About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Pennington County, Minnesota, have a job
In Pennington County, 10.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pennington County's score
In Pennington County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 49.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 21.4. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.2%, August 2025, lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pennington 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, Pennington County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (6.2%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 49.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202693rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
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- 29.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.5% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people109.4 · 202540th percentile
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- 27.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.3% · 202414th percentile
- People with a disability15.4% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- People without health insurance4.8% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,712 · 202434th percentile
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- 27.5 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 rent13.5% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202730th percentile
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- 21.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.5% · second quarter of 202627th 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 Pennington 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 Pennington County, 19.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pennington County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Pennington County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 17.3% in 2004 to 22.7% in 2009.
In Pennington County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Pennington County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pennington County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.4% in 2019 to 6.1% in 2020.
The share of households in Pennington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 4.7% 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, Pennington County, Minnesota.
How Pennington County has changed
Pennington County's population had its largest drop, from 15,357 in 1979 to 14,155 in 1984.
Pennington County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 15,357 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pennington County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Pennington County had its largest rise, from 9,052 in 2010 to 10,506 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Pennington County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 10,506 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pennington County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 9.1% | 2025 5.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.4% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,471 | 2024 $72,712 |
The table uses 5.7% for 2025; the score uses 6.2% 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 Pennington County's history
1910
Created November 23, 1910. Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 15,258. The 2020 Census counted 13,992, 92% of the peak. Census Bureau
1980
A tornado in July 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pennington County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pennington County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Pennington County, two score higher. Of the group, Pennington County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Clearwater County gets the largest, at 32.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beltrami County, MN | 54 | 17.3% | 31.1% |
| Clearwater County, MN | 35 | 14.1% | 32.4% |
| Pennington County, MN | 17 | 10.7% | 22.4% |
| Polk County, MN | 16 | 13.2% | 28.3% |
| Red Lake County, MN | 9 | 9.1% | 25.1% |
| Marshall County, MN | 7 | 9.0% | 25.5% |
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 Pennington County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Pennington County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 38th 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, Pennington County ranks 43rd of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pennington 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 Pennington 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 Pennington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.