In Crook County, Wyoming, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Crook County, 14.2% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Crook County's score
In Crook County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 30.1. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 7.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Crook 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, Crook County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (11.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 30.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.7% · 20246th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.8% · 202412th percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance11.4% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,552 · 202414th percentile
-
- 22.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.4% · August 202512th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.2 · 202532nd percentile
-
- 13.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.3% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.2% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
-
- 10.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202610th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.6% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
-
- 7.2 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 rent8.6% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.2% · fiscal year 20275th or lower 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 Crook 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 Crook County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Crook County
Wyoming
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Crook County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Crook County, Wyoming, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Crook County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 3.5% in 2012 to 2.1% in 2013.
The share of households in Crook County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen to 0.6%
Low on the chart: 0.1% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Crook County, Wyoming.
How Crook County has changed
Crook County's population had its largest rise, from 6,052 in 2004 to 6,965 in 2009.
Crook County's population nearly doubled to 7,775, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 7,775 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Crook County, Wyoming.
The number of jobs located in Crook County had its largest rise, from 1,655 in 1990 to 1,915 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Crook County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 2,715, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 2,340. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Crook County, Wyoming.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 7.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,793 | 2024 $84,552 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Crook County's history
1875
December 8, 1875 (authorized) 1888 (organized). Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 7,181, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1978
5 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Crook County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Crook County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Crook County, in Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Crook County ranks 5th of the seven; Weston County is highest, at 27.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butte County, SD | 25 | 11.6% | 25.3% |
| Campbell County, WY | 20 | 8.5% | 15.4% |
| Carter County, MT | 15 | 13.0% | 27.1% |
| Powder River County, MT | 7 | 11.1% | 22.2% |
| Weston County, WY | 6 | 10.5% | 27.6% |
| Lawrence County, SD | 6 | 11.3% | 18.9% |
| Crook County, WY | 2 | 7.7% | 20.5% |
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 Crook County the poorest county in Wyoming?
No, Crook County's poverty rate was 7.7% in 2024, 20th 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, Crook County ranks 21st of 23 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Crook 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.
-
Legal Aid of Wyoming, Inc.
Legal aid
-
Equal Justice Wyoming
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.
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 Crook County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.