Unemployment in Wibaux County, Montana, is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Wibaux County, 2.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 80% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wibaux County's score
In Wibaux County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 18.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wibaux 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.
Even so, Wibaux County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (30.5%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 52.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent8.7% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.5% · fiscal year 2027top 5%
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- 46.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability15.9% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,158 · 202467th percentile
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- 22.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202516th 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 score36.6% · second quarter of 202635th percentile
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- 19.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202520th percentile
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- 18.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.6% · 2020 to 202424th 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 Wibaux 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 Wibaux County, 20.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wibaux County
Montana
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wibaux County had its largest rise, from 18.6% in 2014 to 27.6% in 2019.
In Wibaux County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 28.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Wibaux County, Montana, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Wibaux County getting SNAP food aid fell by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 4.6%, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 2.7% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wibaux County, Montana.
How Wibaux County has changed
Wibaux County's population had its largest drop, from 1,446 in 1984 to 1,203 in 1989.
Wibaux County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 1,574 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wibaux County, Montana.
The number of jobs located in Wibaux County had its largest drop, from 314 in 2015 to 249 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Wibaux County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 314 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wibaux County, Montana.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.2% | 2025 3.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.4% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,912 | 2024 $61,158 |
The table uses 3.1% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Wibaux County's history
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 3,113. The 2020 Census counted 937, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
1952
A tornado in July 1952 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 2000
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wibaux County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wibaux County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wibaux County, in Montana and North Dakota, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wibaux County ranks 2nd of the seven; Prairie County is highest, at 30.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie County, ND | 22 | 8.2% | 7.4% |
| Wibaux County, MT | 19 | 11.5% | 28.5% |
| Dawson County, MT | 16 | 12.0% | 25.2% |
| Prairie County, MT | 13 | 11.2% | 30.8% |
| Richland County, MT | 10 | 9.8% | 14.6% |
| Golden Valley County, ND | 8 | 11.1% | 24.3% |
| Fallon County, MT | 6 | 9.3% | 20.6% |
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 Wibaux County the poorest county in Montana?
No, Wibaux County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 37th 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, Wibaux County ranks 32nd of 56 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wibaux 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 Wibaux 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 Wibaux County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.