Unemployment in Beltrami County, Minnesota, is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties
In Beltrami County, 5.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 91% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Beltrami County's score
In Beltrami County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 71.6. Housing costs come next, at 67.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Beltrami 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.
Beltrami County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (3.1%, August 2025) and people with a subprime credit score (34.4%, Q2 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202690th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
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- 67.1 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 rent19.9% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 58.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.3% · 202477th percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.3% · 202465th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$63,322 · 202460th percentile
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- 34.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.0% · August 202530th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people102.7 · 202537th percentile
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- 33.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.4% · second quarter of 202627th 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 Beltrami 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 Beltrami County, 17.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Beltrami County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Beltrami County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 31.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Beltrami County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Beltrami County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 13.9% in 2012 to 15.2% in 2013.
The share of households in Beltrami County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 13.5%
Low on the chart: 11.0% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Beltrami County, Minnesota.
How Beltrami County has changed
Beltrami County's population had its largest rise, from 23,906 in 1969 to 29,064 in 1974.
Beltrami County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 46,762, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 46,762. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Beltrami County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Beltrami County nearly doubled to 20,687, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 16,969. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Beltrami County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.4% | 2025 5.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.4% | 2024 17.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,221 | 2024 $63,322 |
The table uses 5.1% for 2025; the score uses 5.8% 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 Beltrami County's history
1866
February 28, 1866 (created) 1896 (organized). Wikipedia
1914
Sawmill burned down on July 19, 1914, causing disaster for business. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 46,228, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A tornado in July 2021 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in June 2025 did $15 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Beltrami County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Beltrami County beside its neighbors
Beltrami County scores higher than all nine counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Beltrami County ranks 5th of the 10; Koochiching County is highest, at 36.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beltrami County, MN | 54 | 17.3% | 31.1% |
| Itasca County, MN | 37 | 11.0% | 33.2% |
| Clearwater County, MN | 35 | 14.1% | 32.4% |
| Hubbard County, MN | 29 | 12.4% | 28.3% |
| Cass County, MN | 27 | 11.7% | 32.9% |
| Koochiching County, MN | 27 | 13.4% | 36.6% |
| Pennington County, MN | 17 | 10.7% | 22.4% |
| Lake of the Woods County, MN | 13 | 10.3% | 30.5% |
| Roseau County, MN | 9 | 8.8% | 22.9% |
| Marshall County, MN | 7 | 9.0% | 25.5% |
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 Beltrami County the poorest county in Minnesota?
Yes, Beltrami County's poverty rate was 17.3% in 2024, the highest of 87 counties in Minnesota (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Beltrami County ranks 2nd of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Beltrami 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 Beltrami 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 Beltrami County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.