About one in 16 people in Wright County, Minnesota, lives below the poverty line
In Wright County, 6.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wright County's score
In Wright County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 47.4. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.5. About one in 19 children (5.3%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 99% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wright 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, Wright County is worse off than most counties on bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (213.7, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.4 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 rent17.8% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 41.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.3% · August 20254th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people213.7 · 202577th percentile
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- 35.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202666th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.8% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
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- 5.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.1% · second quarter of 20262nd percentile
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- 4.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line6.2% · 20242nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.3% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability9.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$102,130 · 20244th 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 Wright 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 Wright County, 13.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wright County
Minnesota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Wright County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 14.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Wright County, Minnesota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wright County getting SNAP food aid rose most in two steps: 2.7% in 2010 to 3.7% in 2011; 4.6% in 2012 to 5.6% in 2013.
The share of households in Wright County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 2.7% 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, Wright County, Minnesota.
How Wright County has changed
Wright County's population had its largest rise, from 87,891 in 1999 to 106,998 in 2004.
Wright County's population grew to about four times its 1969 size in 2024, reaching 154,593, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 61,030. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wright County, Minnesota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Wright County tripled to 49,245, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2000 to 2005, reaching 35,858. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wright County, Minnesota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 3.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.2% | 2024 6.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,780 | 2024 $102,130 |
The table uses 3.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Wright County's history
1855
County established February 20, 1855. Wikipedia
1997
A thunderstorm in July 1997 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A flash flood in June 2002 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hail in September 2005 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Hail in August 2006 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 141,337, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wright County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wright County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Wright County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wright County ranks 5th of the seven; Meeker County is highest, at 25.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns County, MN | 28 | 11.7% | 20.0% |
| Meeker County, MN | 25 | 9.3% | 25.3% |
| Hennepin County, MN | 24 | 9.5% | 12.9% |
| McLeod County, MN | 16 | 8.0% | 23.2% |
| Sherburne County, MN | 15 | 5.9% | 17.4% |
| Wright County, MN | 12 | 6.2% | 14.9% |
| 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 Wright County the poorest county in Minnesota?
No, Wright County's poverty rate was 6.2% in 2024, 83rd 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, Wright County ranks 64th of 87 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wright 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 Wright 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 Wright County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.