About one in 12 people in Stillwater County, Montana, lives below the poverty line
In Stillwater County, 8.3% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stillwater County's score
In Stillwater County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 24.5. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 6.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.7%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Stillwater County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Stillwater County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 24.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line8.3% · 20247th percentile
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$85,796 · 202413th percentile
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
-
- 15.9 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent10.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
-
- 15.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202618th percentile
-
- 13.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.6% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people65.4 · 202517th percentile
-
- 6.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.7% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score13.5% · Q4 20257th percentile
-
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Stillwater County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stillwater County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stillwater County in 2024, pay from work was 56 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 24 cents. Benefit checks were 21 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Stillwater County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 21 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Stillwater County, Montana: 20.5% and 55.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 20.5% of all personal income in Stillwater County, Montana (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Stillwater County, 25.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Stillwater County has changed
The number of people living in Stillwater County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 4,711 to 9,450. The number of jobs located there grew by about 95% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.0% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 4,711 | 2024 9,450 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,742 | 2024 3,401 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $23,384 | 2024 $85,796 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 10.2% | 2024 20.5% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Stillwater County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 9,117. The 2020 Census counted 8,963, 98% of the peak. Census Bureau
1913
Founded in 1913. Wikipedia
2011
Flood: $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1978
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stillwater County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Stillwater County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Stillwater County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stillwater County ranks 3rd of the six; Golden Valley County is highest, at 33.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Valley County, MT | 33 | 20.2% | 33.0% |
| Yellowstone County, MT | 26 | 8.3% | 16.8% |
| Park County, MT | 11 | 9.2% | 19.2% |
| Carbon County, MT | 10 | 9.4% | 19.9% |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | 5 | 9.8% | 21.6% |
| Stillwater County, MT | 2 | 8.3% | 20.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Stillwater County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Stillwater County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 51st 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, Stillwater County ranks 55th of 56 in the state.
Stillwater County in photographs
Places in Stillwater County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Stillwater County Courthouse in Columbus, Montana, United States.
Ben Bow chromite mine, Stillwater County, Montana.
Stillwater County, Montana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Stillwater County, Montana?
8.3% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 12 people. Among children it was 8.3%.
Is Stillwater County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Stillwater County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 51st 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, Stillwater County ranks 55th of 56 in the state.
What is the population of Stillwater County, Montana?
About 9,450 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 8,963, 98% of the county's peak of 9,117 in 2010.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stillwater County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
-
Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA)
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies 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 Stillwater County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Stillwater County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.