About one in eight people with a credit file in Polk County, Wisconsin, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Polk County, 12.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 90% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Polk County's score
In Polk County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 45.1. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 13.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Polk 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.
Even so, Polk County is worse off than most counties on unemployment rate, average over the latest year (4.9%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 45.1 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202677th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.2% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 32.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.5% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people135.5 · 202554th percentile
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- 24.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.1% · 202415th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.9% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance6.2% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,144 · 202430th percentile
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- 24.5 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 rent13.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 13.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.4% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.1% · August 202515th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.5% · second quarter of 20269th 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 Polk 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 Polk County, 22.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Polk County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Polk County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 24.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Polk County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.2% in 2010 to 8.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Polk County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 9.7%
Low on the chart: 4.6% 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, Polk County, Wisconsin.
How Polk County has changed
Polk County's population nearly doubled to 45,831, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 40,785. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Polk County, Wisconsin.
The number of jobs located in Polk County had its largest rise, from 9,460 in 1990 to 12,111 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Polk County nearly doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 15,663
High on the chart: 15,970 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Polk County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.8% | 2024 9.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,514 | 2024 $74,144 |
The table uses 4.8% for 2025; the score uses 4.9% 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 Polk County's history
1836
Large amounts of logging activities began soon after Wisconsin Territory established in 1836 in Polk County. Wikipedia
1853
Created 1853. Wikipedia
1952
A tornado in June 1952 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1953
A tornado in May 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1977
A tornado in July 1977 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in September 2005 did $4.12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 44,977, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Polk County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Polk County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Polk County, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Polk County ranks 3rd of the six; Burnett County is highest, at 33.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnett County, WI | 30 | 10.6% | 33.6% |
| Chisago County, MN | 25 | 6.4% | 20.3% |
| Polk County, WI | 14 | 9.1% | 24.7% |
| Barron County, WI | 11 | 10.2% | 25.3% |
| Washington County, MN | 10 | 4.9% | 12.9% |
| St. Croix County, WI | 5 | 5.9% | 14.0% |
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 Polk County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Polk County's poverty rate was 9.1% in 2024, 50th 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, Polk County ranks 30th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Polk 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.
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 Polk County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.