About one in seven people with a credit file in Koochiching County, Minnesota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Koochiching County, 13.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 72% of U.S. counties.
What drives Koochiching County's score
In Koochiching County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 56.6. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 18.3. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.1%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Koochiching 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, Koochiching County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (6.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026) and people with a disability (19.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 56.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202694th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.5% · 2020 to 202418th percentile
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- 50.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.4% · 202451st percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.1% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability19.5% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- People without health insurance5.7% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$64,165 · 202457th percentile
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- 32.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.7% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people127.6 · 202550th 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 rent12.4% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 18.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202529th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.1% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.8% · second quarter of 202619th 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 Koochiching 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 Koochiching County, 28.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Koochiching County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Koochiching County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 36.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Koochiching County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Koochiching County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.4%, with most of the change between 2023 and 2024
High on the chart: 15.2% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Koochiching County, Minnesota.
How Koochiching County has changed
Koochiching County's population had its largest drop, from 16,978 in 1984 to 15,542 in 1989.
Koochiching County's population fell by about a third to 11,594, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 17,529 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Koochiching County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Koochiching County fell 40% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 6,943 in 1990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Koochiching County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 5.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.2% | 2024 13.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,066 | 2024 $64,165 |
The table uses 5.3% for 2025; the score uses 6.4% 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 Koochiching County's history
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 18,190. The 2020 Census counted 12,062, 66% of the peak. Census Bureau
1993
A tornado in August 1993 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
Hail in May 1998 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Paper mill layoff of 394 employees and machine closure, 2013. Wikipedia
2022
A flood in July 2022 did $2.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1970
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Koochiching County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Koochiching County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Koochiching County, three score higher. Of the group, Koochiching County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (36.6%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beltrami County, MN | 54 | 17.3% | 31.1% |
| Itasca County, MN | 37 | 11.0% | 33.2% |
| St. Louis County, MN | 35 | 12.7% | 27.5% |
| Koochiching County, MN | 27 | 13.4% | 36.6% |
| Lake of the Woods County, MN | 13 | 10.3% | 30.5% |
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 Koochiching County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Koochiching County's poverty rate was 13.4% in 2024, 8th 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, Koochiching County ranks 24th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Koochiching 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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Justice North
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 Koochiching 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 Koochiching County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.