About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 in Rosebud County, Montana, is not working
In Rosebud County, 33.2% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is higher than in 94% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rosebud County's score
In Rosebud County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 72.8. About one in three adults aged 25 to 54 (33.2%, 2020 to 2024) isn't working, a higher share than in 94% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 66.5.
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.
Rosebud County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (73.5, 2025) and median household income ($70,245, 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Rosebud 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.
- 72.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.0% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202651st percentile
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- 66.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line21.2% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability16.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,245 · 202440th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance16.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
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- 62.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score23.6% · Q4 202550th percentile
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- 46.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector29.1% · August 202571st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people73.5 · 202521st percentile
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- 46.3 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 income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th 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 Rosebud 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
Rosebud County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Rosebud County in 2024, pay from work was 59 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 14 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 12 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Rosebud County, benefit checks rose from 12 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Rosebud County, Montana: 26.8% and 58.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 26.8% of all personal income in Rosebud 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 Rosebud County, 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Rosebud County has changed
The number of people living in Rosebud County grew by about 35% between 1969 and 2024, from 6,062 to 8,194. The number of jobs located there stayed about the same from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 7.4% in 1990 to 3.4% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,062 | 2024 8,194 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,972 | 2024 3,607 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.7% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $30,468 | 2024 $70,245 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 11.5% | 2024 26.8% |
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 Rosebud County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 10,505. The 2020 Census counted 8,329, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1901
Established February 11, 1901. Wikipedia
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Since 1978
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rosebud County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Rosebud County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Rosebud County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Rosebud County ranks 5th of the nine; Big Horn County is highest, at 37.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Horn County, MT | 77 | 22.2% | 37.1% |
| Musselshell County, MT | 71 | 14.5% | 32.9% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 65 | 16.3% | 26.8% |
| Custer County, MT | 39 | 11.2% | 23.1% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 26 | 8.3% | 16.8% |
| Petroleum County, MT | 24 | 14.5% | 27.6% |
| Garfield County, MT | 23 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Treasure County, MT | 14 | 12.1% | 24.5% |
| Powder River County, MT | 7 | 11.1% | 22.2% |
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 Rosebud County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Rosebud County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 7th 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, Rosebud County ranks 6th of 56 in the state.
Rosebud County in photographs
Places in Rosebud County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Rosebud County, Montana courthouse located in Forsyth, Montana, United States.
Rosebud County, Montana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Rosebud County, Montana?
16.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 21.2%.
Is Rosebud County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Rosebud County's poverty rate was 16.3% in 2024, 7th 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, Rosebud County ranks 6th of 56 in the state.
What is the population of Rosebud County, Montana?
About 8,194 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,329, 79% of the county's peak of 10,505 in 1990.
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 Rosebud 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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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 Rosebud 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 Rosebud County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.