About one in 17 people in Sherburne County, Minnesota, lives below the poverty line
In Sherburne County, 5.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sherburne County's score
In Sherburne County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 49.1. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 3.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sherburne 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, Sherburne County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (242.6, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 49.1 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 rent21.4% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.8% · fiscal year 202729th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.9% · August 20257th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people242.6 · 202584th percentile
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- 39.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202674th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.0% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
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- 6.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.2% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score25.4% · second quarter of 20264th percentile
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- 3.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.9% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.1% · 20242nd percentile
- People with a disability10.3% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$110,997 · 20242nd 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 Sherburne 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 Sherburne County, 12.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sherburne County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sherburne County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 17.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Sherburne County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sherburne County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2021 low, from 3.2% in 2021 to 4.3% in 2022.
The share of households in Sherburne County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 3.2% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sherburne County, Minnesota.
How Sherburne County has changed
Sherburne County's population had its largest rise, from 61,969 in 1999 to 78,091 in 2004.
Sherburne County's population grew to about six times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 103,059, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 90,364. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sherburne County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Sherburne County tripled to 28,584, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 18,993. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sherburne County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.8% | 2024 5.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,229 | 2024 $110,997 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% 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 Sherburne County's history
1773
Two Dakota-Ojibwe battles at Elk River confluence 1772 and 1773. Wikipedia
1967
A tornado in July 1967 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
A flash flood in April 2001 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hail in September 2005 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 97,183, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sherburne County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sherburne County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Sherburne County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sherburne County ranks 6th of the eight; Mille Lacs County is highest, at 31.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isanti County, MN | 36 | 7.2% | 23.2% |
| Mille Lacs County, MN | 35 | 10.8% | 31.1% |
| Benton County, MN | 29 | 9.5% | 21.7% |
| Stearns County, MN | 28 | 11.7% | 20.0% |
| Hennepin County, MN | 24 | 9.5% | 12.9% |
| Anoka County, MN | 23 | 6.9% | 17.7% |
| Sherburne County, MN | 15 | 5.9% | 17.4% |
| Wright County, MN | 12 | 6.2% | 14.9% |
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 Sherburne County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Sherburne County's poverty rate was 5.9% in 2024, 84th 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, Sherburne County ranks 55th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sherburne 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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Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
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 Sherburne 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 Sherburne County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.