About three in four adults aged 25 to 54 in Adams County, Wisconsin, have a job
In Adams County, 16.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working (Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024). That is lower than in 77% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Adams County's score
In Adams County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 45.1. About one in six people (17.5%, Q4 2025) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 76% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Even so, Adams County is worse off than most counties on people with a disability (21.7%, 2020 to 2024) and unemployment rate, 12-month average (5.1%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Adams County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 52.7 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202682nd percentile
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- 50.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability21.7% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$61,027 · 202467th percentile
- People below the poverty line12.1% · 202440th percentile
- People without health insurance4.6% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.9% · fiscal year 202741st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.2% · 2020 to 202450th percentile
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- 45.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.2 · 202553rd percentile
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- 45.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.0% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202550th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score17.5% · Q4 202523rd percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Adams County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Adams County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Adams County in 2024, pay from work was 46 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 20 cents. Benefit checks were 34 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 15 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Adams County, benefit checks rose from 15 to 34 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Adams County, Wisconsin: 34.1% and 46.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 34.1% of all personal income in Adams County, Wisconsin (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Adams County, 32.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Adams County has changed
The number of people living in Adams County more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 8,875 to 21,352. The number of jobs located there grew by about 57% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 5.5% in 1990 to 4.9% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,875 | 2024 21,352 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,813 | 2024 4,412 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.5% | 2025 4.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.5% | 2024 12.1% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $20,765 | 2024 $61,027 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 15.4% | 2024 34.1% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Adams County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 20,875. The 2020 Census counted 20,654, 99% of the peak. Census Bureau
1848
Created 1848, organized 1853. Wikipedia
1984
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $3.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Thunderstorm wind: $6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Adams County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Adams County beside its neighbors
Adams County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Adams County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (34.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, WI | 46 | 12.1% | 34.1% |
| Juneau County, WI | 22 | 10.4% | 30.0% |
| Marquette County, WI | 21 | 12.2% | 30.2% |
| Waushara County, WI | 18 | 11.1% | 28.3% |
| Wood County, WI | 15 | 11.3% | 26.5% |
| Columbia County, WI | 4 | 6.7% | 16.4% |
| Portage County, WI | 4 | 10.5% | 21.0% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Adams County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Adams County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 18th highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Adams County ranks 4th of 72 in the state.
Adams County in photographs
Places in Adams County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
The Adams County Courthouse (Wisconsin) in Adams County, in Wisconsin & it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Adams County Legion Field.
Adams County, Wisconsin: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Adams County, Wisconsin?
12.1% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in eight people. Among children it was 16.0%.
Is Adams County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Adams County's poverty rate was 12.1% in 2024, 18th highest of 72 in Wisconsin (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Menominee County, at 24.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Adams County ranks 4th of 72 in the state.
What is the population of Adams County, Wisconsin?
About 21,352 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 20,654, 99% of the county's peak of 20,875 in 2010.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Adams County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Disability Rights Wisconsin
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Adams County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.