Minnesota County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 87 counties in Minnesota, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 32.2.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
Minnesota Snapshot
87 Counties Scored
32.2 Mean Score
32.0 Median Score
48.0 Mahnomen County Most Distressed
18.0 Stevens County Least Distressed
28 Normal 59 Healthy
Zone Distribution Minnesota County Map
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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis
All 87 Minnesota counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How Minnesota's 87 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All Minnesota Counties
87 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Zone | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,714 | Mahnomen County | 48.0 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 2 | 1,734 | Ramsey County | 47.6 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 3 | 1,861 | Pine County | 45.7 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 4 | 1,877 | Beltrami County | 45.4 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 5 | 1,979 | Isanti County | 43.6 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 6 | 2,016 | Clay County | 43.0 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 7 | 2,060 | Mille Lacs County | 42.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 8 | 2,082 | Wadena County | 41.7 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 9 | 2,091 | Mower County | 41.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 10 | 2,094 | St. Louis County | 41.5 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 11 | 2,168 | Itasca County | 40.4 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 12 | 2,180 | Blue Earth County | 40.2 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 13 | 2,213 | Benton County | 39.6 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 14 | 2,224 | Freeborn County | 39.4 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 15 | 2,240 | Kanabec County | 39.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 16 | 2,243 | Stearns County | 39.1 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 17 | 2,280 | Steele County | 38.5 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 18 | 2,297 | Chisago County | 38.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 19 | 2,301 | Anoka County | 38.2 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 20 | 2,322 | Lake County | 37.9 | Normal | Economic Vitality |
| 21 | 2,345 | Hennepin County | 37.5 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 22 | 2,366 | Swift County | 36.9 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 23 | 2,386 | Polk County | 36.6 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 24 | 2,399 | Hubbard County | 36.4 | Normal | Housing Cost Burden |
| 25 | 2,417 | Dakota County | 36.1 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 26 | 2,428 | Faribault County | 35.9 | Normal | Legal Distress |
| 27 | 2,452 | Martin County | 35.5 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 28 | 2,468 | Norman County | 35.1 | Normal | Structural Poverty |
| 29 | 2,477 | Chippewa County | 35.0 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 30 | 2,478 | Crow Wing County | 34.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 31 | 2,490 | Rice County | 34.7 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 32 | 2,537 | Renville County | 33.8 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 33 | 2,540 | Cottonwood County | 33.7 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 34 | 2,541 | Pope County | 33.7 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 35 | 2,563 | Cass County | 33.5 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 36 | 2,565 | Lyon County | 33.4 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 37 | 2,586 | Redwood County | 32.9 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 38 | 2,587 | Sherburne County | 32.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 39 | 2,596 | Carlton County | 32.8 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 40 | 2,606 | Aitkin County | 32.6 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 41 | 2,612 | Nobles County | 32.5 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 42 | 2,620 | Le Sueur County | 32.5 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 43 | 2,645 | Winona County | 32.1 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 44 | 2,651 | Todd County | 32.0 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 45 | 2,658 | Kandiyohi County | 31.9 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 46 | 2,663 | Washington County | 31.7 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 47 | 2,678 | Pipestone County | 31.4 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 48 | 2,686 | Grant County | 31.3 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 49 | 2,692 | Pennington County | 31.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 50 | 2,706 | McLeod County | 30.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 51 | 2,718 | Becker County | 30.7 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 52 | 2,726 | Wilkin County | 30.6 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 53 | 2,742 | Waseca County | 30.4 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 54 | 2,758 | Olmsted County | 30.0 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 55 | 2,762 | Wright County | 29.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 56 | 2,765 | Meeker County | 29.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 57 | 2,766 | Koochiching County | 29.9 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 58 | 2,784 | Dodge County | 29.5 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 59 | 2,795 | Brown County | 29.2 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 60 | 2,796 | Scott County | 29.2 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 61 | 2,806 | Nicollet County | 28.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 62 | 2,812 | Lake of the Woods County | 28.8 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 63 | 2,829 | Clearwater County | 28.4 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 64 | 2,830 | Goodhue County | 28.4 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 65 | 2,854 | Roseau County | 27.9 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 66 | 2,884 | Watonwan County | 27.2 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 67 | 2,885 | Fillmore County | 27.2 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 68 | 2,886 | Lincoln County | 27.1 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 69 | 2,900 | Otter Tail County | 26.8 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 70 | 2,928 | Wabasha County | 26.1 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 71 | 2,930 | Jackson County | 26.1 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 72 | 2,934 | Sibley County | 26.0 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 73 | 2,935 | Houston County | 25.9 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 74 | 2,936 | Big Stone County | 25.8 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 75 | 2,966 | Morrison County | 25.1 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 76 | 2,977 | Cook County | 24.5 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 77 | 2,987 | Lac qui Parle County | 24.3 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 78 | 3,012 | Red Lake County | 22.9 | Healthy | Economic Vitality |
| 79 | 3,014 | Rock County | 22.9 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 80 | 3,023 | Douglas County | 22.6 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
| 81 | 3,034 | Carver County | 22.0 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 82 | 3,035 | Yellow Medicine County | 22.0 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 83 | 3,039 | Traverse County | 21.5 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 84 | 3,077 | Marshall County | 19.8 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 85 | 3,095 | Kittson County | 18.3 | Healthy | Legal Distress |
| 86 | 3,102 | Murray County | 18.0 | Healthy | Structural Poverty |
| 87 | 3,103 | Stevens County | 18.0 | Healthy | Housing Cost Burden |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using PCA-weighted percentile-rank scoring across five statistically derived dimensions: Consumer Credit Distress, Housing Cost Burden, Structural Poverty, Economic Vitality, and Legal Distress. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Crisis (≥80) — Among the most distressed counties in the country
Serious (65–80) — More distressed than roughly 80% of counties
Elevated (50–65) — More distressed than roughly half of counties
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Less distressed than most counties