About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Barron County, Wisconsin, have a job
In Barron County, 12.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 88% of U.S. counties.
What drives Barron County's score
In Barron County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 33.2. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 11.6. People with a credit card behind: 2.6%, August 2025, lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Barron 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.
Barron County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 33.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.2% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,400 · 202442nd percentile
-
- 29.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.6% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people126 · 202549th percentile
-
- 28.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202650th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.3% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
-
- 25.0 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 rent14.9% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
-
- 11.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.5% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
-
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 Barron 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 Barron County, 23.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Barron County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Barron County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 25.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Barron County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Barron County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 11.1% in 2011 to 13.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Barron County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 8.5% 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, Barron County, Wisconsin.
How Barron County has changed
Barron County's population had its largest rise, from 38,047 in 1979 to 40,153 in 1984.
Barron County's population rose by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 46,810, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2004 to 2009, reaching 45,876. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Barron County, Wisconsin.
The number of jobs located in Barron County had its largest rise, from 15,626 in 1990 to 18,371 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Barron County rose by about a third from 1990 to 2025, reaching 21,222
High on the chart: 21,616 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Barron County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.1% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.7% | 2024 10.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,895 | 2024 $69,400 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Barron County's history
1977
A tornado in July 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1990
A tornado in September 1990 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
Hail in September 2005 did $30 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A tornado in May 2017 did $10.1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 46,711, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1965
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Barron County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Barron County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Barron County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Barron County ranks 4th of the seven; Burnett County is highest, at 33.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusk County, WI | 48 | 13.9% | 30.4% |
| Burnett County, WI | 30 | 10.6% | 33.6% |
| Washburn County, WI | 21 | 11.2% | 33.3% |
| Polk County, WI | 14 | 9.1% | 24.7% |
| Barron County, WI | 11 | 10.2% | 25.3% |
| Dunn County, WI | 10 | 13.5% | 23.2% |
| Chippewa County, WI | 10 | 10.7% | 23.1% |
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 Barron County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Barron County's poverty rate was 10.2% in 2024, 38th 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, Barron County ranks 37th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Barron 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.
-
Legal Action of Wisconsin
Legal aid
-
Disability Rights Wisconsin
Legal aid
-
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 Barron 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 Barron County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.