Sanders County, Montana
Above the national median for rent burden (30%+).
Main Findings
Sanders County, Montana ranks 1,589th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Sanders sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 1,589th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Normal zone, 7th in Montana.
- 53% of renter households pay 30%+ of income on rent (U.S. median 38%). Rent burden (30%+) at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Disability rate at 22% — national median 16%, ranked at the 91st percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 25% — national median 21%, ranked at the 77th percentile.
- Uninsured rate at 13% — national median 8%, ranked at the 83rd percentile.
Neighbors span three CDI zones. The 23-point drop to Bonner County, ID marks a cross-border distress gradient.
"Sanders County sits at the national median. The composition of its distress matters more than the composite score."
"Normal-zone counties are the national median. The interesting signal here is which domain is moving fastest, up or down."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Sanders County's homeownership rate indicator is at the 19th percentile — while every other indicator in the Housing Cost Burden domain sits at or above the 28th percentile. The gap stands out against rent burden (30%+) and severe rent burden (50%+). Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Thompson Falls.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Credit Distress — domain score 31 · Rank 2,252 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 16% | 15% | 23% | 21st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Medical debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have medical debt in collections | 3% | 3% | 4% | 44th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 5% | 3% | 5% | 50th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 3% | 5% | 9th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 13% | 8% | 8% | 83rd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 15% | 16% | 23% | 13th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Housing Cost Burden — domain score 76 · Rank 545 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent burden (30%+) Share of renter households paying 30%+ of income on rent | 53% | 29% | 38% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 29% | 14% | 18% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Owner housing burden Share of owner households paying 30%+ of income on housing | 21% | 23% | 24% | 28th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Homeownership rate Share of occupied housing units that are owner-occupied | 80% | 73% | 74% | 19th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Structural Poverty — domain score 75 · Rank 531 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 5% | 3% | 4% | 80th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 14% | 13% | 14% | 58th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Household income relative to state Median household income as share of state median | 0.92× | 1.00× | 1.00× | 70th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 20% | 17% | 18% | 62nd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 22% | 16% | 16% | 91st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 36% | 25% | 27% | 87th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Legal Distress — domain score 34 · Rank 2,091 of 3,144 | |||||
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 95 | 73 | 126 | 34th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Economic Vitality — domain score 61 · Rank 926 of 3,144 | |||||
| Wage-to-rent ratio Ratio of average weekly wage to fair-market rent | 3.4× | 3.2× | 4.0× | 76th | BLS QCEW × HUD FMR (2024) |
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 25% | 26% | 21% | 77th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Business formation rate New business applications per 1,000 residents | 13.8 | 14.0 | 10.0 | 21st | Census Business Formation Statistics (2024) |
| House price change (yoy) House price index year-over-year change | 8% | 2% | 4% | 14th | FHFA HPI (2024) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is a PCA-weighted composite of five statistically derived factors. Weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance across 3,144 counties.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 represents the national county median; higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from 21 indicators grouped into five statistically derived factors via principal component analysis (PCA); factor weights are proportional to each factor's share of explained variance (shown in the Five-Domain Breakdown above).
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 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 137-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
THOMPSON FALLS, Mont. — Sanders County ranks 1,589th 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 50 out of 100 places Sanders in the "Normal" zone. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,588 counties rank more distressed. Within Montana, Sanders ranks seventh of 56 counties.
The index, which draws on 21 indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Sanders sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Sanders County sits at the national median. The composition of its distress matters more than the composite score," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
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?
Sanders County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →