About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Winona County, Minnesota, have a job
In Winona County, 10.4% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Winona County's score
In Winona County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 57.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 8.9. People with a credit card behind: 2.3%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Winona 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, Winona County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 57.3 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 rent26.8% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 24.9 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 line8.7% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability11.7% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,003 · 202431st percentile
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- 21.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202639th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.4% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
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- 16.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.3% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people82.5 · 202526th percentile
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- 8.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.3% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.7% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.7% · second quarter of 20269th 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 Winona 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 Winona County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Winona County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Winona County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 22.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Winona County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Winona County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.3% in 2019 to 5.5% in 2020.
The share of households in Winona County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6.9%
High on the chart: 7.0% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Winona County, Minnesota.
How Winona County has changed
Winona County's population had its largest rise, from 42,761 in 1969 to 46,051 in 1974.
Winona County's population rose 17% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 51,422 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Winona County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Winona County rose 17% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 25,024 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Winona County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 9.9% | 2024 13.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,768 | 2024 $74,003 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Winona County's history
1854
February 23, 1854: legislature partitioned northern part of Fillmore County plus small section of Wabasha to create Winona County. Wikipedia
1856
German immigration to Winona. Wikipedia
1880
Polish and Kashubian emigration to Winona, 5000 people 1859-1900, became Kashubian Capital of America. Wikipedia
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $22 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A flash flood in August 2007 did $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 51,461. The 2020 Census counted 49,671, 97% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Winona County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Winona County beside its neighbors
Winona County scores higher than all seven counties that border it, in Minnesota and Wisconsin. For the share of income from benefit checks, Winona County ranks 6th of the eight; Fillmore County is highest, at 25.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winona County, MN | 11 | 13.3% | 22.1% |
| Houston County, MN | 10 | 8.6% | 23.6% |
| La Crosse County, WI | 9 | 11.3% | 19.6% |
| Olmsted County, MN | 7 | 6.8% | 16.1% |
| Fillmore County, MN | 6 | 8.1% | 25.6% |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 4 | 9.4% | 24.4% |
| Buffalo County, WI | 3 | 8.8% | 25.1% |
| Wabasha County, MN | 3 | 7.0% | 25.3% |
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 Winona County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Winona 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, Winona County ranks 66th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Winona 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 Winona 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 Winona County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.