About one in 10 people with a credit file in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Otter Tail County, 9.9% 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 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Otter Tail County's score
In Otter Tail County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.9. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 8.1. People with a credit card behind: 2.3%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Otter Tail 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, Otter Tail County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (5.4%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 52.9 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.8% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 33.3 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 rent17.5% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 28.5 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 line11.1% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,907 · 202436th percentile
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- 11.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.9% · August 20253rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.3 · 202518th percentile
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- 8.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.3% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.6% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.3% · second quarter of 20268th 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 Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County, 25.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Otter Tail County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Otter Tail County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Otter Tail County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Otter Tail County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 6.2% in 2010 to 7.6% in 2012, 0.7 points each year.
The share of households in Otter Tail County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.2% 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, Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
How Otter Tail County has changed
Otter Tail County's population rose 30% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 56,680. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Otter Tail County rose 40% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 18,966. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,428 | 2024 $71,907 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.4% 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 Otter Tail County's history
1862
Joe Whitford killed during 1862 Dakota War. Wikipedia
1919
Two major tornadoes hit Fergus Falls, 1919 tornado most significant. Wikipedia
1987
A tornado in August 1987 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A tornado in June 2001 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A tornado in June 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 60,081, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A tornado in July 2020 did $1.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Otter Tail County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Otter Tail County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Otter Tail County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Otter Tail County ranks 4th of the eight; Wadena County is highest, at 38.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena County, MN | 50 | 15.1% | 38.2% |
| Grant County, MN | 26 | 9.8% | 29.2% |
| Becker County, MN | 24 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Clay County, MN | 19 | 11.2% | 22.9% |
| Todd County, MN | 19 | 10.5% | 25.8% |
| Wilkin County, MN | 15 | 8.5% | 24.5% |
| Otter Tail County, MN | 12 | 10.5% | 27.0% |
| Douglas County, MN | 4 | 9.3% | 23.6% |
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 Otter Tail County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Otter Tail 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, Otter Tail County ranks 63rd of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail 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 Otter Tail County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.