In Dunn County, North Dakota, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Dunn County, 14.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Dunn County's score
In Dunn County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 33.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 5.0. About one in 31 renters (3.2%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Dunn 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.
Even so, Dunn County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (14.8%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 33.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.5% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance14.8% · 2020 to 202488th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$94,726 · 20247th percentile
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- 20.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.3% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people49.8 · 20259th percentile
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- 19.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.2% · second quarter of 202637th percentile
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- 8.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20267th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.3% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
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- 5.0 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 rent3.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.3% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Dunn 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 Dunn County, 19.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Dunn County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Dunn County fell most sharply on the way to its 2014 low, from 15.0% in 2009 to 7.0% in 2014.
In Dunn County, pay from work still brings in 349% more than benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Dunn County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 11.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Dunn County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.7% in 2009 to 3.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Dunn County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3.7%, with its low point on the chart in 2022
Low on the chart: 2.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Dunn County, North Dakota.
How Dunn County has changed
Dunn County's population had its largest drop, from 4,967 in 1984 to 4,089 in 1989.
Dunn County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 4,031, with its low point on the chart in 2004
Low on the chart: 3,443 in 2004. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Dunn County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Dunn County had its largest rise, from 1,199 in 2010 to 2,816 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Dunn County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 29% since
High on the chart: 2,816 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Dunn County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.3% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,203 | 2024 $94,726 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.7% 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 Dunn County's history
1883
March 9, 1883 (created) January 18, 1908 (organized). Wikipedia
1908
Organized January 18, 1908. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 9,566. The 2020 Census counted 4,095, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
2014
A flood in August 2014 did $1.7 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2014
Hail in September 2014 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2016
Hail in July 2016 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Dunn County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Dunn County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Dunn County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Dunn County ranks 5th of the seven; McLean County is highest, at 22.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountrail County, ND | 34 | 11.7% | 13.7% |
| McKenzie County, ND | 22 | 8.2% | 7.4% |
| Stark County, ND | 9 | 10.1% | 13.1% |
| Mercer County, ND | 5 | 8.1% | 20.7% |
| Dunn County, ND | 3 | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| Billings County, ND | 0 | 9.0% | 9.5% |
| McLean County, ND | 0 | 10.8% | 22.6% |
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 Dunn County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Dunn County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 42nd 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, Dunn County ranks 36th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Dunn 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.
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 Dunn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.