Unemployment in Wadena County, Minnesota, is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Wadena County, 6.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 50% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wadena County's score
In Wadena County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 78.8. Collections and bankruptcy comes next, at 51.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wadena 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.
Wadena County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a car or retail loan behind (1.5%, August 2025) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (15.6%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 78.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.8% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
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- 51.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.6% · August 202521st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people231.7 · 202582nd percentile
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- 49.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.1% · 202465th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability15.3% · 2020 to 202443rd percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,394 · 202466th percentile
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- 44.0 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 rent16.1% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.7% · fiscal year 202750th percentile
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- 26.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.3% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.9% · second quarter of 202628th 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 Wadena 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 Wadena County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wadena County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wadena County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 38.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Wadena County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wadena County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 10.3% in 2018 to 12.9% in 2019.
The share of households in Wadena County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2023 and has since fallen to 14.3%
Low on the chart: 9.3% 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, Wadena County, Minnesota.
How Wadena County has changed
Wadena County's population rose 16% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1974 and 1979
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 14,226. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wadena County, Minnesota.
The number of jobs located in Wadena County had its largest rise, from 4,954 in 1995 to 6,295 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Wadena County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 6,295 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wadena County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.9% | 2025 6.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.6% | 2024 15.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,629 | 2024 $61,394 |
The table uses 6.0% for 2025; the score uses 6.8% 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 Wadena County's history
1858
June 11, 1858 (created) February 21, 1873 (organized). Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 14,192. The 2020 Census counted 14,065, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
2008
A tornado in June 2008 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
A tornado in May 2022 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wadena County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wadena County beside its neighbors
Wadena County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Wadena County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (38.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wadena County, MN | 50 | 15.1% | 38.2% |
| Hubbard County, MN | 29 | 12.4% | 28.3% |
| Cass County, MN | 27 | 11.7% | 32.9% |
| Becker County, MN | 24 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Todd County, MN | 19 | 10.5% | 25.8% |
| Otter Tail County, MN | 12 | 10.5% | 27.0% |
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 Wadena County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Wadena County's poverty rate was 15.1% in 2024, 3rd 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, Wadena County ranks 3rd of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wadena 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 Wadena 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 Wadena County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.