About one in four people in Benson County, North Dakota, lives below the poverty line
In Benson County, 24.2% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 95% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Benson County's score
In Benson County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 71.6. Late payments on loans come next, at 58.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Benson 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.
Benson County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a credit card behind (1.6%, August 2025) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (17.4, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 71.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line24.2% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line33.5% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$57,730 · 202476th percentile
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- 58.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind13.5% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score48.5% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 57.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202620th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working32.6% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
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- 37.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector28.7% · August 202570th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people17.4 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 34.7 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 rent11.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.1% · fiscal year 202754th 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 Benson 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 Benson County, 15.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Benson County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Benson County had its largest rise, from 12.4% in 1974 to 19.1% in 1979.
In Benson County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 29.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Benson County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Benson County getting SNAP food aid rose from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20.5%, with most of the change between 2010 and 2011
High on the chart: 22.1% in 2017. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Benson County, North Dakota.
How Benson County has changed
Benson County's population had its largest drop, from 7,992 in 1984 to 7,317 in 1989.
Benson County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5,756, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 1994 to 1999, reaching 6,949. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Benson County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Benson County had its largest rise, from 1,837 in 2000 to 2,119 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Benson County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 2,356 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Benson County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.1% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 28.7% | 2024 24.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,868 | 2024 $57,730 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.2% 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 Benson County's history
1883
March 9, 1883 (created) June 4, 1884 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 13,327. The 2020 Census counted 5,964, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
2000
A thunderstorm in August 2000 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in June 2005 did $6.45 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in June 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in July 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Benson County, 24 of them for flooding. FEMA
Benson County beside its neighbors
Benson County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Benson County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.8%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson County, ND | 53 | 24.2% | 29.8% |
| Eddy County, ND | 7 | 12.4% | 22.9% |
| Ramsey County, ND | 6 | 11.6% | 23.5% |
| Pierce County, ND | 4 | 11.7% | 27.0% |
| Nelson County, ND | 2 | 11.0% | 27.3% |
| Wells County, ND | 2 | 12.8% | 22.5% |
| Towner County, ND | 1 | 10.0% | 23.2% |
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 Benson County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Benson County's poverty rate was 24.2% in 2024, 2nd highest of 53 in North Dakota (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Sioux County, at 29.9%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Benson County ranks 3rd of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Benson 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 Services of North Dakota
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 Benson 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 Benson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.