Burke County, North Dakota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 20.8 | 2,134 people · 44th most distressed in North Dakota
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Burke County, ND ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 20.8 — 3108th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where the job market is relatively stable with wages that keep pace with costs. Within North Dakota, it ranks 44th of 53 counties. It scores lower than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Burke County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 31.3 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 31.3
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 84
Debt & Delinquency 23.1
Debt in Collections 7
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 11
Auto Loan Delinquency 24
Credit Card Delinquency 17
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 72
Community Vulnerability 22.3
Uninsured Rate 11
Disability Rate 33
Income & Poverty 17.4
Poverty Rate 13
Income vs. State Median 30
Child Poverty Rate 9
Housing Cost Burden 10.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 6
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 29
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Burke County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Burke County
Burke County, ND 20.8 Healthy —
Ward County, ND 35.8 Normal +15.0
Mountrail County, ND 35.0 Healthy +14.1
Divide County, ND 34.4 Healthy +13.6
Williams County, ND 29.4 Healthy +8.6
Renville County, ND 24.2 Healthy +3.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Burke County
Deuel County, SD 21.0 Healthy +0.2
Sargent County, ND 20.5 Healthy -0.3
Hyde County, SD 20.4 Healthy -0.4
Bottineau County, ND 21.4 Healthy +0.6
Hanson County, SD 20.2 Healthy -0.6

Download Data

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

Find Help in Burke 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 aid organizations serving Burke County residents at no cost.

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

    Burke County has a County Distress Index score of 20.8 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,108th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 44th in North Dakota out of 53 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Burke County?

    The primary driver of distress in Burke County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 31.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Burke County compare to neighboring counties?

    Burke County (20.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Ward County, ND (35.8); Mountrail County, ND (35.0); Divide County, ND (34.4).

  • 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 Burke County?

    Burke County, North Dakota has a population of approximately 2,134 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.