About one in 12 people with a credit file in Cavalier County, North Dakota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Cavalier County, 8.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Cavalier County's score
In Cavalier County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 35.0. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Cavalier 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.
Cavalier 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.
- 35.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.6% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.0% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.3% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability13.4% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- People without health insurance4.3% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$81,012 · 202419th percentile
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- 12.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.2% · August 20255th or lower 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 score28.1% · second quarter of 20268th percentile
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- 11.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.7% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people27.8 · 20255th or lower 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 Cavalier 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 Cavalier County, 27.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Cavalier County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Cavalier County had its largest rise, from 13.8% in 1999 to 20.3% in 2004.
In Cavalier County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 18.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than three times as much as benefit checks
In Cavalier County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Cavalier County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.6% in 2013 to 4.3% in 2014.
The share of households in Cavalier County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 4.7%
Low on the chart: 1.7% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Cavalier County, North Dakota.
How Cavalier County has changed
Cavalier County's population had its largest drop, from 11,590 in 1974 to 8,071 in 1979.
Cavalier County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1974 and is down 69% since
High on the chart: 11,590 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Cavalier County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Cavalier County had its largest drop, from 1,448 in 2015 to 1,297 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Cavalier County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 1,612 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Cavalier County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 3.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.5% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,853 | 2024 $81,012 |
The table uses 3.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Cavalier County's history
1873
January 4, 1873 (created) July 8, 1884 (organized). Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 15,659. The 2020 Census counted 3,704, 24% of the peak. Census Bureau
1966
A tornado in June 1966 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in June 2005 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2017
A tornado in June 2017 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Cavalier County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Cavalier County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Cavalier County, three score higher. Of the group, Cavalier County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Ramsey County gets the largest, at 23.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walsh County, ND | 18 | 11.7% | 21.5% |
| Ramsey County, ND | 6 | 11.6% | 23.5% |
| Pembina County, ND | 5 | 9.5% | 18.5% |
| Cavalier County, ND | 3 | 9.7% | 18.4% |
| 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 Cavalier County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Cavalier County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 39th 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, Cavalier County ranks 37th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Cavalier 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 Cavalier 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 Cavalier County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.