In Millard County, Utah, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Millard County, 16.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Millard County's score
In Millard County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 42.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 12.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Millard 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, Millard County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 42.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202642nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.3% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
-
- 39.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.2% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance11.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,297 · 202422nd percentile
-
- 30.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.7% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126.5 · 202550th percentile
-
- 14.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.2% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
-
- 12.2 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 rent10.8% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
-
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 Millard 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 Millard County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Millard County
Utah
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Millard County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 16.8% in 2004 to 22.2% in 2009.
In Millard County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 21.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Millard County, Utah, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.5%; 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 Millard County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 4.8%
Biggest drop: 2022 to 2023, reaching 5.1%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Millard County, Utah.
How Millard County has changed
Millard County's population doubled to 13,572, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
Biggest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 12,554. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Millard County, Utah.
The number of jobs located in Millard County had its largest rise in the last span, from 4,733 in 2020 to 5,407 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Millard County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 5,407, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 3,690. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Millard County, Utah.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 3.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,029 | 2024 $78,297 |
The table uses 3.6% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Millard County's history
1851
Created October 4, 1851 with Fillmore designated as the county seat. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 12,975, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flood in August 2021 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1977
7 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Millard County, 3 of them for flooding. FEMA
Millard County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Millard County, in Utah and Nevada, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Millard County ranks 6th of the seven; Beaver County is highest, at 32.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln County, NV | 50 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| White Pine County, NV | 48 | 12.6% | 24.5% |
| Sevier County, UT | 33 | 10.0% | 27.0% |
| Sanpete County, UT | 24 | 12.2% | 24.7% |
| Millard County, UT | 13 | 10.3% | 21.5% |
| Juab County, UT | 11 | 7.7% | 19.6% |
| Beaver County, UT | 5 | 9.5% | 32.2% |
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 Millard County the poorest county in Utah?
No, Millard County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 8th highest of 29 in Utah (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is San Juan County, at 19.5%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Millard County ranks 22nd of 29 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Millard 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.
-
Utah Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Millard 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 Millard County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.