Unemployment in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Mahnomen County, 6.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mahnomen County's score
In Mahnomen County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.8. Income and the safety net comes next, at 68.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mahnomen 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.
Mahnomen County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (75.8, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 90.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.7% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
-
- 68.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line20.9% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance11.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,812 · 202468th percentile
-
- 54.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score48.7% · second quarter of 202676th percentile
-
- 41.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector25.7% · August 202559th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people75.8 · 202522nd percentile
-
- 38.4 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 rent15.5% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd 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 Mahnomen 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 Mahnomen County, 17.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mahnomen County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mahnomen County had its largest rise, from 27.8% in 2004 to 37.4% in 2009.
In Mahnomen County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 38.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Mahnomen County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mahnomen County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 12.0% in 2010 to 15.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Mahnomen County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 21.4%
High on the chart: 22.6% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mahnomen County, Minnesota.
How Mahnomen County has changed
Mahnomen County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 5,914 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mahnomen County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Mahnomen County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 2,028, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 2,159 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mahnomen County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.4% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.2% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,642 | 2024 $60,812 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 6.7% 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 Mahnomen County's history
1906
Created December 27, 1906, from east half of Norman County, with Mahnomen as county seat. Wikipedia
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 8,054. The 2020 Census counted 5,411, 67% of the peak. Census Bureau
2013
A tornado in July 2013 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
-
Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mahnomen County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mahnomen County beside its neighbors
Mahnomen County scores higher than all four counties that border it. Of the group, Mahnomen County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahnomen County, MN | 64 | 16.4% | 38.7% |
| Clearwater County, MN | 35 | 14.1% | 32.4% |
| Becker County, MN | 24 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Norman County, MN | 23 | 10.5% | 35.4% |
| Polk County, MN | 16 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
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 Mahnomen County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Mahnomen County's poverty rate was 16.4% in 2024, 2nd 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, Mahnomen County ranks 1st of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mahnomen 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.
-
Justice North
Legal aid
-
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 Mahnomen 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 Mahnomen County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.