Unemployment in Sheridan County, Montana, is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties
In Sheridan County, 2.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sheridan County's score
In Sheridan County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 62.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 19.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sheridan 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.
Sheridan County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.6 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.5% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.2% · fiscal year 202772nd percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.8% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.3% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,725 · 202461st percentile
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- 34.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.2% · August 202545th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202516th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score38.0% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 23.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.5% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people85.8 · 202528th percentile
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- 19.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th 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 Sheridan 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 Sheridan County, 22.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sheridan County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sheridan County had its largest rise, from 15.7% in 2014 to 23.3% in 2019.
In Sheridan County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 27.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Sheridan County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sheridan County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 7.8% in 2018 to 5.4% in 2019.
The share of households in Sheridan County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 3.0% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sheridan County, Montana.
How Sheridan County has changed
Sheridan County's population had its largest drop, from 5,675 in 1984 to 4,922 in 1989.
Sheridan County's population fell 41% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 5,850 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sheridan County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Sheridan County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 1,522 in 2015 to 1,237 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Sheridan County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 1,522 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sheridan County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.5% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,927 | 2024 $62,725 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Sheridan County's history
1913
Established March 11, 1913 from portions of Dawson and Valley Counties. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 13,847. The 2020 Census counted 3,539, 26% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
A wildfire in October 1999 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in July 2010 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2000
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sheridan County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sheridan County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Sheridan County, in Montana and North Dakota, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sheridan County ranks 2nd of the five; Roosevelt County is highest, at 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% |
| Divide County, ND | 12 | 11.6% | 25.9% |
| 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 Sheridan County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Sheridan County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 27th 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, Sheridan County ranks 21st of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sheridan 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 Sheridan 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 Sheridan County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.