Minnesota County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 87 counties in Minnesota, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 34.8.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Minnesota Snapshot
87 Counties Scored
34.8 Mean Score
34.1 Median Score
61.0 Mahnomen County Most Distressed
15.8 Stevens County Least Distressed
1 moderate-high county distress3 moderate county distress22 moderate-low county distress34 low-moderate county distress23 low county distress4 very low county distress
Score Label Distribution Minnesota County Map
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Low county distress Moderate-low county distress Moderate county distress High county distress Extreme county distress
All 87 Minnesota counties colored by county distress score range. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Minnesota's 87 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Minnesota Counties
87 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Score Label | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 990 | Mahnomen County | 61.0 | moderate-high county distress | Labor |
| 2 | 1,490 | Pine County | 52.0 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 3 | 1,498 | Ramsey County | 51.7 | moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 4 | 1,522 | Beltrami County | 51.3 | moderate county distress | Labor |
| 5 | 1,604 | Wadena County | 49.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 6 | 1,641 | Itasca County | 49.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 7 | 1,764 | Mille Lacs County | 47.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 8 | 1,765 | Isanti County | 47.0 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 1,781 | St. Louis County | 46.7 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 10 | 1,795 | Kanabec County | 46.4 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 11 | 1,801 | Swift County | 46.3 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 12 | 1,898 | Aitkin County | 44.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 13 | 1,905 | Koochiching County | 44.5 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 14 | 1,982 | Cass County | 43.2 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 15 | 1,997 | Benton County | 42.9 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 16 | 2,007 | Mower County | 42.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 17 | 2,026 | Renville County | 42.1 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 18 | 2,035 | Clearwater County | 42.0 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 19 | 2,052 | Lake County | 41.7 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 20 | 2,079 | Blue Earth County | 41.2 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 21 | 2,093 | Hennepin County | 41.0 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 22 | 2,112 | Steele County | 40.6 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 23 | 2,124 | Stearns County | 40.3 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 24 | 2,129 | Faribault County | 40.2 | moderate-low county distress | Labor |
| 25 | 2,140 | Chisago County | 40.0 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 26 | 2,143 | Anoka County | 40.0 | moderate-low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 27 | 2,155 | Clay County | 39.8 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 28 | 2,167 | Hubbard County | 39.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 29 | 2,187 | Freeborn County | 39.2 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 30 | 2,223 | Carlton County | 38.6 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 31 | 2,229 | Todd County | 38.4 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 32 | 2,250 | Chippewa County | 37.8 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 33 | 2,293 | Crow Wing County | 37.0 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 34 | 2,295 | Norman County | 37.0 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 35 | 2,328 | Dakota County | 36.4 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 36 | 2,340 | Martin County | 36.1 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 37 | 2,348 | Kandiyohi County | 35.9 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 38 | 2,352 | Lake of the Woods County | 35.8 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 39 | 2,381 | Pennington County | 35.3 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 40 | 2,394 | Cottonwood County | 34.9 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 41 | 2,398 | Pope County | 34.9 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 42 | 2,409 | Redwood County | 34.7 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 43 | 2,420 | Waseca County | 34.4 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 44 | 2,442 | Rice County | 34.1 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 45 | 2,444 | Sherburne County | 34.0 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 46 | 2,451 | Grant County | 33.8 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 47 | 2,457 | Le Sueur County | 33.6 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 48 | 2,461 | Nobles County | 33.6 | low-moderate county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 49 | 2,470 | Sibley County | 33.3 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 50 | 2,486 | Polk County | 33.1 | low-moderate county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 51 | 2,527 | Cook County | 32.3 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 52 | 2,559 | Lyon County | 31.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 53 | 2,560 | Washington County | 31.5 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 54 | 2,562 | Red Lake County | 31.4 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 55 | 2,570 | Lincoln County | 31.3 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 56 | 2,589 | Meeker County | 30.8 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 57 | 2,591 | McLeod County | 30.7 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 58 | 2,599 | Wright County | 30.6 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 59 | 2,610 | Wilkin County | 30.3 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 60 | 2,618 | Becker County | 30.2 | low-moderate county distress | Labor |
| 61 | 2,627 | Winona County | 29.9 | low county distress | Labor |
| 62 | 2,636 | Watonwan County | 29.7 | low county distress | Labor |
| 63 | 2,639 | Morrison County | 29.6 | low county distress | Labor |
| 64 | 2,640 | Dodge County | 29.6 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 65 | 2,649 | Roseau County | 29.2 | low county distress | Labor |
| 66 | 2,651 | Brown County | 29.1 | low county distress | Labor |
| 67 | 2,664 | Big Stone County | 28.8 | low county distress | Labor |
| 68 | 2,666 | Marshall County | 28.7 | low county distress | Labor |
| 69 | 2,694 | Pipestone County | 28.1 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 70 | 2,701 | Goodhue County | 28.0 | low county distress | Labor |
| 71 | 2,708 | Otter Tail County | 27.9 | low county distress | Labor |
| 72 | 2,727 | Olmsted County | 27.4 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 73 | 2,742 | Scott County | 26.8 | low county distress | Labor |
| 74 | 2,762 | Nicollet County | 26.2 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 75 | 2,777 | Wabasha County | 25.7 | low county distress | Labor |
| 76 | 2,778 | Fillmore County | 25.7 | low county distress | Labor |
| 77 | 2,822 | Yellow Medicine County | 24.7 | low county distress | Labor |
| 78 | 2,829 | Lac qui Parle County | 24.5 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 79 | 2,844 | Jackson County | 24.2 | low county distress | Labor |
| 80 | 2,856 | Houston County | 23.8 | low county distress | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 81 | 2,923 | Douglas County | 21.6 | low county distress | Labor |
| 82 | 2,951 | Carver County | 20.7 | low county distress | Labor |
| 83 | 2,972 | Murray County | 19.9 | low county distress | Labor |
| 84 | 2,974 | Rock County | 19.9 | very low county distress | Labor |
| 85 | 2,991 | Kittson County | 19.5 | very low county distress | Labor |
| 86 | 3,020 | Traverse County | 17.6 | very low county distress | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 87 | 3,054 | Stevens County | 15.8 | very low county distress | Labor |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
extreme county distress — 0 Minnesota counties
very high county distress — 0 Minnesota counties
high county distress — 0 Minnesota counties
moderate-high county distress — 1 Minnesota county
moderate county distress — 3 Minnesota counties
moderate-low county distress — 22 Minnesota counties
low-moderate county distress — 34 Minnesota counties
low county distress — 23 Minnesota counties
very low county distress — 4 Minnesota counties
exceptionally low county distress — 0 Minnesota counties