About one in nine people with a credit file in Murray County, Minnesota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Murray County, 11.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Murray County's score
In Murray County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.1. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 5.6. Bankruptcy filings ran at 24.8 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Murray 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, Murray County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202688th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.0% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 25.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,306 · 202432nd percentile
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- 15.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.7% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.1% · second quarter of 202610th percentile
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- 15.6 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 rent12.5% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.6% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 5.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.2% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people24.8 · 20255th or lower 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 Murray 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 Murray County, 26.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Murray County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Murray County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Murray County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Murray County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.2% in 2017 to 5.2% in 2018.
The share of households in Murray County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled from 2009 to 2023, reaching 6.6%, then turned down in 2024
High on the chart: 6.6% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Murray County, Minnesota.
How Murray County has changed
Murray County's population had its largest drop, from 12,936 in 1969 to 11,574 in 1974.
Murray County's population fell 38% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 11,533. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Murray County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Murray County had its largest rise, from 2,453 in 1995 to 2,746 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Murray County rose by about a quarter from 1990 to 2025, reaching 2,866
High on the chart: 3,008 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Murray County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 5.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,816 | 2024 $73,306 |
The table uses 5.0% for 2025; the score uses 5.6% 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 Murray County's history
1940
The county's largest recorded population was the 1940 Census count of 15,060. The 2020 Census counted 8,179, 54% of the peak. Census Bureau
1968
A tornado in June 1968 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1985
A tornado in April 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Murray County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Murray County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Murray County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Murray County ranks 2nd of the seven; Cottonwood County is highest, at 29.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nobles County, MN | 25 | 13.3% | 20.8% |
| Redwood County, MN | 24 | 11.0% | 19.6% |
| Pipestone County, MN | 16 | 10.0% | 21.2% |
| Lyon County, MN | 16 | 11.1% | 23.4% |
| Cottonwood County, MN | 16 | 11.7% | 29.5% |
| Murray County, MN | 7 | 10.2% | 24.7% |
| Rock County, MN | 4 | 8.9% | 23.7% |
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 Murray County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Murray County's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, 45th 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, Murray County ranks 77th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Murray 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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Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Murray 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 Murray County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.