelt County has changed
Roosevelt County's population made its largest gain on the way to its 1984 high, from 10,234 in 1979 to 11,286 in 1984.
Roosevelt County's population fell 3% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 11,286 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Roosevelt County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Roosevelt County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 3,695 in 2015 to 3,393 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Roosevelt County rose 4% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 3,695 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Roosevelt County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.0% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.4% | 2024 22.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,230 | 2024 $55,302 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Roosevelt County's history
1919
Created in 1919 by the Montana Legislature from a portion of Sheridan County. Wikipedia
1960
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
1999
A wildfire in October 1999 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in July 2005 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in July 2005 did $1.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in June 2010 killed one person. 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
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 | 74 | 22.8% | 36.4% |
| Sheridan County, MT | 27 | 12.4% | 27.4% |
| Williams County, ND | 17 | 7.9% | 9.5% |
| McCone County, MT | 14 | 13.6% | 27.1% |
| Valley County, MT | 11 | 11.6% | 25.9% |
| Richland County, MT | 10 | 9.8% | 14.6% |
| Daniels County, MT | 5 | 11.4% | 26.1% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Roosevelt 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 Roosevelt 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 Roosevelt County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.