About one in 11 people with a credit file in Teton County, Montana, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Teton County, 9.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector (Urban Institute, Debt in America, August 2025). That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Teton County's score
In Teton County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 5.2. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.4%, 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.
Even so, Teton County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (25.4%, fiscal year 2027).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Teton 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.
- 56.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorHUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income25.4% · fiscal year 202785th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent14.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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- 42.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line19.3% · 202461st percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,349 · 202456th percentile
- People below the poverty line14.0% · 202456th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
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- 23.1 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.6% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average2.8% · Sep 2025 to Aug 20269th percentile
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- 14.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.5% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.8 · 202523rd percentile
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- 5.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.4% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a credit card behind2.4% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score9.8% · Q4 20255th 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 Teton 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
Teton County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Teton County in 2024, pay from work was 44 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 33 cents. Benefit checks were 23 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 8 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 Teton County, benefit checks rose from 8 to 23 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Teton County, Montana: 23.3% and 43.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 23.3% of all personal income in Teton 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 Teton County, 23.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Teton County has changed
The number of people living in Teton County stayed about the same between 1969 and 2024, from 6,210 to 6,444. The number of jobs located there grew by about 36% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 3.0% in 1990 to 2.8% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 6,210 | 2024 6,444 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,316 | 2024 1,784 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.6% | 2024 14.0% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $21,726 | 2024 $64,349 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 8.0% | 2024 23.3% |
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 Teton County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 9,546. The 2020 Census counted 6,226, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
1893
Founded in 1893. Wikipedia
1994
Thunderstorm wind: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1975
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Teton County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Teton County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Teton County, four score higher. Of the group, Teton County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (23.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cascade County, MT | 36 | 11.6% | 21.9% |
| Pondera County, MT | 35 | 15.8% | 22.0% |
| Chouteau County, MT | 33 | 13.8% | 23.2% |
| Flathead County, MT | 21 | 8.6% | 17.8% |
| Teton County, MT | 14 | 14.0% | 23.3% |
| Lewis and Clark County, MT | 12 | 7.6% | 19.3% |
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 Teton County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Teton County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 20th 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, Teton County ranks 38th of 56 in the state.
Teton County, Montana: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Teton County, Montana?
14.0% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in seven people. Among children it was 19.3%.
Is Teton County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Teton County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 20th 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, Teton County ranks 38th of 56 in the state.
What is the population of Teton County, Montana?
About 6,444 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 6,226, 65% of the county's peak of 9,546 in 1910.
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 Teton 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.
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 Teton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.