In Monroe County, Wisconsin, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Monroe County, 16.9% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Monroe County's score
In Monroe County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 43.0. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Monroe 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.
Monroe 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.
- 43.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.8% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people151.7 · 202560th percentile
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- 34.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.5% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,607 · 202431st percentile
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- 23.8 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 working17.7% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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- 21.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.5% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 16.8 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 rent12.5% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.9% · fiscal year 202713th 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County, 18.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Monroe County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Monroe County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Monroe County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.6% in 2011 to 9.4% in 2012.
The share of households in Monroe County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 14.0%
High on the chart: 14.2% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Monroe County, Wisconsin.
How Monroe County has changed
Monroe County's population had its largest rise, from 36,270 in 1989 to 38,740 in 1994.
Monroe County's population rose 44% from 1969 to 2024, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2019 to 2024, reaching 46,370. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Monroe County, Wisconsin.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County had its largest rise, from 13,502 in 1990 to 15,553 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Monroe County rose by more than half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 21,034, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 20,259. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Monroe County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 2.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.6% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,229 | 2024 $73,607 |
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 Monroe County's history
1854
1854 DT Moseley was the first white child born to settlers in Monroe County. Wikipedia
1905
United States Army began acquiring land for training grounds near Sparta in 1905 and 1909, which developed into Fort McCoy. Wikipedia
2011
Hail in April 2011 did $6.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in July 2017 did $3.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flood in July 2017 did $3.05 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A flash flood in August 2018 did $26.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 46,274, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Monroe County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Monroe County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Monroe County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Monroe County ranks 4th of the five; Juneau County is highest, at 30.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, WI | 27 | 13.5% | 26.2% |
| Juneau County, WI | 21 | 10.4% | 30.0% |
| Monroe County, WI | 13 | 9.8% | 23.7% |
| Vernon County, WI | 13 | 11.6% | 26.1% |
| La Crosse County, WI | 9 | 11.3% | 19.6% |
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 Monroe County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Monroe County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 42nd 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, Monroe County ranks 31st of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.