John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor. Social Security was the largest, totaling $4.53 billion, equating to $4,037 per capita and making up 36.2% of total transfers.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Montana in 2022, accounting for $2.84 billion, averaging $2,526 per capita, and represented 22.6% of transfers in the state. Medicaid transfers provided another $2.42 billion, averaging $2,159 per capita and comprising 19.3% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Statewide, including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $12.54 billion, and accounted for 18.3% of residents’ total income, with an average of $11,163 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 20% of the population aged 65 and older, Montana has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. The total per capita income in Montana, excluding government transfers was $49,820.7, which is noticeably below the county's total income of $60,984, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Montana saw a decrease in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.3%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Montana, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 8.7% (or $1,897 per capita) in 1970 to 18.3% (or $11,163 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone County | 1 | 16.5% | 18% | 6% | 3.7% | 3.2% | 1.2% | $10,462 |
| Flathead County | 2 | 17.8% | 20.9% | 7% | 4% | 2.9% | 1.2% | $11,245 |
| Missoula County | 3 | 15.8% | 17.1% | 5.8% | 3.3% | 3.2% | 1.1% | $10,099 |
| Cascade County | 4 | 21.1% | 19.7% | 7% | 4.6% | 4.3% | 1.6% | $12,031 |
| Gallatin County | 5 | 8.3% | 13.6% | 3.4% | 1.9% | 1% | 0.5% | $6,744 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 6 | 18% | 20.3% | 7.2% | 3.7% | 2.9% | 1.1% | $10,695 |
| Ravalli County | 7 | 22.4% | 26.9% | 9.1% | 5.1% | 3.4% | 1.3% | $13,512 |
| Silver Bow County | 8 | 22.2% | 19.3% | 7.8% | 5.1% | 5% | 1.7% | $12,553 |
| Lake County | 9 | 27.9% | 24.1% | 9.3% | 5.7% | 7.5% | 2.3% | $13,243 |
| Lincoln County | 10 | 36.3% | 30% | 14% | 8.5% | 6.2% | 2.4% | $16,276 |
| Sanders County | 11 | 35.5% | 32.2% | 13.6% | 8.1% | 6.7% | 2.1% | $15,785 |
| Hill County | 12 | 24% | 16.2% | 5.5% | 4.8% | 6.8% | 2.1% | $13,052 |
| Park County | 13 | 18.2% | 24.5% | 6.5% | 4.7% | 2.9% | 1% | $11,501 |
| Glacier County | 14 | 29.2% | 13.2% | 5.5% | 4.1% | 12.4% | 4.3% | $12,995 |
| Big Horn County | 15 | 37% | 14.1% | 7.2% | 6.7% | 14.9% | 5.2% | $13,802 |
| Roosevelt County | 16 | 34.9% | 12.3% | 6.3% | 6.1% | 15.5% | 4% | $15,249 |
| Jefferson County | 17 | 19.4% | 23.3% | 8.4% | 4.3% | 2.4% | 0.9% | $11,698 |
| Deer Lodge County | 18 | 31% | 26.7% | 11.1% | 8.3% | 6.3% | 1.8% | $14,843 |
| Fergus County | 19 | 23.6% | 25% | 9% | 5.6% | 4.3% | 1.4% | $12,067 |
| Custer County | 20 | 21.3% | 20.5% | 7.2% | 5.4% | 4.3% | 1.4% | $11,180 |
| Carbon County | 21 | 17.6% | 27.2% | 7.5% | 4.6% | 2.1% | 0.8% | $11,984 |
| Beaverhead County | 22 | 20.7% | 23.9% | 7.4% | 5.3% | 3.9% | 1.2% | $12,638 |
| Rosebud County | 23 | 26.7% | 17.1% | 8% | 5% | 7.7% | 2.9% | $14,095 |
| Stillwater County | 24 | 18.2% | 25% | 8% | 4.7% | 2.1% | 0.8% | $12,394 |
| Madison County | 25 | 16% | 30.2% | 7.2% | 4.5% | 1.4% | 0.6% | $11,584 |
| Dawson County | 26 | 24.1% | 21.1% | 7.7% | 5.5% | 3.9% | 1.3% | $11,924 |
| Richland County | 27 | 14.1% | 17% | 5.2% | 4.2% | 2.3% | 0.9% | $9,102 |
| Valley County | 28 | 22.5% | 24.7% | 6.9% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 1.5% | $13,376 |
| Powell County | 29 | 27.6% | 21.3% | 8.2% | 8.6% | 6.2% | 1.4% | $13,870 |
| Blaine County | 30 | 31.9% | 16.5% | 7.3% | 5.4% | 11.8% | 3.3% | $11,695 |
| Pondera County | 31 | 21.5% | 22.1% | 6.3% | 5% | 5.8% | 1.8% | $13,076 |
| Broadwater County | 32 | 19.5% | 23.4% | 7.5% | 4.5% | 2.9% | 1.2% | $10,087 |
| Teton County | 33 | 20.4% | 23.1% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 3.4% | 1.3% | $12,264 |
| Musselshell County | 34 | 30% | 27% | 10.3% | 7.1% | 6.7% | 1.9% | $14,849 |
| Mineral County | 35 | 30.5% | 28.7% | 12.6% | 6.6% | 4.2% | 2.4% | $14,213 |
| Chouteau County | 36 | 17.7% | 23.1% | 6.8% | 4.3% | 2.6% | 1.2% | $9,699 |
| Phillips County | 37 | 28.4% | 23.9% | 9.1% | 7.6% | 6.5% | 1.9% | $12,747 |
| Toole County | 38 | 16.4% | 17.2% | 5.4% | 3.8% | 3.5% | 1.3% | $9,795 |
| Sheridan County | 39 | 24.6% | 25.2% | 8.9% | 7.9% | 3.4% | 1.3% | $13,043 |
| Sweet Grass County | 40 | 20.7% | 28.5% | 8.4% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 0.9% | $12,315 |
| Granite County | 41 | 21.5% | 31.1% | 9.5% | 5.3% | 2.6% | 0.9% | $12,167 |
| Meagher County | 42 | 32.1% | 32% | 10% | 9.7% | 6.4% | 1.7% | $15,841 |
| Fallon County | 43 | 19.9% | 19.3% | 7.2% | 6.7% | 3.1% | 1.1% | $10,047 |
| Wheatland County | 44 | 31.8% | 24.6% | 9.3% | 9.9% | 7% | 1.8% | $14,834 |
| Liberty County | 45 | 16.5% | 24% | 5.4% | 4.8% | 3.4% | 1% | $12,102 |
| Judith Basin County | 46 | 21% | 27% | 8.6% | 4.6% | 2.5% | 1.2% | $11,266 |
| Daniels County | 47 | 21.1% | 26.8% | 7.8% | 7.7% | 2.7% | 0.8% | $13,488 |
| McCone County | 48 | 19.2% | 28.4% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 3% | 1.3% | $10,195 |
| Powder River County | 49 | 23% | 30.8% | 10.1% | 6% | 2.3% | 1.4% | $9,377 |
| Prairie County | 50 | 27.4% | 36.6% | 10.6% | 6.6% | 5% | 1.5% | $14,472 |
| Carter County | 51 | 26.3% | 28.9% | 9.8% | 8.9% | 3.5% | 1.2% | $10,972 |
| Golden Valley County | 52 | 28.6% | 33.9% | 12.4% | 8% | 3.8% | 1.6% | $16,014 |
| Garfield County | 53 | 25% | 25% | 8.6% | 7.4% | 4.6% | 1.7% | $10,922 |
| Wibaux County | 54 | 28.2% | 25.2% | 10% | 7.9% | 6.2% | 1.4% | $13,110 |
| Treasure County | 55 | 22.7% | 31.3% | 10.1% | 5.8% | 3.2% | 1.4% | $11,698 |
| Petroleum County | 56 | 27% | 29.2% | 9.7% | 7.7% | 4% | 1.8% | $9,198 |
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