About one in 10 people with a credit file in Morrison County, Minnesota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Morrison County, 9.7% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Morrison County's score
In Morrison County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 10.7. About three in ten people (27.8%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Morrison 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, Morrison County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (6.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202695th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.7% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
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- 28.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.7% · August 20253rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people134.3 · 202553rd percentile
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- 25.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.5% · 202435th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.9% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,508 · 202437th percentile
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- 20.4 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 rent14.0% · 2020 to 202427th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.0% · fiscal year 202713th percentile
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- 10.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.8% · second quarter of 20267th 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 Morrison 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 Morrison County, 21.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Morrison County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Morrison County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Morrison County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Morrison County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.0% in 2018 to 7.6% in 2019.
The share of households in Morrison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Morrison County, Minnesota.
How Morrison County has changed
Morrison County's population rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 27,377 in 1974 to 28,832 in 1979.
Morrison County's population rose by about a quarter to 34,520, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 34,520 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Morrison County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Morrison County had its largest rise, from 8,110 in 1990 to 9,622 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Morrison County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 11,399 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Morrison County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.4% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.7% | 2024 11.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,025 | 2024 $71,508 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 6.6% 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 Morrison County's history
1856
Created February 25, 1856. Wikipedia
1862
Sioux Uprising 1862 - Ojibwe sent warriors to protect settlers. Wikipedia
1890
Pine Tree Lumber Company major industry operations. Wikipedia
1997
A tornado in September 1997 did $1.7 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in April 2001 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in April 2001 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 34,010, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A flash flood in June 2022 did $1.53 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Morrison County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Morrison County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Morrison County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Morrison County ranks 3rd of the seven; Cass County is highest, at 32.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 35 | 10.8% | 31.1% |
| Benton County, MN | 29 | 9.5% | 21.7% |
| Stearns County, MN | 28 | 11.7% | 20.0% |
| Crow Wing County, MN | 28 | 10.8% | 29.1% |
| Cass County, MN | 27 | 11.7% | 32.9% |
| Todd County, MN | 19 | 10.5% | 25.8% |
| Morrison County, MN | 15 | 11.5% | 29.6% |
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 Morrison County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Morrison County's poverty rate was 11.5% in 2024, 25th 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, Morrison County ranks 57th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Morrison 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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Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
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 Morrison 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 Morrison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.