John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor in the county. Social Security was the largest contributor, totaling $1.05 billion, equating to $3,797 per capita and making up 42.2% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Income Maintenance transfers across Minnesota amounted to $6.3 billion, ranking lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $1,103 per capita, or 9.7% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $65.06 billion, accounting for 16.5% of residents’ total income, with an average of $11,379 per resident.
Medicare was the second largest contributor in Washington County in 2022, accounting for $632.34 million, averaging $2,292 per capita, representing 25.5% of transfers. Medicaid transfers provided another $407.17 million, averaging $1,476 per capita and comprising 16.4% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 16.6% of the population aged 65 and older, Washington County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Washington County, excluding government transfers was $70,815, which is below the county's total income of $79,814, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Washington County saw a decrease in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.2%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Washington County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 5.1% (or $1,263 per capita) in 1970 to 11.3% (or $8,999 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hennepin County | 1 | 12.1% | 15.7% | 3.8% | 2.3% | 3.8% | 1.3% | $10,860 |
| Ramsey County | 2 | 19.4% | 15.9% | 5.3% | 3.5% | 6.6% | 2.6% | $12,662 |
| Dakota County | 3 | 13.5% | 15.9% | 5.1% | 3.2% | 3% | 1.1% | $9,466 |
| Anoka County | 4 | 16% | 15.4% | 5.7% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 1.5% | $9,665 |
| St. Louis County | 5 | 26% | 21.4% | 8.3% | 5.3% | 7.4% | 2.5% | $14,720 |
| Washington County | 6 | 11.3% | 16.6% | 4.8% | 2.9% | 1.8% | 0.7% | $8,999 |
| Stearns County | 7 | 19.2% | 16.2% | 5.9% | 4.2% | 4% | 2.1% | $11,387 |
| Olmsted County | 8 | 14.8% | 16.8% | 5.4% | 3.2% | 3.6% | 1.5% | $10,026 |
| Wright County | 9 | 13.5% | 13.7% | 5% | 3.4% | 2.7% | 1% | $8,412 |
| Scott County | 10 | 9.7% | 12.5% | 3.7% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 0.8% | $7,279 |
| Crow Wing County | 11 | 28% | 24.5% | 10.3% | 7% | 5.4% | 2.2% | $14,795 |
| Sherburne County | 12 | 15.5% | 12.4% | 5.4% | 3.8% | 2.9% | 1.4% | $8,833 |
| Otter Tail County | 13 | 25.3% | 25.4% | 9.1% | 6.3% | 5.2% | 1.9% | $14,347 |
| Carver County | 14 | 8.6% | 14.4% | 3.6% | 2.2% | 1.5% | 0.5% | $7,522 |
| Itasca County | 15 | 31.8% | 25.7% | 11% | 7.2% | 7.8% | 2.8% | $16,408 |
| Clay County | 16 | 21.4% | 14.1% | 5.9% | 4% | 6.5% | 2.7% | $10,923 |
| Blue Earth County | 17 | 19.2% | 15% | 6.2% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 2.1% | $10,159 |
| Rice County | 18 | 19.2% | 16.5% | 7.1% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 1.8% | $10,275 |
| Beltrami County | 19 | 29.5% | 17.5% | 7.3% | 5.5% | 10.6% | 3.3% | $14,831 |
| Chisago County | 20 | 18.4% | 17.1% | 6.8% | 4.6% | 3.8% | 1.2% | $10,790 |
| Goodhue County | 21 | 19.3% | 20.7% | 7.3% | 5.1% | 4% | 1.3% | $12,352 |
| Kandiyohi County | 22 | 22.2% | 20.3% | 7% | 5% | 5.6% | 2.4% | $13,217 |
| Winona County | 23 | 20% | 18.9% | 7% | 4.3% | 5% | 1.8% | $11,521 |
| Douglas County | 24 | 22.2% | 24.3% | 8.4% | 5.6% | 4.4% | 1.5% | $13,898 |
| Cass County | 25 | 31.1% | 27% | 10.9% | 6.5% | 7.6% | 3.1% | $17,400 |
| Mower County | 26 | 25% | 18.5% | 7.4% | 5.6% | 7.1% | 2.9% | $13,443 |
| Becker County | 27 | 26.3% | 22.8% | 8.3% | 6.2% | 7.2% | 2.1% | $15,100 |
| Carlton County | 28 | 27.8% | 18.6% | 8.6% | 6.5% | 7.6% | 2.1% | $13,981 |
| Morrison County | 29 | 27.3% | 21.2% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 6.6% | 2.3% | $14,060 |
| Isanti County | 30 | 20.8% | 17% | 7.7% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 1.7% | $10,914 |
| Polk County | 31 | 25.1% | 19.4% | 6.8% | 5.2% | 8.2% | 2.6% | $14,768 |
| McLeod County | 32 | 21.4% | 20.1% | 7.6% | 5.6% | 4.9% | 1.5% | $12,345 |
| Benton County | 33 | 19.6% | 14.3% | 6.1% | 3.8% | 5.3% | 2.2% | $10,643 |
| Steele County | 34 | 21.5% | 19.1% | 7.6% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 2.1% | $11,778 |
| Freeborn County | 35 | 25.5% | 23.3% | 8.9% | 6.1% | 5.8% | 2.7% | $14,106 |
| Pine County | 36 | 32% | 22.6% | 10.6% | 7% | 7.8% | 3.1% | $14,479 |
| Mille Lacs County | 37 | 28.8% | 18.3% | 8.9% | 6.9% | 7.4% | 2.4% | $14,810 |
| Todd County | 38 | 25.6% | 23.3% | 7.5% | 6.6% | 6.8% | 2.3% | $14,281 |
| Brown County | 39 | 22.7% | 22.1% | 7.5% | 6.2% | 5.5% | 1.6% | $14,130 |
| Nicollet County | 40 | 17.8% | 17.9% | 6.3% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 1.6% | $10,319 |
| Hubbard County | 41 | 25.2% | 26.7% | 9.2% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 2.3% | $14,791 |
| Lyon County | 42 | 21.1% | 17.6% | 6.2% | 4.6% | 6.3% | 2.2% | $12,693 |
| Le Sueur County | 43 | 17.7% | 18.6% | 6.3% | 4.1% | 4.3% | 1.3% | $10,768 |
| Martin County | 44 | 25.1% | 24.4% | 8.2% | 6.5% | 6.4% | 2.3% | $15,784 |
| Meeker County | 45 | 23.8% | 21.2% | 8.2% | 5.7% | 5.6% | 1.9% | $13,033 |
| Wabasha County | 46 | 22.4% | 23.6% | 7.9% | 6.4% | 4.5% | 1.3% | $13,597 |
| Aitkin County | 47 | 35.6% | 34.1% | 11.7% | 9.9% | 8% | 2.5% | $17,748 |
| Fillmore County | 48 | 22.9% | 22.1% | 8% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 1.7% | $12,751 |
| Wadena County | 49 | 36.7% | 20.3% | 9.9% | 8.4% | 10.8% | 3.7% | $17,125 |
| Houston County | 50 | 21.6% | 23.3% | 8.4% | 4.6% | 5% | 1.4% | $12,969 |
| Nobles County | 51 | 19.7% | 17% | 5.7% | 4.3% | 5.9% | 2.4% | $11,078 |
| Waseca County | 52 | 23.2% | 19.3% | 7.9% | 5.8% | 5.5% | 2% | $12,707 |
| Kanabec County | 53 | 29.1% | 21.8% | 9.8% | 6.9% | 7.1% | 2.5% | $14,485 |
| Renville County | 54 | 23.4% | 21.8% | 6.9% | 6.3% | 6.2% | 2% | $15,050 |
| Redwood County | 55 | 19% | 21.6% | 5.6% | 5.1% | 5.1% | 1.5% | $14,103 |
| Koochiching County | 56 | 34.5% | 28.4% | 11.7% | 7.5% | 9.1% | 2.8% | $18,288 |
| Faribault County | 57 | 27.4% | 23.8% | 8.7% | 6.6% | 7.4% | 2.6% | $15,269 |
| Dodge County | 58 | 16.5% | 15.9% | 5.9% | 3.9% | 3.8% | 1.4% | $9,759 |
| Pennington County | 59 | 20.3% | 19.1% | 5.9% | 4.7% | 5.6% | 1.7% | $13,432 |
| Sibley County | 60 | 20.7% | 19.6% | 6.7% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 1.7% | $12,392 |
| Roseau County | 61 | 19.5% | 19.4% | 6.8% | 4.5% | 4.8% | 1.7% | $11,942 |
| Lake County | 62 | 30.9% | 27.8% | 10.9% | 7.5% | 7% | 1.8% | $16,406 |
| Lake of the Woods County | 62 | 30.9% | 27.8% | 10.9% | 7.5% | 7% | 1.8% | $16,406 |
| Chippewa County | 64 | 25.5% | 21.8% | 7.3% | 6.2% | 7.6% | 2.3% | $14,320 |
| Cottonwood County | 65 | 24.2% | 22.9% | 7.5% | 6.4% | 6.1% | 2.3% | $15,260 |
| Pope County | 66 | 22.7% | 25.3% | 7.4% | 6.1% | 5.4% | 1.7% | $14,474 |
| Yellow Medicine County | 67 | 24.6% | 21.7% | 7.3% | 6.1% | 7% | 1.7% | $16,277 |
| Swift County | 68 | 22% | 23.6% | 6% | 5.1% | 7% | 2% | $14,711 |
| Watonwan County | 69 | 22.1% | 20.8% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 6.2% | 2% | $12,597 |
| Clearwater County | 70 | 29.5% | 21.1% | 7.9% | 6.8% | 8.8% | 2.9% | $15,759 |
| Marshall County | 71 | 19.4% | 23.3% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 5.3% | 1.4% | $14,718 |
| Jackson County | 72 | 20.6% | 23.6% | 6.8% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 1.8% | $13,089 |
| Pipestone County | 73 | 19.9% | 21% | 5.7% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 1.9% | $13,414 |
| Murray County | 74 | 22.7% | 26.8% | 7.4% | 6.9% | 5% | 1.6% | $15,381 |
| Rock County | 75 | 21.3% | 20.5% | 7% | 5.6% | 5.1% | 1.7% | $12,984 |
| Lac qui Parle County | 76 | 24.9% | 27.8% | 7.2% | 6.9% | 7.2% | 1.7% | $17,206 |
| Stevens County | 77 | 17.6% | 17.7% | 5.2% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 1.6% | $11,446 |
| Norman County | 78 | 27.3% | 21.6% | 7.5% | 6.1% | 9% | 2.4% | $16,332 |
| Wilkin County | 79 | 21.2% | 19.9% | 6% | 4.5% | 7.3% | 1.8% | $14,932 |
| Grant County | 80 | 24.8% | 23.5% | 8.2% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 2% | $15,375 |
| Big Stone County | 81 | 25.5% | 26.6% | 7.2% | 6.7% | 7.5% | 1.8% | $17,907 |
| Mahnomen County | 82 | 34.8% | 17.7% | 5.7% | 5.3% | 17.4% | 4% | $16,903 |
| Cook County | 83 | 25% | 30.9% | 10.8% | 6.5% | 4.3% | 1.5% | $14,197 |
| Lincoln County | 84 | 23.7% | 24.4% | 7.3% | 5.7% | 7.2% | 1.6% | $14,361 |
| Lake of the Woods County | 85 | 28.5% | 26.1% | 8.9% | 8.1% | 6.8% | 1.9% | $16,996 |
| Kittson County | 86 | 22% | 25.9% | 7.4% | 5.2% | 6% | 1.7% | $15,419 |
| Traverse County | 87 | 21.2% | 25.7% | 6.1% | 5.3% | 6.2% | 2.1% | $18,142 |
| Red Lake County | 88 | 20% | 23.1% | 5.9% | 5.5% | 5.2% | 1.7% | $14,685 |
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