About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Douglas County, Wisconsin, have a job
In Douglas County, 12.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 91% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 52.8. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 22.2. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.1%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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.
Douglas 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.
- 52.8 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 rent19.6% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.4% · fiscal year 202746th percentile
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- 40.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202672nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.9% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
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- 36.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.9% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.8 · 202551st percentile
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- 30.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.9% · 202439th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.9% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,130 · 202438th percentile
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- 22.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202527th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.1% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.8% · second quarter of 202632nd 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 20.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 28.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Douglas County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 28.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (8.3% in 2009) to 9.9% in 2010.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 8.3% 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, Douglas County, Wisconsin.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population fell 4% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 45,933 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, Wisconsin.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County rose 6% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1995 and 2000
High on the chart: 16,344 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.8% | 2025 4.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 11.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,517 | 2024 $71,130 |
The table uses 4.6% for 2025; the score uses 4.7% 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 Douglas County's history
1854
Established February 8, 1854, from larger La Pointe County. Wikipedia
1857
Superior's population collapsed from 2,500 to 500 following Panic of 1857. Wikipedia
1893
Economic depression following Panic of 1893 slowed development in Superior despite 34,000 population by 1892. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 49,771. The 2020 Census counted 44,295, 89% of the peak. Census Bureau
1999
A flash flood in July 1999 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A flood in June 2012 did $21 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Cenovus Energy refinery explosion with 20 injuries in Superior. Wikipedia
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Since 1972
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Douglas County, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 6th of the seven; Pine County is highest, at 34.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine County, MN | 46 | 13.5% | 34.4% |
| St. Louis County, MN | 35 | 12.7% | 27.5% |
| Burnett County, WI | 30 | 10.6% | 33.6% |
| Carlton County, MN | 28 | 11.2% | 29.9% |
| Douglas County, WI | 26 | 11.9% | 28.0% |
| Washburn County, WI | 21 | 11.2% | 33.3% |
| Bayfield County, WI | 14 | 12.2% | 28.3% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 11.9% in 2024, 19th 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, Douglas County ranks 14th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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.
Download the CSV for Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.