About one in seven people with a credit file in Washburn County, Wisconsin, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Washburn County, 13.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 86% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Washburn County's score
In Washburn County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 61.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 7.7. People with a car or retail loan behind: 2.0%, August 2025, lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Washburn 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.
Washburn 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.
- 61.4 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202669th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working21.3% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
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- 38.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.2% · 202432nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.2% · 202439th percentile
- People with a disability16.2% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,153 · 202445th percentile
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- 36.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.5% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people147.7 · 202559th percentile
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- 20.9 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 income17.8% · fiscal year 202719th percentile
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- 7.7 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 behind2.0% · August 20255th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.5% · second quarter of 20267th 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 Washburn 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 Washburn County, 28.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Washburn County
Wisconsin
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Washburn County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a third more than benefit checks
In Washburn County, Wisconsin, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Washburn County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (8.1% in 2009) to 10.5% in 2010.
The share of households in Washburn County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 8.1% 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, Washburn County, Wisconsin.
How Washburn County has changed
Washburn County's population rose by more than half to 16,982, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1974 to 1979, reaching 12,965. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Washburn County, Wisconsin.
The number of jobs located in Washburn County rose most sharply from its first year (4,075 in 1990) to 4,987 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Washburn County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 9% since
High on the chart: 5,993 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Washburn County, Wisconsin.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 7.1% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.4% | 2024 11.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,183 | 2024 $68,153 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.6% 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 Washburn County's history
1953
A tornado in May 1953 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Lightning in July 2002 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 16,623, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
10 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Washburn County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Washburn County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Washburn County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Washburn County ranks 2nd of the five; Burnett County is highest, at 33.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burnett County, WI | 30 | 10.6% | 33.6% |
| Sawyer County, WI | 30 | 13.3% | 32.2% |
| Douglas County, WI | 26 | 11.9% | 28.0% |
| Washburn County, WI | 21 | 11.2% | 33.3% |
| Barron County, WI | 11 | 10.2% | 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 Washburn County the poorest county in Wisconsin?
No, Washburn County's poverty rate was 11.2% in 2024, 27th 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, Washburn County ranks 19th of 72 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Washburn 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 Washburn 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 Washburn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.