About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Valley County, Montana, have a job
In Valley County, 14.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Valley County's score
In Valley County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 42.1. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 11.5. Bankruptcy filings ran at 26.8 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Valley 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.
Valley 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.
- 42.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.6% · 202436th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,009 · 202440th percentile
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- 30.4 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 rent9.8% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.6% · fiscal year 202749th percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.2% · second quarter of 202630th percentile
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- 17.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202623rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.0% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 11.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.8% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people26.8 · 20255th or lower 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 Valley 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 Valley County, 24.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Valley County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Valley County had its largest rise, from 18.9% in 2004 to 24.6% in 2009.
In Valley County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Valley County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Valley County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.3% in 2014 to 13.4% in 2015.
The share of households in Valley County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 8.4%
Low on the chart: 5.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Valley County, Montana.
How Valley County has changed
Valley County's population fell most sharply after its 1974 high, from 12,665 in 1974 to 10,815 in 1979.
Valley County's population fell 40% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 12,665 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Valley County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Valley County had its largest rise, from 2,703 in 2010 to 3,202 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Valley County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 3,202 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Valley County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.6% | 2024 11.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,138 | 2024 $70,009 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Valley County's history
1893
Created in 1893 with area partitioned from Dawson County. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 17,080. The 2020 Census counted 7,578, 44% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
Hail in July 1999 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Hail in June 2007 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Hail in June 2007 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flood in August 2014 did $1.12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1986
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Valley County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Valley County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Valley County, four score higher. Of the group, Valley County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Roosevelt County gets the largest, at 36.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roosevelt County, MT | 74 | 22.8% | 36.4% |
| Garfield County, MT | 23 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Phillips County, MT | 22 | 15.4% | 30.8% |
| McCone County, MT | 14 | 13.6% | 27.1% |
| Valley County, MT | 11 | 11.6% | 25.9% |
| Daniels County, MT | 5 | 11.4% | 26.1% |
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 Valley County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Valley County's poverty rate was 11.6% in 2024, 35th 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, Valley County ranks 45th of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Valley 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 Valley 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 Valley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.