In Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Trempealeau County, 16.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Trempealeau County's score
In Trempealeau County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 24.8. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 14.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Trempealeau 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.
Trempealeau 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.
- 24.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.4% · 202417th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.0% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability11.4% · 2020 to 202410th percentile
- People without health insurance8.7% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,544 · 202421st percentile
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- 22.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202636th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.7% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
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- 22.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.4% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people97.1 · 202534th percentile
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- 15.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.9% · August 202510th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.1% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 14.5 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 rent12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.0% · fiscal year 20277th 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 Trempealeau 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 Trempealeau County, 18.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Trempealeau County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Trempealeau County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 24.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Trempealeau County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.9% in 2010 to 7.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Trempealeau County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 9.1%
Low on the chart: 4.8% 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, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin.
How Trempealeau County has changed
Trempealeau County's population rose 30% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 25,990. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin.
The number of jobs located in Trempealeau County had its largest drop, from 14,460 in 2015 to 12,754 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Trempealeau County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 14,460 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.4% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.5% | 2024 9.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,413 | 2024 $79,544 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.7% 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 Trempealeau County's history
1854
Created in 1854 and organized in 1855. Wikipedia
1858
Polish Prussian settlers from Upper Silesia arrived late 1850s seeking escape from German persecution. Wikipedia
2006
Lightning in October 2006 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A flood in September 2010 did $3.29 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in May 2012 did $3.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A flash flood in July 2017 did $2.65 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 30,760, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Trempealeau County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Trempealeau County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Trempealeau County, in Wisconsin and Minnesota, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Trempealeau County ranks 3rd of the six; Jackson County is highest, at 26.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, WI | 27 | 13.5% | 26.2% |
| Winona County, MN | 11 | 13.3% | 22.1% |
| La Crosse County, WI | 9 | 11.3% | 19.6% |
| Eau Claire County, WI | 8 | 10.8% | 19.4% |
| Trempealeau County, WI | 4 | 9.4% | 24.4% |
| Buffalo County, WI | 3 | 8.8% | 25.1% |
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 Trempealeau County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Trempealeau County's poverty rate was 9.4% in 2024, 47th 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, Trempealeau County ranks 59th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Trempealeau 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 Trempealeau 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 Trempealeau County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.