Unemployment in Sweet Grass County, Montana, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Sweet Grass County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% 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.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sweet Grass 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.
Sweet Grass 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.
- 40.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.9% · 202422nd percentile
- People with a disability17.3% · 2020 to 202461st percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,627 · 202431st percentile
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- 28.9 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.2% · fiscal year 202733rd 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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- 12.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202510th 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 score28.9% · second quarter of 202610th percentile
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- 7.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.1% · 2020 to 20248th 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 Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass County, 25.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
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, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Sweet Grass County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sweet Grass County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.9% in 2016 to 6.8% in 2017.
The share of households in Sweet Grass County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 1.4% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sweet Grass County, Montana.
How Sweet Grass County has changed
Sweet Grass County's population had its largest rise, from 3,223 in 1994 to 3,518 in 1999.
Sweet Grass County's population rose by about a quarter to 3,757, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 3,757 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sweet Grass County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Sweet Grass County had its largest rise, from 1,035 in 2000 to 1,597 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Sweet Grass County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 7% since
High on the chart: 1,597 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sweet Grass County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.5% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.0% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,286 | 2024 $73,627 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% 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 Sweet Grass County's history
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
1920
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
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $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
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 | 53 | 17.3% | 29.8% |
| Golden Valley County, MT | 38 | 20.2% | 33.0% |
| Meagher County, MT | 14 | 15.2% | 29.4% |
| Park County, MT | 11 | 9.2% | 19.2% |
| Sweet Grass County, MT | 6 | 9.8% | 21.6% |
| Stillwater County, MT | 1 | 8.3% | 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 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.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass 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 Sweet Grass County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.