About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Taylor County, Wisconsin, have a job
In Taylor County, 14.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 87% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Taylor County's score
In Taylor County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 31.7. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 7.4. About one in four people (24.3%, Q2 2026) has a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 97% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Taylor 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.
Taylor 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.
- 31.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.6% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability12.4% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,308 · 202437th percentile
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- 30.3 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 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.1% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
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- 17.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.6% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people74.8 · 202522nd percentile
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- 11.7 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 rent8.6% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th percentile
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- 7.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.3% · August 20256th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score24.3% · second quarter of 20262nd 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 Taylor 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 Taylor County, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Taylor County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Taylor County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 25.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Taylor County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Taylor County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (7.1% in 2009) to 8.9% in 2010.
The share of households in Taylor County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 9.3%
Low on the chart: 7.1% 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, Taylor County, Wisconsin.
How Taylor County has changed
Taylor County's population rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 17,464 in 1974 to 18,655 in 1979.
Taylor County's population rose 15% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 20,697 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Taylor County, Wisconsin.
The number of jobs located in Taylor County rose most sharply from its first year (6,792 in 1990) to 7,855 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Taylor County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 8,801 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Taylor County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.6% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,291 | 2024 $71,308 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Taylor County's history
1875
Taylor County was carved out in 1875 from Chippewa, Lincoln, Clark counties and a bit of Marathon. Wikipedia
1940
Dairy farming peaked with 3,300 farms in early 1940s, declined to 1,090 by 1995. Wikipedia
1999
Lightning in July 1999 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
A tornado in September 2002 did $3.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 20,689. The 2020 Census counted 19,913, 96% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
8 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Taylor County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Taylor County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Taylor County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Taylor County ranks 4th of the seven; Price County is highest, at 34.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rusk County, WI | 48 | 13.9% | 30.4% |
| Price County, WI | 21 | 12.2% | 34.7% |
| Clark County, WI | 15 | 13.7% | 24.4% |
| Chippewa County, WI | 10 | 10.7% | 23.1% |
| Lincoln County, WI | 9 | 9.3% | 28.1% |
| Marathon County, WI | 6 | 7.5% | 18.1% |
| Taylor County, WI | 4 | 10.5% | 25.3% |
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 Taylor County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Taylor County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 34th 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, Taylor County ranks 60th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Taylor 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 Taylor 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 Taylor County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.