Benson County, North Dakota

County Distress Index: Normal · 43.5 | 5,745 people · 3rd most distressed in North Dakota
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Benson County, ND falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 43.5 — 2120th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within North Dakota, it ranks 3rd of 53 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Benson County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 88.6 — worse than roughly 89% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 88.6
Poverty Rate 92
Income vs. State Median 86
Child Poverty Rate 88
Employment & Wages 39.2
Unemployment Rate 16
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 7
Business Formation Rate 95
Community Vulnerability 37.3
Uninsured Rate 46
Disability Rate 28
Debt & Delinquency 35.5
Debt in Collections 70
Medical Debt 26
Student Loan Delinquency 11
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 5
Housing Cost Burden 16.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 9
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 51
Rent-to-Income Ratio 14

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Benson County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Benson County
Benson County, ND 43.5 Normal —
Ramsey County, ND 41.1 Normal -2.4
Eddy County, ND 34.5 Healthy -9.0
Pierce County, ND 33.8 Healthy -9.7
Wells County, ND 29.3 Healthy -14.2
Towner County, ND 26.6 Healthy -16.9
Nelson County, ND 26.2 Healthy -17.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Benson County
Swift County, MN 43.5 Normal +0.0
Sheridan County, MT 43.6 Normal +0.1
Blaine County, NE 43.6 Normal +0.1
Garfield County, UT 43.4 Normal -0.1
Wayne County, IA 43.7 Normal +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Benson County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Benson County

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State Bar Association of North Dakota Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar Association of North Dakota Lawyer Referral Service 701-255-1404

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Legal Services of North Dakota 1-800-634-5263

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Benson County, North Dakota?

    Benson County has a County Distress Index score of 43.5 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,120th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 3rd in North Dakota out of 53 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Benson County?

    The primary driver of distress in Benson County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 88.6 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Benson County compare to neighboring counties?

    Benson County (43.5) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Ramsey County, ND (41.1); Eddy County, ND (34.5); Pierce County, ND (33.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Benson County?

    Benson County, North Dakota has a population of approximately 5,745 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.