About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, have a job
In Eau Claire County, 12.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 91% of U.S. counties.
What drives Eau Claire County's score
In Eau Claire County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 45.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Eau Claire 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.
Eau Claire 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.
- 45.9 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 rent19.1% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.4% · fiscal year 202735th percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.6% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,827 · 202423rd percentile
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- 20.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.0% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people87.1 · 202529th percentile
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- 15.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202516th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.3% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.4% · second quarter of 20269th percentile
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- 11.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202616th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.5% · 2020 to 20247th 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 Eau Claire 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 Eau Claire 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
Eau Claire County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Eau Claire County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 19.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Eau Claire County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 9.0% in 2011 to 10.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Eau Claire County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 11.1%
Low on the chart: 6.4% 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, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.
How Eau Claire County has changed
Eau Claire County's population had its largest rise, from 64,934 in 1969 to 72,193 in 1974.
Eau Claire County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 108,830, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 94,618. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Eau Claire County rose by about half to 58,593, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1995 to 2000, reaching 54,080. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.0% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.0% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,124 | 2024 $77,827 |
The table uses 2.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Eau Claire County's history
1856
Separated as Eau Claire County by Wisconsin Legislature on October 6, 1856. Wikipedia
1942
US War Department converted Uniroyal tire factory to ammunition plant during World War II with over 6,000 employees. Wikipedia
1958
A tornado in June 1958 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1971
A tornado in July 1971 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1980
A tornado in July 1980 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
Uniroyal tire factory shuttered in 1991, causing 1,358 workers to lose jobs. Wikipedia
2000
A flash flood in September 2000 did $3.3 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 105,710, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
9 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Eau Claire County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Eau Claire County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Eau Claire County, four score higher. Of the group, Eau Claire County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Jackson County gets the largest, at 26.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, WI | 27 | 13.5% | 26.2% |
| Clark County, WI | 15 | 13.7% | 24.4% |
| Dunn County, WI | 10 | 13.5% | 23.2% |
| Chippewa County, WI | 10 | 10.7% | 23.1% |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 8 | 10.8% | 19.4% |
| Pepin County, WI | 5 | 11.0% | 25.9% |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 4 | 9.4% | 24.4% |
| Buffalo County, WI | 3 | 8.8% | 25.1% |
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 Eau Claire County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Eau Claire County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 30th 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, Eau Claire County ranks 47th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Eau Claire 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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Western Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council Inc
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Eau Claire 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 Eau Claire County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.