About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Martin County, Minnesota, have a job
In Martin County, 14.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 74% of U.S. counties.
What drives Martin County's score
In Martin County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 44.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 20.5. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.7%, August 2025, lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Martin 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.
Martin 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.
- 44.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.3% · 202440th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,311 · 202466th percentile
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- 40.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.5% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people147.5 · 202559th percentile
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- 38.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202661st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.8% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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- 36.0 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 rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202740th percentile
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- 20.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202536th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.7% · second quarter of 202615th 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 Martin 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 Martin County, 24.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Martin County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Martin County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 28.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Martin County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.1%; 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 Martin County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 12.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2023 to 2024, reaching 12.3%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Martin County, Minnesota.
How Martin County has changed
Martin County's population fell most sharply after its 1984 high, from 24,882 in 1984 to 22,908 in 1989.
Martin County's population fell by about a fifth to 19,561, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 24,882 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Martin County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Martin County had its largest drop, from 8,660 in 2015 to 7,959 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Martin County fell 11% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 9,538 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Martin County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.4% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.9% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,126 | 2024 $61,311 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 4.4% 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 Martin County's history
1857
Created May 23, 1857 by Minnesota Territory legislature, with Fair Mount (also platted 1857) designated as county seat. Town's name later shortened to Fairmont. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 26,986. The 2020 Census counted 20,025, 74% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
Frozen vegetable processing plant closed December 1992. Wikipedia
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A tornado in September 2018 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Martin County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Martin County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Martin County, in Minnesota and Iowa, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Martin County ranks 2nd of the seven; Faribault County is highest, at 31.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faribault County, MN | 33 | 10.8% | 31.4% |
| Martin County, MN | 25 | 12.7% | 28.1% |
| Blue Earth County, MN | 24 | 14.1% | 21.2% |
| Emmet County, IA | 21 | 11.9% | 26.8% |
| Watonwan County, MN | 12 | 10.6% | 25.1% |
| Jackson County, MN | 7 | 9.4% | 23.6% |
| Kossuth County, IA | 3 | 8.9% | 23.2% |
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 Martin County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Martin County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 16th 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, Martin County ranks 29th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Martin 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 Martin 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 Martin County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.