Unemployment in Sweet Grass County, Montana, is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties
In Sweet Grass County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sweet Grass County's score
In Sweet Grass County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 40.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.3. Unemployment averaged 2.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 94% 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.
Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass 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.
- 40.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,627 · 202431st percentile
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
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- 28.9 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 income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
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- 16.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.9% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people79.7 · 202525th percentile
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- 10.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202516th percentile
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score10.2% · Q4 20255th percentile
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- 7.3 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20265th percentile
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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 Sweet Grass 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
Sweet Grass County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sweet Grass County in 2024, pay from work was 45 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 33 cents. Benefit checks were 22 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.
Income from investments and rentals is unusually large here: 33 cents of the dollar, against 21 nationally.
In Sweet Grass County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 22 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Sweet Grass County, Montana: 21.6% and 45.0% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 21.6% of all personal income in Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass County, 25.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Sweet Grass County has changed
The number of people living in Sweet Grass County grew by about 25% between 1969 and 2024, from 3,011 to 3,757. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment rose from 2.5% in 1990 to 3.3% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 3,011 | 2024 3,757 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 807 | 2024 1,629 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.5% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $19,286 | 2024 $73,627 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.9% | 2024 21.6% |
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 Sweet Grass County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 4,926. The 2020 Census counted 3,678, 75% of the peak. Census Bureau
1895
Authorized in 1895 by the Montana Legislature, taking parts of Park, Meagher, and Yellowstone counties. Wikipedia
1908
Fire destroyed half the commercial buildings and a third of residential homes in Big Timber. Wikipedia
2011
Flood: $4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1997
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sweet Grass County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Sweet Grass County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Sweet Grass County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sweet Grass County ranks 4th of the six; Golden Valley County is highest, at 33.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheatland County, MT | 49 | 17.3% | 29.8% |
| Golden Valley County, MT | 33 | 20.2% | 33.0% |
| Meagher County, MT | 13 | 15.2% | 29.4% |
| Park County, MT | 11 | 9.2% | 19.2% |
| 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 Sweet Grass County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Sweet Grass County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 43rd 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, Sweet Grass County ranks 53rd of 56 in the state.
Sweet Grass County in photographs
Places in Sweet Grass County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Orchard grass growing among dense stands of mostly graminoids on the upper dry banks of Beaver Creek, north of the main Ranch house, Crazy D Ranch, north of Big Timber, Sweet Grass County,.
Eleocharis palustris growing along Beaver Creek on the Crazy D Ranch, southeast of Melville, Sweet Grass County, Montana.
Sweet Grass County, Montana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Sweet Grass County, Montana?
9.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 11.9%.
Is Sweet Grass County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Sweet Grass County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 43rd 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, Sweet Grass County ranks 53rd of 56 in the state.
What is the population of Sweet Grass County, Montana?
About 3,757 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 3,678, 75% of the county's peak of 4,926 in 1920.
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 Sweet Grass 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.
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Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA)
Legal aid
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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 Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.