Unemployment in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Mahnomen County, 6.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026). That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mahnomen County's score
In Mahnomen County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.8. Unemployment averaged 6.6%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 68.3.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
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).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Mahnomen County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 90.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working28.7% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.6% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202695th percentile
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- 68.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line20.9% · 202467th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$60,812 · 202468th percentile
- People below the poverty line16.4% · 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance11.9% · 2020 to 202477th percentile
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- 49.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.4% · August 202552nd percentile
- People with a credit card behind4.6% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.8% · Q4 202559th percentile
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- 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
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- 38.4 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.0% · fiscal year 202742nd percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.5% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Mahnomen County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mahnomen County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Mahnomen County in 2024, pay from work was 49 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 39 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks brought in more than pay in one of the years since 1969, but pay is ahead now.
In Mahnomen County, benefit checks rose from 18 to 39 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Mahnomen County, Minnesota: 38.7% and 48.6% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 38.7% of all personal income in Mahnomen County, Minnesota (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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.
How Mahnomen County has changed
The number of people living in Mahnomen County fell by about one in 10 between 1969 and 2024, from 5,914 to 5,296. The number of jobs located there grew by about 92% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.4% in 1990 to 6.0% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 5,914 | 2024 5,296 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 1,035 | 2024 1,989 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.4% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 23.2% | 2024 16.4% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $18,642 | 2024 $60,812 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 18.3% | 2024 38.7% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Mahnomen County's history
Largest decennial census count
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
1906
Created December 27, 1906, from east half of Norman County, with Mahnomen as county seat. Wikipedia
2013
Tornado: $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mahnomen County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
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 | 62 | 16.4% | 38.7% |
| Clearwater County, MN | 35 | 14.1% | 32.4% |
| Becker County, MN | 23 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Norman County, MN | 21 | 10.5% | 35.4% |
| Polk County, MN | 16 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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.
Mahnomen County in photographs
Places in Mahnomen County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Mahnomen County Courthouse West side Mahnomen, Minnesota.
Mahnomen, MN.
Mahnomen County, Minnesota: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Mahnomen County, Minnesota?
16.4% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in six people. Among children it was 20.9%.
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.
What is the population of Mahnomen County, Minnesota?
About 5,296 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 5,411, 67% of the county's peak of 8,054 in 1940.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mahnomen County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- 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.