In Dunn County, Wisconsin, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income

In Dunn County, 16.6% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 89% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
38th
of 72 counties in Wisconsin
10score /100

Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.

What drives Dunn County's score

In Dunn County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 32.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 12.1.

The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dunn 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.

Dunn 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.

  • Housing costs

    Biggest factor
    32.3 of 100

    Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      18.8% · 2020 to 2024
      53rd percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      16.6% · fiscal year 2027
      10th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    29.3 of 100

    Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey

    • People below the poverty line
      13.5% · 2024
      52nd percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      12.3% · 2024
      24th percentile
    • People with a disability
      13.1% · 2020 to 2024
      23rd percentile
    • People without health insurance
      4.9% · 2020 to 2024
      17th percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $75,324 · 2024
      28th percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    25.5 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      13.2% · August 2025
      12th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      104.8 · 2025
      38th percentile

  • Jobs

    23.9 of 100

    Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      31st percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      15.0% · 2020 to 2024
      15th percentile

  • Late payments

    12.1 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026

    • People with a credit card behind
      3.3% · August 2025
      14th percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      2.7% · August 2025
      10th percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      29.2% · second quarter of 2026
      11th 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 Dunn 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 Dunn County, 17.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Dunn County

58 19 23

Wisconsin

61 21 19

United States

61 21 18
  • Pay from work
  • Investments and rent
  • Benefit checks
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, 2024. Pay from work is total income minus the other two, so the three add to 100.

In Dunn County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks

In Dunn County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.

  • Benefit checks
  • Pay from work
0%40%80% 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 0%40%80% 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4), shares of all personal income received by residents, Dunn County, Wisconsin American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/dunn-county-wi/
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The share of households in Dunn County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.6% in 2009 to 8.5% in 2010.

The share of households in Dunn County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 12.7%

High on the chart: 13.7% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dunn County, Wisconsin.

0%10%20% 6.6%12.7% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%10%20% 6.6%12.7% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/dunn-county-wi/
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How Dunn County has changed

Dunn County's population had its largest rise, from 30,323 in 1974 to 33,511 in 1979.

Dunn County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 46,135, with no dip in any year shown

Smallest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 44,079. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dunn County, Wisconsin.

025,00050,000 28,88446,135 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 025,00050,000 28,88446,135 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/dunn-county-wi/
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The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.

The number of jobs located in Dunn County doubled to 18,155, the highest on the chart

Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 13,136. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dunn County, Wisconsin.

010,00020,000 9,91218,155 19901995200020052010201520202025 010,00020,000 9,91218,155 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/dunn-county-wi/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 3.9% 2025 3.4% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 14.3% 2024 13.5% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $24,945 2024 $75,324 Census SAIPE

The table uses 3.4% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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 Dunn County's history

  1. 1854

    Founded in 1854 from Chippewa County, organized in 1857. Wikipedia

  2. 1901

    Knapp, Stout & Co., world's largest lumber corporation, closed operations in Menomonie in 1901. Wikipedia

  3. 1958

    A tornado in June 1958 did $25 million in property damage and killed 20 people. NOAA Storm Events Database

  4. 1958

    A tornado in June 1958 did $25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 1980

    A tornado in July 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  6. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 45,440, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  7. 2021

    Lightning in August 2021 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database

  8. Since 1965

    13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dunn County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA

Dunn County beside its neighbors

Of the six counties that border Dunn County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dunn County ranks 3rd of the seven; Pepin County is highest, at 25.9%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Barron County, WI 11 37th of 72 10.2% 25.3%
Dunn County, WI 10 38th of 72 13.5% 23.2%
Chippewa County, WI 10 39th of 72 10.7% 23.1%
Eau Claire County, WI 8 47th of 72 10.8% 19.4%
St. Croix County, WI 5 53rd of 72 5.9% 14.0%
Pierce County, WI 5 56th of 72 7.8% 19.2%
Pepin County, WI 5 58th of 72 11.0% 25.9%

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 Dunn County the poorest county in Wisconsin?

No, Dunn County's poverty rate was 13.5% in 2024, 8th 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, Dunn County ranks 38th of 72 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Dunn 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.

Wisconsin foreclosure guide →

The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.

Download the CSV for Dunn County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Dunn County, Wisconsin, scores 10 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/dunn-county-wi/

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 Dunn County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.