About one in 43 people with a credit file in Emmons County, North Dakota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Emmons County, 2.4% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Emmons County's score
In Emmons County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 40.3. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 15.1. About three in ten people (28.3%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a lower share than in 90% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Emmons 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.
Emmons 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.
- 40.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.0% · 202456th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,994 · 202446th percentile
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- 37.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202641st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.8% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector2.4% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people124.1 · 202549th percentile
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- 23.5 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 rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 15.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202511th 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 score28.3% · second quarter of 20269th 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 Emmons 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 Emmons County, 29.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Emmons County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Emmons County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Emmons County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Emmons County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply after its 2021 high, from 9.6% in 2021 to 6.6% in 2022.
The share of households in Emmons County getting SNAP food aid more than doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9.1%
High on the chart: 9.6% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Emmons County, North Dakota.
How Emmons County has changed
Emmons County's population had its largest drop, from 7,330 in 1969 to 6,653 in 1974.
Emmons County's population fell by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 3,209, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2019 to 2024, reaching 3,209. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Emmons County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Emmons County had its largest rise, from 1,029 in 1990 to 1,224 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Emmons County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,267 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Emmons County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 4.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.8% | 2024 14.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,282 | 2024 $67,994 |
The table uses 4.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Emmons County's history
1879
February 10, 1879 (created) November 9, 1883 (organized). Wikipedia
1883
Organized November 9, 1883. Wikipedia
1903
Williamsport, first county seat established 1883, abandoned in 1903 when Linton and Hazelton drew away population. Wikipedia
1909
Winchester established 1884 along Beaver Creek, completely abandoned by 1909. Wikipedia
1912
Emmonsburg on Missouri River, established 1888, abandoned 1912. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 12,467. The 2020 Census counted 3,301, 26% of the peak. Census Bureau
1930
Glencoe established 1883 in northwest corner, abandoned 1930. Wikipedia
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Since 1969
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Emmons County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Emmons County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Emmons County, in North Dakota and South Dakota, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Emmons County ranks 5th of the nine; Sioux County is highest, at 44.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corson County, SD | 64 | 37.9% | 38.3% |
| Sioux County, ND | 56 | 29.9% | 44.8% |
| Emmons County, ND | 14 | 14.0% | 27.8% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 9 | 12.3% | 34.1% |
| Logan County, ND | 9 | 12.9% | 27.9% |
| Kidder County, ND | 8 | 13.9% | 22.3% |
| Morton County, ND | 7 | 9.2% | 17.6% |
| Campbell County, SD | 2 | 10.5% | 20.0% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 1 | 8.1% | 14.5% |
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 Emmons County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Emmons County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 6th 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, Emmons County ranks 12th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Emmons 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 Emmons 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 Emmons County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.