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. 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. Income and the safety net comes next, at 66.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rosebud 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.
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).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202651st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working33.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
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- 66.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.3% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line21.2% · 202469th percentile
- People with a disability16.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- People without health insurance16.2% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,245 · 202440th percentile
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- 64.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.7% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score41.7% · second quarter of 202655th 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
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.3% · fiscal year 202746th 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 Rosebud 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 Rosebud County, 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rosebud County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Rosebud County had its largest rise, from 16.5% in 2004 to 21.2% in 2009.
In Rosebud County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 26.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Rosebud County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 26.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rosebud County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.5% in 2009 to 8.4% in 2010.
The share of households in Rosebud County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 8.4% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Rosebud County, Montana.
How Rosebud County has changed
Rosebud County's population had its largest rise, from 9,720 in 1979 to 13,321 in 1984.
Rosebud County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and is down 38% since
High on the chart: 13,321 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rosebud County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Rosebud County fell 9% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2015 and 2020
High on the chart: 4,264 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rosebud County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.7% | 2024 16.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,468 | 2024 $70,245 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 4.0% 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 Rosebud County's history
1901
Established February 11, 1901. Wikipedia
1990
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
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Since 1978
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rosebud County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
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 | 78 | 22.2% | 37.1% |
| Musselshell County, MT | 71 | 14.5% | 32.9% |
| Rosebud County, MT | 65 | 16.3% | 26.8% |
| Custer County, MT | 40 | 11.2% | 23.1% |
| Petroleum County, MT | 31 | 14.5% | 27.6% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 26 | 8.3% | 16.8% |
| Garfield County, MT | 23 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Treasure County, MT | 13 | 12.1% | 24.5% |
| Powder River County, MT | 7 | 11.1% | 22.2% |
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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rosebud 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 Rosebud 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 Rosebud County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.