About one in 13 people with a credit file in Big Stone County, Minnesota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Big Stone County, 7.9% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 79% of U.S. counties.
What drives Big Stone County's score
In Big Stone County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 54.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 5.0. People with a credit card behind: 1.1%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Big Stone 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, Big Stone County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (24.5%, 2020 to 2024) and 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.
- 54.3 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 202680th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.1% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
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- 50.8 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 rent24.5% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.4% · fiscal year 202716th percentile
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- 32.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.5% · 202430th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance3.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,982 · 202440th percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector7.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people97.9 · 202535th percentile
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- 5.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.8% · second quarter of 20265th or lower 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 Big Stone 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 Big Stone County, 26.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Big Stone County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Big Stone County had its largest rise, from 21.1% in 1989 to 26.5% in 1994.
In Big Stone County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 29.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Big Stone County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Big Stone County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 11.2% in 2015 to 7.6% in 2016.
The share of households in Big Stone County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 9.5%
Low on the chart: 3.0% 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, Big Stone County, Minnesota.
How Big Stone County has changed
Big Stone County's population had its largest drop, from 7,429 in 1984 to 6,446 in 1989.
Big Stone County's population fell 36% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 7,999 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Big Stone County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Big Stone County had its largest drop, from 1,923 in 2010 to 1,756 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Big Stone County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 1,923 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Big Stone County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 4.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.3% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,494 | 2024 $69,982 |
The table uses 4.2% 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 Big Stone County's history
1862
February 20, 1862 (created) 1874 (organized). Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 10,447. The 2020 Census counted 5,166, 49% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A tornado in May 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Big Stone County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Big Stone County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Big Stone County, in Minnesota and South Dakota, two score higher. Of the group, Big Stone County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swift County, MN | 44 | 13.2% | 23.4% |
| Roberts County, SD | 31 | 16.2% | 24.2% |
| Traverse County, MN | 20 | 13.1% | 25.6% |
| Big Stone County, MN | 20 | 12.3% | 29.3% |
| Lac qui Parle County, MN | 10 | 9.3% | 29.1% |
| Stevens County, MN | 6 | 10.9% | 20.9% |
| Grant County, SD | 3 | 8.6% | 19.0% |
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 Big Stone County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Big Stone County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 20th 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, Big Stone County ranks 40th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Big Stone 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 Big Stone 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 Big Stone County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.