North Dakota County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 53 counties in North Dakota, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 22.0. 1county is in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
North Dakota Snapshot
53 Counties Scored
22.0 Mean Score
20.6 Median Score
64.3 Rolette County Most Distressed
8.9 McLean County Least Distressed
1 Second-most distressed fifth1 Middle fifth1 Second-least distressed fifth50 Least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution North Dakota County Map
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Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 53 North Dakota counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How North Dakota's 53 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All North Dakota Counties
53 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 766 | Rolette County | 64.3 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 2 | 1,762 | Sioux County | 47.2 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 3 | 2,177 | Benson County | 39.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 4 | 2,524 | Mountrail County | 32.4 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 5 | 2,536 | McKenzie County | 32.2 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 6 | 2,573 | Sheridan County | 31.5 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 7 | 2,584 | Williams County | 31.3 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 8 | 2,631 | Grant County | 30.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 9 | 2,689 | Adams County | 28.7 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 10 | 2,704 | Kidder County | 28.3 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 11 | 2,727 | Hettinger County | 27.8 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 12 | 2,735 | Ward County | 27.5 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 13 | 2,787 | McHenry County | 26.1 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 14 | 2,815 | Emmons County | 25.3 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 15 | 2,825 | Barnes County | 25.0 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 16 | 2,864 | Stark County | 23.9 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 17 | 2,869 | Richland County | 23.7 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 18 | 2,872 | Logan County | 23.6 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 19 | 2,900 | Golden Valley County | 22.9 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 20 | 2,906 | Cass County | 22.7 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 21 | 2,909 | Pierce County | 22.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 22 | 2,912 | Grand Forks County | 22.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 23 | 2,914 | Walsh County | 22.5 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 24 | 2,915 | Morton County | 22.4 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 25 | 2,937 | Ramsey County | 21.8 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 26 | 2,939 | Mercer County | 21.8 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 27 | 2,967 | Eddy County | 20.6 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 28 | 2,974 | Slope County | 20.4 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 29 | 2,985 | Divide County | 19.8 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 30 | 2,994 | Stutsman County | 19.7 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 31 | 2,997 | Wells County | 19.6 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 32 | 3,007 | Steele County | 18.8 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 33 | 3,021 | Oliver County | 18.1 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 34 | 3,024 | Dunn County | 18.0 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 35 | 3,026 | McIntosh County | 17.8 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 36 | 3,050 | Burke County | 16.0 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 37 | 3,053 | Pembina County | 15.9 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 38 | 3,058 | Foster County | 15.7 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 39 | 3,062 | Burleigh County | 15.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 40 | 3,067 | Traill County | 15.5 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 41 | 3,079 | Bottineau County | 14.9 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 42 | 3,080 | Ransom County | 14.8 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 43 | 3,081 | Dickey County | 14.7 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 3,083 | Cavalier County | 14.6 | Least distressed fifth | Labor |
| 45 | 3,093 | Sargent County | 13.9 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 46 | 3,098 | Towner County | 13.6 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 47 | 3,100 | Nelson County | 13.4 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 48 | 3,112 | Griggs County | 12.8 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 49 | 3,119 | Bowman County | 12.2 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 50 | 3,126 | Renville County | 10.9 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 51 | 3,132 | Billings County | 10.2 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 52 | 3,135 | LaMoure County | 9.4 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 53 | 3,137 | McLean County | 8.9 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Most distressed fifth — 0 North Dakota counties
Second-most distressed fifth — 1 North Dakota county
Middle fifth — 1 North Dakota county
Second-least distressed fifth — 1 North Dakota county
Least distressed fifth — 50 North Dakota counties