About one in 16 people with a credit file in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, has unpaid debt sent to a collector

In Ozaukee County, 6.2% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.

Photo of Ross Kilburn
Data from
County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026
71st
of 72 counties in Wisconsin
3,121st of 3,144 U.S. counties
0score /100

Less distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.

What drives Ozaukee County's score

In Ozaukee County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 28.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 1.8.

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

Ozaukee 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
    28.1 of 100

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

    • Renters paying half their income or more in rent
      18.9% · 2020 to 2024
      54th percentile
    • Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income
      14.3% · fiscal year 2027
      1st percentile

  • Collections and bankruptcy

    18.4 of 100

    Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025

    • People with unpaid debt sent to a collector
      6.2% · August 2025
      0th percentile
    • Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people
      100.6 · 2025
      36th percentile

  • Jobs

    10.1 of 100

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

    • Unemployment rate, average over the latest year
      2.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026
      11th percentile
    • Adults 25 to 54 not working
      13.1% · 2020 to 2024
      8th percentile

  • Income and safety net

    2.2 of 100

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

    • People below the poverty line
      5.4% · 2024
      0th percentile
    • Children below the poverty line
      3.9% · 2024
      0th percentile
    • People with a disability
      10.1% · 2020 to 2024
      4th percentile
    • People without health insurance
      2.5% · 2020 to 2024
      1st percentile
    • Median household income (lower income, longer bar)
      $105,783 · 2024
      4th percentile

  • Late payments

    1.8 of 100

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

    • People with a credit card behind
      1.8% · August 2025
      2nd percentile
    • People with a car or retail loan behind
      1.2% · August 2025
      2nd percentile
    • People with a subprime credit score
      19.1% · second quarter of 2026
      0th 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 Ozaukee 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 Ozaukee County, 21.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.

Cents of every dollar of income, 2024

Ozaukee County

56 32 12

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 Ozaukee County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 11.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks

In Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.9%; 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, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/ozaukee-county-wi/
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The share of households in Ozaukee County getting SNAP food aid moved most in two steps: 4.3% in 2012 to 5.3% in 2013; 5.0% in 2017 to 4.0% in 2018.

The share of households in Ozaukee County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5.0%

High on the chart: 5.3% in 2013. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

0%3%6% 2.6%5.0% 2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 0%3%6% 2.6%5.0% 20092011201320152017201920212024
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/ozaukee-county-wi/
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How Ozaukee County has changed

Ozaukee County's population had its largest rise, from 52,505 in 1969 to 60,489 in 1974.

Ozaukee County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 93,956, with no dip in any year shown

Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 67,359. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

050,000100,000 52,50593,956 196919741979198419891994199920042009201420192024 050,000100,000 52,50593,956 196919791989199920092024
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/ozaukee-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 Ozaukee County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 40,611, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995

High on the chart: 41,601 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ozaukee County, Wisconsin.

025,00050,000 26,33640,611 19901995200020052010201520202025 025,00050,000 26,33640,611 19901995200020052010201520202025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/ozaukee-county-wi/
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MeasureThenNowSource
Unemployment rateBLS LAUS 1990 3.2% 2025 2.8% BLS LAUS
People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE 1989 2.4% 2024 5.4% Census SAIPE
Median household incomeCensus SAIPE 1989 $44,004 2024 $105,783 Census SAIPE

The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.9% 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 Ozaukee County's history

  1. 1853

    Created 1853 by bisecting Washington County into eastern and western sections. Wikipedia

  2. 1862

    Port Washington draft riot on November 10, 1862 when several hundred residents marched on courthouse, attacked draft official, burned records and vandalized homes of Union supporters. Wikipedia

  3. 1899

    Wisconsin Chair Company factory caught fire on February 19, 1899, destroying building and burning nearly half of Port Washington but rebuilt with even bigger factory on waterfront. Wikipedia

  4. 1996

    A flash flood in June 1996 did $5.3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  5. 1997

    A flash flood in June 1997 did $3.6 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  6. 1998

    A thunderstorm in May 1998 did $3.46 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  7. 2006

    Hail in April 2006 did $6.34 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database

  8. 2008

    Simplicity Manufacturing closed Port Washington plant in October 2008. Wikipedia

  9. 2020

    The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 91,503, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau

  10. Since 1965

    13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ozaukee County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA

Ozaukee County beside its neighbors

All three counties that border Ozaukee County score higher than it does. Of the group, Ozaukee County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Milwaukee County gets the largest, at 22.8%.

CountyDistress scoreScoreRank in its state Poverty rateBenefit checks, share of incomeBenefit checks
Milwaukee County, WI 76 2nd of 72 16.8% 22.8%
Sheboygan County, WI 6 50th of 72 8.3% 18.7%
Washington County, WI 2 65th of 72 6.3% 16.2%
Ozaukee County, WI 0 71st of 72 5.4% 11.9%

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 Ozaukee County the poorest county in Wisconsin?

No, Ozaukee County's poverty rate was 5.4% in 2024, the lowest 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, Ozaukee County ranks 71st of 72 in the state.

If you're behind on your mortgage in Ozaukee 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 Ozaukee County · Every U.S. county (CSV)

Cite this Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, scores 0 on the County Distress Index (data through Sep 2026): less distressed than 99% of U.S. counties · American Default Research · americandefault.org/counties/wisconsin/ozaukee-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 Ozaukee County comes from, 2024.
  • History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.