Unemployment in Bowman County, North Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Bowman County, 1.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bowman County's score
In Bowman County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 24.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bowman 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.
Bowman County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 24.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.0% · 202422nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.6% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance7.2% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,734 · 202431st percentile
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- 22.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202524th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.8% · second quarter of 202619th percentile
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- 9.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.7% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202514th percentile
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- 9.4 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 rent8.3% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 5.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year1.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.2% · 2020 to 20246th 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 Bowman 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 Bowman County, 24.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bowman County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bowman County had its largest rise in the last span, from 16.3% in 2019 to 24.0% in 2024.
In Bowman County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 24.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Bowman County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bowman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.3% in 2015 to 5.3% in 2016.
The share of households in Bowman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 5.1%
Low on the chart: 0.6% in 2012. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bowman County, North Dakota.
How Bowman County has changed
Bowman County's population had its largest drop, from 4,254 in 1984 to 3,679 in 1989.
Bowman County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 4,261 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bowman County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Bowman County had its largest drop, from 1,734 in 2015 to 1,398 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Bowman County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 1,734 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bowman County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.6% | 2025 1.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 10.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,797 | 2024 $73,734 |
The table uses 1.8% for 2025; the score uses 1.7% 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 Bowman County's history
1883
March 8, 1883 (created) July 5, 1907 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 5,119. The 2020 Census counted 2,993, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1978
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bowman County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bowman County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Bowman County, in North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota, score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bowman County ranks 3rd of the five; Adams County is highest, at 36.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams County, ND | 17 | 12.2% | 36.7% |
| Slope County, ND | 11 | 13.6% | 32.3% |
| Fallon County, MT | 6 | 9.3% | 20.6% |
| Harding County, SD | 2 | 11.8% | 17.1% |
| Bowman County, ND | 1 | 10.0% | 24.0% |
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 Bowman County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Bowman County's poverty rate was 10.0% in 2024, 36th 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, Bowman County ranks 48th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bowman 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 Bowman 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 Bowman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.