About one in 11 people with a credit file in Door County, Wisconsin, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Door County, 9.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Door County's score
In Door County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 23.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 2.9. About one in five people (22.4%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 98% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Door 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.
Door 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.
- 23.8 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 rent13.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 19.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202635th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.9% · 2020 to 20243rd percentile
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- 17.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.1% · August 20252nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.9 · 202533rd percentile
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- 9.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.9% · 20247th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.7% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance3.5% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,480 · 202414th percentile
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- 2.9 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 behind1.2% · August 20251st percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.4% · second quarter of 20261st 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 Door 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 Door County, 32.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Door County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Door County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Door County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Door County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.0% in 2011 to 9.1% in 2012.
The share of households in Door County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.2% 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, Door County, Wisconsin.
How Door County has changed
Door County's population rose by about half to 30,512, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 24,419. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Door County, Wisconsin.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Door County rose 28% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 14,333 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Door County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.9% | 2024 7.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,514 | 2024 $84,480 |
The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Door County's history
1851
Created in 1851, organized in 1861. Wikipedia
1985
A tornado in June 1985 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in August 1998 did $4.74 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 30,066, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1973
6 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Door County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Door County beside its neighbors
Door County scores higher than all one counties that border it.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door County, WI | 1 | 7.9% | 20.6% |
| Kewaunee County, WI | 1 | 7.4% | 22.3% |
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 Door County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Door County's poverty rate was 7.9% in 2024, 60th 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, Door County ranks 67th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Door 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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Legal Action of Wisconsin
Legal aid
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Disability Rights Wisconsin
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.
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 Door County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.