In Big Horn County, Wyoming, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Big Horn County, 18.0% of the median household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom at HUD's fair market rent (HUD and Census Bureau, HUD rent fiscal year 2027; household income 2024). That is lower than in 78% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 65% of U.S. counties.
What drives Big Horn County's score
In Big Horn County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 51.7. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 27.7. Bankruptcy filings ran at 74.9 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 77% 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, Big Horn County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.2%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Big Horn 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.
- 51.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line13.2% · 202428th percentile
- People with a disability16.0% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,663 · 202450th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.6% · 202445th percentile
- People without health insurance13.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
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- 49.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.9% · August 202571st percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.9% · August 202557th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score16.1% · Q4 202517th percentile
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- 44.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average4.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202652nd percentile
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- 31.0 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
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- 27.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.6% · August 202533rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people74.9 · 202522nd 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 Big Horn 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
Big Horn County
Wyoming
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Big Horn County in 2024, pay from work was 50 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 23 cents. Benefit checks were 27 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 10 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Big Horn County, benefit checks rose from 10 to 27 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Big Horn County, Wyoming: 27.0% and 49.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 27.0% of all personal income in Big Horn County, Wyoming (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 Big Horn County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Big Horn County has changed
The number of people living in Big Horn County grew by about 20% between 1969 and 2024, from 10,053 to 12,084. The number of jobs located there grew by about 32% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.8% in 1990 to 4.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 10,053 | 2024 12,084 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 3,209 | 2024 4,241 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.4% | 2024 12.6% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $24,053 | 2024 $66,663 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.8% | 2024 27.0% |
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 Big Horn County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1950 Census count of 13,176. The 2020 Census counted 11,521, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
1890
March 12, 1890 (authorized) 1897 (organized). Wikipedia
1959
Tornado: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1978
4 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Big Horn County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Big Horn County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Big Horn County, in Wyoming and Montana, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Big Horn County ranks 2nd of the seven; Big Horn County is highest, at 37.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Horn County, MT | 77 | 22.2% | 37.1% |
| Big Horn County, WY | 34 | 12.6% | 27.0% |
| Carbon County, MT | 10 | 9.4% | 19.9% |
| Park County, WY | 10 | 9.9% | 18.8% |
| Sheridan County, WY | 9 | 9.0% | 17.0% |
| Washakie County, WY | 8 | 11.4% | 26.2% |
| Johnson County, WY | 3 | 8.0% | 19.8% |
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 Big Horn County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Big Horn County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 4th highest of 23 in Wyoming (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Albany County, at 15.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Big Horn County ranks 3rd of 23 in the state.
Big Horn County in photographs
Places in Big Horn County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
United States Post Office in Basin, Wyoming USA.
The Bighorn Medicine Wheel is a medicine wheel located in the Big Horn Mountains of the U.S.
Photo: National Park Service via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Big Horn County, Wyoming: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Big Horn County, Wyoming?
12.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 13.2%.
Is Big Horn County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Big Horn County's poverty rate was 12.6% in 2024, 4th highest of 23 in Wyoming (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Albany County, at 15.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Big Horn County ranks 3rd of 23 in the state.
What is the population of Big Horn County, Wyoming?
About 12,084 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 11,521, 87% of the county's peak of 13,176 in 1950.
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 Big Horn 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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Legal Aid of Wyoming, Inc.
Legal aid
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Equal Justice Wyoming
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.
Download the CSV for Big Horn County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Big Horn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.