Unemployment in Grant County, North Dakota, is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties
In Grant County, 2.2% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Grant County's score
In Grant County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 85.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 9.8. About one in nine people with a credit file (10.9%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 94% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Grant 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, Grant County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (31.2%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($51,175, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 85.9 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 rent31.2% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.8% · fiscal year 202776th percentile
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- 58.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line16.9% · 202475th percentile
- Children below the poverty line26.5% · 202485th percentile
- People with a disability14.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.3% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$51,175 · 202489th percentile
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- 25.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.0% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
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- 15.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202517th 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 score25.5% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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- 9.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.9% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202514th 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 Grant 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 Grant 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
Grant County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Grant County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 33.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Grant County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 33.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.5% in 2021 to 7.7% in 2022.
The share of households in Grant County getting SNAP food aid fell to its lowest on the chart in 2020, then climbed past the 2009 level
Low on the chart: 3.9% 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, Grant County, North Dakota.
How Grant County has changed
Grant County's population fell by more than half to 2,247, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 3,674. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Grant County, North Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Grant County rose 15% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 641 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Grant County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.5% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.3% | 2024 16.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,937 | 2024 $51,175 |
The table uses 2.4% for 2025; the score uses 2.2% 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 Grant County's history
1916
November 7, 1916 (created) November 28, 1916 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 10,134. The 2020 Census counted 2,301, 23% of the peak. Census Bureau
1978
A tornado in July 1978 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed five people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1996
A thunderstorm in May 1996 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Hail in July 2010 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
Hail in July 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
27 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Grant County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Grant County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Grant County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Grant County ranks 4th of the six; Sioux County is highest, at 44.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux County, ND | 56 | 29.9% | 44.8% |
| Grant County, ND | 30 | 16.9% | 33.5% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 26 | 13.0% | 33.7% |
| Adams County, ND | 17 | 12.2% | 36.7% |
| Stark County, ND | 9 | 10.1% | 13.1% |
| Morton County, ND | 7 | 9.2% | 17.6% |
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 Grant County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Grant County's poverty rate was 16.9% in 2024, 4th 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, Grant County ranks 5th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Grant 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 Grant County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.