Pondera County, Montana
Above the national median for poverty rate — and 5.8× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Lincoln County, SD — 3%).
Main Findings
Pondera County, Montana ranks 2,287th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Pondera sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 2,287th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 21st in Montana.
- 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 14%). Poverty rate at the 83rd percentile nationally.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 32% — national median 21%, ranked at the 95th percentile.
- Labor domain score 43 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Default & Legal domain score 21 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 53-point drop to Teton County marks where the Montana distress corridor ends.
"Pondera County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."
"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."
The Indicators Behind Pondera County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Pondera County's value shown alongside MT's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Pondera | MT median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 14 · Rank 2,837 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 1% | 3% | 5% | 5th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 3% | 5% | 22nd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 16% | 16% | 23% | 15th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 21 · Rank 2,735 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 16% | 15% | 23% | 21st | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 73 | 73 | 126 | 21st | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 52 · Rank 1,464 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 32% | 26% | 21% | 95th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 8% | 14% | 18% | 8th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 43 · Rank 1,787 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 3% | 4% | 43rd | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 59 · Rank 1,212 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 22% | 17% | 18% | 69th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 18% | 16% | 16% | 71st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 19% | 13% | 14% | 83rd | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 22% | 25% | 27% | 28th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 8% | 8% | 8% | 45th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Pondera County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 141-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CONRAD, Mont. — Pondera County ranks 2,287th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 38 out of 100 places Pondera in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,286 counties rank more distressed. Within Montana, Pondera ranks 21st of 56 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Pondera sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Pondera County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pondera County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
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How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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