About four in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Faribault County, Minnesota, have a job
In Faribault County, 15.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 79% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 66% of U.S. counties.
What drives Faribault County's score
In Faribault County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 25.8. About one in seven renters (13.4%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 75% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Faribault 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, Faribault 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.
- 52.3 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 202684th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.3% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people180.2 · 202569th percentile
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- 39.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202547th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.5% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 36.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability15.1% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- People without health insurance5.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,607 · 202453rd percentile
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- 25.8 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 rent13.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.6% · fiscal year 202727th 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 Faribault 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 Faribault County, 23.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Faribault County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Faribault County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 31.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Faribault County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 31.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Faribault County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.2% in 2022 to 9.7% in 2023.
The share of households in Faribault County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 6.6% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Faribault County, Minnesota.
How Faribault County has changed
Faribault County's population had its largest drop, from 18,870 in 1984 to 17,263 in 1989.
Faribault County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13,886, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2019 to 2024, reaching 13,886. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Faribault County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Faribault County had its largest drop, from 5,668 in 2005 to 5,022 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Faribault County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 6,001 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Faribault County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,676 | 2024 $65,607 |
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 Faribault County's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 23,941. The 2020 Census counted 13,921, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1996
A thunderstorm in May 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Faribault County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Faribault County beside its neighbors
Faribault County scores higher than all six counties that border it, in Minnesota and Iowa. Of the group, Faribault County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (31.4%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faribault County, MN | 33 | 10.8% | 31.4% |
| Freeborn County, MN | 32 | 11.3% | 28.3% |
| Martin County, MN | 25 | 12.7% | 28.1% |
| Blue Earth County, MN | 24 | 14.1% | 21.2% |
| Waseca County, MN | 13 | 8.9% | 22.0% |
| Winnebago County, IA | 8 | 10.4% | 26.3% |
| Kossuth County, IA | 3 | 8.9% | 23.2% |
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 Faribault County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Faribault County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 34th 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, Faribault County ranks 16th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Faribault 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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Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
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 Faribault 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 Faribault County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.