Wheatland County, Montana

County Distress Index: Elevated · 53.7 | 2,057 people · 12th most distressed in Montana
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Wheatland County, MT registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.7 — 1318th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within Montana, it ranks 12th of 56 counties. Among its 5 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Wheatland County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 84.0 — worse than roughly 84% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 84.0
Poverty Rate 80
Income vs. State Median 91
Child Poverty Rate 81
Employment & Wages 68.7
Unemployment Rate 78
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 85
Business Formation Rate 43
Community Vulnerability 53.8
Uninsured Rate 94
Disability Rate 14
Debt & Delinquency 32.4
Debt in Collections 17
Medical Debt 67
Student Loan Delinquency 19
Auto Loan Delinquency 16
Credit Card Delinquency 16
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 59
Housing Cost Burden 29.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 40
Rent-to-Income Ratio 92

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Wheatland County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Wheatland County
Wheatland County, MT 53.7 Elevated —
Golden Valley County, MT 55.5 Elevated +1.9
Fergus County, MT 45.0 Normal -8.7
Meagher County, MT 39.9 Normal -13.7
Judith Basin County, MT 37.1 Normal -16.6
Sweet Grass County, MT 27.9 Healthy -25.8

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Wheatland County
Ontonagon County, MI 53.6 Elevated -0.0
Gilmer County, WV 53.6 Elevated -0.1
Castro County, TX 53.7 Elevated +0.1
Mineral County, CO 53.7 Elevated +0.1
Kimball County, NE 53.6 Elevated -0.1

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Wheatland County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Wheatland County

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State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of Montana Lawyer Referral Service 406-442-7660

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Wheatland County residents at no cost.

Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) 1-800-666-6899

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Wheatland County, Montana?

    Wheatland County has a County Distress Index score of 53.7 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,318th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 12th in Montana out of 56 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Wheatland County?

    The primary driver of distress in Wheatland County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 84.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Wheatland County compare to neighboring counties?

    Wheatland County (53.7) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Golden Valley County, MT (55.5); Fergus County, MT (45.0); Meagher County, MT (39.9).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Wheatland County?

    Wheatland County, Montana has a population of approximately 2,057 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.