About one in eight people in Ramsey County, Minnesota, has a disability
In Ramsey County, 12.3% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 83% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 54% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ramsey County's score
In Ramsey County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 85.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 29.1. About one in three people (32.4%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 79% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ramsey 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, Ramsey County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (26.5%, fiscal year 2027) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (23.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.4 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.8% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.5% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 48.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.7% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people202.8 · 202575th percentile
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- 42.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202662nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.3% · 202450th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.4% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability12.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,562 · 202422nd percentile
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- 29.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.9% · August 202524th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.6% · August 202542nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.4% · second quarter of 202620th 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 Ramsey 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 Ramsey County, 15.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Ramsey County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ramsey County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 20.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Ramsey County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ramsey County getting SNAP food aid rose most in three steps: 7.7% in 2009 to 8.9% in 2010; 9.7% in 2011 to 10.9% in 2012; 11.8% in 2013 to 13.0% in 2014.
The share of households in Ramsey County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 11.4%
Low on the chart: 7.7% 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, Ramsey County, Minnesota.
How Ramsey County has changed
Ramsey County's population had its largest rise, from 506,590 in 2009 to 534,499 in 2014.
Ramsey County's population rose 16% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 552,968 in 2019. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ramsey County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Ramsey County rose 13% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 333,247 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ramsey County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.2% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $30,990 | 2024 $78,562 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.5% 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 Ramsey County's history
1961
Rondo neighborhood demolished for Interstate 94 construction. Wikipedia
1965
A tornado in May 1965 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1981
A tornado in June 1981 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in May 1998 did $150 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in September 2005 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Ford Motor Company Twin Cities Assembly Plant closed. Wikipedia
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 552,352, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ramsey County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ramsey County beside its neighbors
Ramsey County scores higher than all four counties that border it. Of the group, Ramsey County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (20.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsey County, MN | 45 | 13.3% | 20.3% |
| Hennepin County, MN | 24 | 9.5% | 12.9% |
| Anoka County, MN | 23 | 6.9% | 17.7% |
| Dakota County, MN | 16 | 7.1% | 14.8% |
| Washington County, MN | 10 | 4.9% | 12.9% |
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 Ramsey County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Ramsey County's poverty rate was 13.3% in 2024, 9th 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, Ramsey County ranks 5th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ramsey 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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Community Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc Dba Neighborworks Home Partners
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Navicore Solutions-roseville, MN
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 Ramsey 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 Ramsey County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.