In Norman County, Minnesota, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Norman County, 17.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 76% of U.S. counties.
What drives Norman County's score
In Norman County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 44.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 29.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Norman 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.
Norman 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.
- 44.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202665th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.2% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
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- 34.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.9% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126.4 · 202550th percentile
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- 34.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.9% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.9% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 30.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.5% · 202425th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,780 · 202436th percentile
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- 29.2 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 rent17.3% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.0% · fiscal year 202713th 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 Norman 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 Norman County, 21.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Norman County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Norman County had its largest rise, from 19.6% in 1989 to 25.1% in 1994.
In Norman County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 35.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Norman County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 35.4%; 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 Norman County getting SNAP food aid nearly doubled to 10.9%, the highest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2016 to 2017, reaching 6.6%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Norman County, Minnesota.
How Norman County has changed
Norman County's population had its largest drop, from 10,195 in 1969 to 9,383 in 1974.
Norman County's population fell 38% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1974 to 1979, reaching 9,330. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Norman County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Norman County had its largest rise in the last span, from 1,532 in 2020 to 1,874 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Norman County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 2,089 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Norman County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.7% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,460 | 2024 $71,780 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Norman County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 15,045. The 2020 Census counted 6,441, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in July 1978 did $25 million in property damage and killed three people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in June 2000 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in April 2006 did $1.32 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
32 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Norman County, 26 of them for flooding. FEMA
Norman County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Norman County, in Minnesota and North Dakota, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Norman County ranks 2nd of the seven; Mahnomen County is highest, at 38.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mahnomen County, MN | 64 | 16.4% | 38.7% |
| Becker County, MN | 24 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Norman County, MN | 23 | 10.5% | 35.4% |
| Clay County, MN | 19 | 11.2% | 22.9% |
| Polk County, MN | 16 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| Cass County, ND | 7 | 11.0% | 11.7% |
| Traill County, ND | 3 | 10.4% | 20.8% |
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 Norman County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Norman County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 41st 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, Norman County ranks 37th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Norman 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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Justice North
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 Norman 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 Norman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.