About one in 16 people in Chisago County, Minnesota, lives below the poverty line

In Chisago County, 6.4% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
27th
of 87 counties in Minnesota
25score /100

Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.

What drives Chisago County's score

In Chisago County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 70.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 6.6.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Chisago 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, Chisago County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.0%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (227.2, 2025).

A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    70.4 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      26.0% · 2020 to 2024
      89th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      20.8% · fiscal year 2027
      51st percentile

  • Jobs

    48.0 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      5.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      79th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      15.1% · 2020 to 2024
      16th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    44.1 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      11.4% · August 2025
      6th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      227.2 · 2025
      81st percentile

  • Late payments

    11.3 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      3.7% · August 2025
      21st percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      2.5% · August 2025
      9th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      25.3% · second quarter of 2026
      3rd percentile

  • Income and safety net

    6.6 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      6.4% · 2024
      2nd percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      6.3% · 2024
      2nd percentile
    • People with a disability
      11.5% · 2020 to 2024
      11th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      4.3% · 2020 to 2024
      11th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $100,209 · 2024
      5th percentile

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 Chisago 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 Chisago County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Chisago County

65 15 20

Minnesota

61 21 18

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Chisago County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks

In Chisago County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Chisago County, Minnesota American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/minnesota/chisago-county-mn/
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The share of households in Chisago County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 6.8% in 2014 to 7.6% in 2015; 7.2% in 2018 to 6.4% in 2019.

The share of households in Chisago County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third

Low on the chart: 4.8% 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, Chisago County, Minnesota.

0%4%8% 4.9%5.3% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%4%8% 4.9%5.3% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/minnesota/chisago-county-mn/
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How Chisago County has changed

Chisago County's population had its largest rise, from 40,070 in 1999 to 49,054 in 2004.

Chisago County's population more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 59,105, with no dip in any year shown

Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 53,746. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Chisago County, Minnesota.

030,00060,000 17,26759,105 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 030,00060,000 17,26759,105 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/minnesota/chisago-county-mn/
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The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.

The number of jobs located in Chisago County doubled to 16,270, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 12,598. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Chisago County, Minnesota.

010,00020,000 8,38016,270 19901995200020052010201520202025 010,00020,000 8,38016,270 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/minnesota/chisago-county-mn/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 6.8% 2025 4.4% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 6.8% 2024 6.4% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $32,004 2024 $100,209 Census SAIPE

The table uses 4.4% for 2025; the score uses 5.1% 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 Chisago County's history

  1. 1851

    Officially established as a county in 1851, not before. In 1851, the area was part of the Minnesota Territory. Wikipedia

  2. 2001

    Hail in May 2001 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  3. 2007

    Hail in June 2007 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 56,621, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  5. Since 1965

    11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Chisago County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA

Chisago County beside its neighbors

Of the six counties that border Chisago County, in Minnesota and Wisconsin, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Chisago County ranks 5th of the seven; Pine County is highest, at 34.4%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Pine County, MN 46 4th of 87 13.5% 34.4%
Isanti County, MN 36 11th of 87 7.2% 23.2%
Burnett County, WI 30 11th of 72 10.6% 33.6%
Chisago County, MN 25 27th of 87 6.4% 20.3%
Anoka County, MN 23 36th of 87 6.9% 17.7%
Polk County, WI 14 30th of 72 9.1% 24.7%
Washington County, MN 10 68th of 87 4.9% 12.9%

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 Chisago County the poorest county in Minnesota?

No, Chisago County's poverty rate was 6.4% in 2024, 82nd 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, Chisago County ranks 27th of 87 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Chisago 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.

Minnesota foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Chisago County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Chisago County, Minnesota, scores 25 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/minnesota/chisago-county-mn/

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 Chisago County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.