Sanders County, Montana
Above the national median for severe rent burden (50%+).
Main Findings
Sanders County, Montana ranks 1,211th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 29% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
- 1,211th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 56.9 · moderate county distress, 6th in Montana.
- 29% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 18%). Severe rent burden (50%+) at the 95th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Disability rate at 22% — national median 16%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
- Unemployment at 4% — national median 4%, ranked at the 73rd percentile. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026).
- Default & Legal domain score 27 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
Neighbors span four CDI score labels. The 33-point drop to Missoula County marks where the Montana distress corridor ends.
Sanders County has a moderate county distress score. The county sits near the middle of the CDI score scale, so the domain mix carries the story.
The CDI gives this county a moderate county distress label. The domain mix matters because the same composite score can come from very different local conditions. Its highest-scoring domain is Debt Burden (housing basis).
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Sanders County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Sanders County's value shown alongside MT's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Sanders | MT median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 24 · Rank 2,457 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 3% | 5% | 50th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 3% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 15% | 16% | 23% | 13th | Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 27 · Rank 2,499 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 16% | 15% | 23% | 21st | Urban Institute Debt in America (2025) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 95 | 73 | 126 | 33rd | Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 86 · Rank 242 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 25% | 26% | 21% | 77th | HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 29% | 14% | 18% | 95th | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 73 · Rank 823 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 4% | 3% | 4% | 73rd | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 74 · Rank 633 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 17% | 18% | 62nd | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 22% | 16% | 16% | 91st | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 13% | 14% | 58th | U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 8% | 8% | 83rd | U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Sanders County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 133-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
THOMPSON FALLS, Mont. — Sanders County ranks 1,211th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 56.9 out of 100 gives Sanders a moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,210 counties rank more distressed. Within Montana, Sanders ranks sixth of 56 counties.
The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies debt burden (housing basis) as the primary driver in Sanders. 29% of renter households pay 50%+ of income on rent — above the national median of 18%.
American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sanders County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Sanders County's distress score?
How does Sanders County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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