Houston County, Minnesota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 29.9 | 18,582 people · 71st most distressed in Minnesota

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Houston County, MN ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 29.9 — 2889th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where unemployment is elevated, wages are low relative to housing costs, and business formation lags. Within Minnesota, it ranks 71st of 87 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Houston County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 73.3 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 73.3
Unemployment Rate 52
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 78
Business Formation Rate 90
Housing Cost Burden 44.6
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 46
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 79
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 72
Homeownership Rate 5
Rent-to-Income Ratio 21
Income & Poverty 14.6
Poverty Rate 6
Income vs. State Median 33
Child Poverty Rate 5
Debt & Delinquency 9.4
Debt in Collections 5
Medical Debt 14
Student Loan Delinquency 5
Auto Loan Delinquency 5
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 22
Community Vulnerability 7.5
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 10

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Houston County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Houston County
Houston County, MN 29.9 Healthy
Allamakee County, IA 38.6 Normal +8.7
Vernon County, WI 38.5 Normal +8.7
Winona County, MN 36.8 Normal +6.9
La Crosse County, WI 36.6 Normal +6.8
Fillmore County, MN 35.7 Normal +5.8
Winneshiek County, IA 19.8 Healthy -10.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Houston County
Auglaize County, OH 29.8 Healthy -0.1
Door County, WI 29.8 Healthy -0.1
Ste. Genevieve County, MO 30.1 Healthy +0.2
Davison County, SD 30.1 Healthy +0.3
Madison County, IA 29.6 Healthy -0.3

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