About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Benton County, Minnesota, have a job
In Benton County, 12.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 70% of U.S. counties.
What drives Benton County's score
In Benton County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 51.5. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 15.6. About one in 29 people (3.4%, 2020 to 2024) has no health insurance, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benton 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, Benton County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (209.1, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 51.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent21.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.1% · fiscal year 202732nd percentile
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- 49.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.9% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people209.1 · 202576th percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202687th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.1% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
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- 28.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202544th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.3% · second quarter of 202620th percentile
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- 15.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.0% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance3.4% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,562 · 202424th 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 Benton 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 Benton County, 14.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Benton County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Benton County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 21.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Benton County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 7.5% in 2010 to 9.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Benton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 7.5% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Benton County, Minnesota.
How Benton County has changed
Benton County's population had its largest rise, from 33,653 in 1999 to 37,072 in 2004.
Benton County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 41,881, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 41,881. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benton County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Benton County nearly doubled to 17,097, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 11,946. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benton County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.3% | 2025 4.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.8% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,877 | 2024 $77,562 |
The table uses 4.7% for 2025; the score uses 5.5% 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 Benton County's history
1849
October 27, 1849 (created) 1850 (organized). Wikipedia
2001
A flash flood in April 2001 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
Hail in June 2007 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A thunderstorm in July 2011 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 41,379, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benton County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Benton County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Benton County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Benton County ranks 3rd of the five; Mille Lacs County is highest, at 31.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 35 | 10.8% | 31.1% |
| Benton County, MN | 29 | 9.5% | 21.7% |
| Stearns County, MN | 28 | 11.7% | 20.0% |
| Sherburne County, MN | 15 | 5.9% | 17.4% |
| Morrison County, MN | 15 | 11.5% | 29.6% |
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 Benton County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Benton County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 53rd 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, Benton County ranks 18th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Benton 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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Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
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 Benton 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 Benton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.