In Sibley County, Minnesota, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Sibley County, 15.4% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sibley County's score
In Sibley County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 51.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 12.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sibley 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, Sibley 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.
- 51.7 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 working15.3% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
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- 34.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.8% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people159.1 · 202562nd percentile
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- 23.2 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.4% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 16.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.1% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.7% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability14.1% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- People without health insurance4.3% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,069 · 202421st percentile
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- 12.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.1% · second quarter of 202610th 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 Sibley 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 Sibley County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Sibley County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Sibley County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Sibley County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.0%; 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 Sibley County getting SNAP food aid tripled to 8.3%, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2012 to 2013, reaching 7.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Sibley County, Minnesota.
How Sibley County has changed
Sibley County's population fell 7% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 16,420 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sibley County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Sibley County had its largest rise, from 3,705 in 1995 to 4,037 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Sibley County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 13% since
High on the chart: 4,333 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sibley County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.1% | 2024 8.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,436 | 2024 $79,069 |
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 Sibley County's history
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 16,862. The 2020 Census counted 14,836, 88% of the peak. Census Bureau
1965
A tornado in May 1965 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1965
A tornado in May 1965 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
A flood in June 2014 did $3.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
A thunderstorm in May 2016 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sibley County, 16 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sibley County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Sibley County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sibley County ranks 3rd of the seven; Renville County is highest, at 26.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renville County, MN | 25 | 10.8% | 26.1% |
| McLeod County, MN | 16 | 8.0% | 23.2% |
| Sibley County, MN | 13 | 8.1% | 22.0% |
| Le Sueur County, MN | 10 | 7.4% | 19.8% |
| Scott County, MN | 7 | 5.3% | 10.8% |
| Nicollet County, MN | 5 | 7.8% | 19.2% |
| Carver County, MN | 2 | 4.7% | 10.0% |
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 Sibley County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Sibley County's poverty rate was 8.1% in 2024, 70th 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, Sibley County ranks 60th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sibley 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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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 Sibley 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 Sibley County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.