In Silver Bow County, Montana, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Silver Bow County, 26.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 87% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Silver Bow County's score
In Silver Bow County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 84.0. Jobs come next, at 50.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Silver Bow 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.
Silver Bow County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (3.4%, August 2025) and children below the poverty line (12.9%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.0 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 rent23.6% · 2020 to 202480th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.0% · fiscal year 202787th percentile
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- 50.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202649th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.9% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 46.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.9% · 202447th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.9% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability18.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
- People without health insurance6.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,459 · 202453rd percentile
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- 40.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202558th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.9% · second quarter of 202641st percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector21.7% · August 202544th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people93.5 · 202532nd 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 Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Silver Bow County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Silver Bow County rose most in two steps: 16.8% in 1979 to 21.0% in 1984; 18.8% in 2014 to 23.0% in 2019.
In Silver Bow County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Silver Bow County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Silver Bow County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (9.3% in 2009) to 11.7% in 2010.
The share of households in Silver Bow County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 9.3% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Silver Bow County, Montana.
How Silver Bow County has changed
Silver Bow County's population fell most sharply after its 1974 high, from 43,370 in 1974 to 39,297 in 1979.
Silver Bow County's population fell 18% from 1969 to 2019, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 43,370 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Silver Bow County, Montana.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Silver Bow County rose 39% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 16,486. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Silver Bow County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.0% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.9% | 2024 12.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,288 | 2024 $65,459 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Silver Bow County's history
1881
Founded February 16, 1881. Wikipedia
1917
Speculator Mine disaster, largest hard rock mining disaster in world history. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 60,313. The 2020 Census counted 35,133, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1922
Attempted bombing of Hibernian Hall by protestors on New Year's Eve. Wikipedia
1983
Berkeley Pit Superfund site, acidic water laced with toxic heavy metals after mining ceased. Wikipedia
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Since 1981
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Silver Bow County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Silver Bow County beside its neighbors
Silver Bow County scores higher than all four counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Silver Bow County ranks 3rd of the five; Deer Lodge County is highest, at 30.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Bow County, MT | 53 | 12.9% | 23.1% |
| Deer Lodge County, MT | 39 | 12.2% | 30.4% |
| Madison County, MT | 25 | 8.4% | 17.5% |
| Beaverhead County, MT | 14 | 12.0% | 23.6% |
| Jefferson County, MT | 1 | 7.4% | 20.5% |
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 Silver Bow County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Silver Bow County's poverty rate was 12.9% in 2024, 25th 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, Silver Bow County ranks 10th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow 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 Silver Bow County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.