About one in eight people with a credit file in Becker County, Minnesota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Becker County, 13.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Becker County's score
In Becker County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 55.9. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 8.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 1.4%, August 2025, lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Becker 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, Becker County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 55.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202682nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.3% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
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- 46.0 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 rent20.7% · 2020 to 202465th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th percentile
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- 38.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.9% · 202438th percentile
- People with a disability14.9% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,821 · 202436th percentile
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- 27.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.0% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people113.4 · 202542nd percentile
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- 8.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.5% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.4% · August 20252nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.2% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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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 Becker 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 Becker County, 22.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Becker County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Becker County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Becker County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Becker County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 11.6%, with most of the change between 2012 and 2013
High on the chart: 12.5% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Becker County, Minnesota.
How Becker County has changed
Becker County's population rose by about half to 35,444, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 29,281. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Becker County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Becker County nearly doubled to 15,368, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 11,746. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Becker County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.3% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.4% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,253 | 2024 $71,821 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Becker County's history
1858
March 18, 1858 (created) March 6, 1871 (organized). Wikipedia
1975
A tornado in August 1975 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 35,183, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1966
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Becker County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Becker County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Becker County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Becker County ranks 6th of the eight; Mahnomen County is highest, at 38.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahnomen County, MN | 64 | 16.4% | 38.7% |
| Wadena County, MN | 50 | 15.1% | 38.2% |
| Clearwater County, MN | 35 | 14.1% | 32.4% |
| Hubbard County, MN | 29 | 12.4% | 28.3% |
| Becker County, MN | 24 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Norman County, MN | 23 | 10.5% | 35.4% |
| Clay County, MN | 19 | 11.2% | 22.9% |
| Otter Tail County, MN | 12 | 10.5% | 27.0% |
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 Becker County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Becker County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 15th highest of 87 in Minnesota (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Beltrami County, at 17.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Becker County ranks 32nd of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Becker 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.
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Justice North
Legal aid
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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.
Download the CSV for Becker County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
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 Becker County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.