About one in 17 people in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, lives below the poverty line
In St. Croix County, 5.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives St. Croix County's score
In St. Croix County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 43.2. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 4.5. About one in 19 children (5.3%, 2024) lives below the poverty line, a lower share than in 99% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in St. Croix 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.
St. Croix 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.
- 43.2 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 rent15.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.9% · fiscal year 202752nd percentile
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- 26.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.0% · August 20253rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124 · 202548th percentile
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- 24.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.7% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
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- 6.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.3% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score22.5% · second quarter of 20261st percentile
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- 4.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line5.9% · 20241st percentile
- Children below the poverty line5.3% · 20240th percentile
- People with a disability10.0% · 2020 to 20244th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$99,439 · 20245th 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 St. Croix 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 St. Croix County, 16.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
St. Croix County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In St. Croix County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 14.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In St. Croix County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in St. Croix County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (3.6% in 2009) to 4.5% in 2010.
The share of households in St. Croix County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 6.2%
Low on the chart: 3.6% 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, St. Croix County, Wisconsin.
How St. Croix County has changed
St. Croix County's population had its largest rise, from 61,634 in 1999 to 73,988 in 2004.
St. Croix County's population tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 97,954, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 44,914. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, St. Croix County, Wisconsin.
The number of jobs located in St. Croix County had its largest rise, from 16,447 in 1990 to 21,410 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in St. Croix County more than doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 37,379, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2015 to 2020, reaching 32,775. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, St. Croix County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 5.3% | 2024 5.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $36,516 | 2024 $99,439 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 St. Croix County's history
1840
Created on August 3, 1840 by the Wisconsin Territory legislature. Wikipedia
1953
A tornado in May 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1958
A tornado in June 1958 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2007
A thunderstorm in August 2007 did $35 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 93,536, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2020
A flash flood in June 2020 did $8 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
11 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered St. Croix County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
St. Croix County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border St. Croix County, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, St. Croix County ranks 4th of the five; Polk County is highest, at 24.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County, WI | 14 | 9.1% | 24.7% |
| Dunn County, WI | 10 | 13.5% | 23.2% |
| Washington County, MN | 10 | 4.9% | 12.9% |
| St. Croix County, WI | 5 | 5.9% | 14.0% |
| Pierce County, WI | 5 | 7.8% | 19.2% |
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 St. Croix County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, St. Croix County's poverty rate was 5.9% in 2024, 69th 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, St. Croix County ranks 53rd of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in St. Croix 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 St. Croix 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 St. Croix County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.