About one in 13 people with a credit file in Griggs County, North Dakota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Griggs County, 7.9% 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 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Griggs County's score
In Griggs County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 35.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Griggs 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.
Griggs 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.
- 35.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.0% · 202433rd percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,986 · 202443rd percentile
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- 18.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.8% · 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 score34.3% · second quarter of 202627th percentile
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- 14.7 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 rent9.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.6% · fiscal year 202718th percentile
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- 6.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector7.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people44.5 · 20257th percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.2% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Griggs 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 Griggs 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
Griggs County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Griggs County had its largest rise, from 8.2% in 1974 to 14.7% in 1979.
In Griggs County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 24.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Griggs County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Griggs County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 5.5% in 2019 to 2.9% in 2020.
The share of households in Griggs County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 2.6% 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, Griggs County, North Dakota.
How Griggs County has changed
Griggs County's population had its largest drop, from 3,687 in 1984 to 3,372 in 1989.
Griggs County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,227, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2014 to 2019, reaching 2,300. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Griggs County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Griggs County had its largest rise, from 778 in 1990 to 1,049 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Griggs County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 1,049 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Griggs County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.2% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.1% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,877 | 2024 $68,986 |
The table uses 2.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.1% 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 Griggs County's history
1881
February 18, 1881 (created) June 16, 1882 (organized). Wikipedia
1882
Organized June 16, 1882. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 7,402. The 2020 Census counted 2,306, 31% of the peak. Census Bureau
1986
A tornado in June 1986 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Hail in August 1997 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A thunderstorm in August 2006 did $9.06 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Griggs County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Griggs County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Griggs County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Griggs County ranks 2nd of the seven; Nelson County is highest, at 27.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes County, ND | 13 | 10.4% | 23.2% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 10 | 11.7% | 20.2% |
| Eddy County, ND | 7 | 12.4% | 22.9% |
| Griggs County, ND | 2 | 11.7% | 24.1% |
| Nelson County, ND | 2 | 11.0% | 27.3% |
| Foster County, ND | 2 | 8.4% | 19.5% |
| Steele County, ND | 0 | 7.4% | 16.6% |
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 Griggs County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Griggs County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Griggs County ranks 38th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Griggs 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 Griggs 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 Griggs County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.