About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Fillmore County, Minnesota, have a job
In Fillmore County, 10.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fillmore County's score
In Fillmore County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 28.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.8. About one in four people (26.6%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fillmore 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.
Fillmore County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 28.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202654th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.0% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
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- 22.7 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 rent16.5% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.6% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
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- 19.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.1% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.6% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability11.4% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,883 · 202423rd percentile
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- 19.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.1% · August 20253rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people97.6 · 202534th percentile
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- 15.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.6% · second quarter of 20265th 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 Fillmore 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 Fillmore County, 22.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fillmore County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Fillmore County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 25.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Fillmore County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fillmore County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.0% in 2017 to 6.9% in 2018.
The share of households in Fillmore County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 4.1% 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, Fillmore County, Minnesota.
How Fillmore County has changed
Fillmore County's population had its largest drop, from 21,605 in 1984 to 20,875 in 1989.
Fillmore County's population was about the same in 2024 as in 1969
High on the chart: 22,088 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fillmore County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Fillmore County had its largest rise, from 6,168 in 1995 to 6,791 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Fillmore County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 6,791 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fillmore County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 8.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,166 | 2024 $77,883 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.2% 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 Fillmore County's history
1853
Created March 5, 1853. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 28,238. The 2020 Census counted 21,228, 75% of the peak. Census Bureau
1953
A tornado in May 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $38 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flood in August 2007 did $11 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
A flash flood in June 2013 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fillmore County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fillmore County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Fillmore County, in Minnesota and Iowa, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fillmore County ranks 2nd of the seven; Mower County is highest, at 26.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mower County, MN | 37 | 9.2% | 26.1% |
| Winona County, MN | 11 | 13.3% | 22.1% |
| Houston County, MN | 10 | 8.6% | 23.6% |
| Olmsted County, MN | 7 | 6.8% | 16.1% |
| Fillmore County, MN | 6 | 8.1% | 25.6% |
| Howard County, IA | 1 | 9.7% | 20.7% |
| Winneshiek County, IA | 0 | 8.9% | 20.7% |
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 Fillmore County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Fillmore County's poverty rate was 8.1% in 2024, 70th 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, Fillmore County ranks 82nd of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fillmore 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 Fillmore 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 Fillmore County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.