Unemployment in McIntosh County, North Dakota, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In McIntosh County, 2.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives McIntosh County's score
In McIntosh County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 40.4. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 17.1. People with a credit card behind: 1.9%, August 2025, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McIntosh 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.
McIntosh 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.
- 40.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.3% · 202442nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line17.7% · 202452nd percentile
- People with a disability13.5% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,513 · 202462nd percentile
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- 21.2 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 working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
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- 21.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.5% · August 202516th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people80.4 · 202525th percentile
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- 20.7 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 rent3.2% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.5% · fiscal year 202736th percentile
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- 17.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.9% · 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 score32.9% · second quarter of 202621st 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 McIntosh 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 McIntosh County, 31.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McIntosh County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in McIntosh County rose most sharply after its 1974 low, from 10.7% in 1974 to 16.9% in 1979.
In McIntosh County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, but pay from work still brings in 16% more than benefit checks in 2024
In McIntosh County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 34.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McIntosh County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.2% in 2009 to 10.3% in 2010.
The share of households in McIntosh County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen to 6.4%
Low on the chart: 4.3% 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, McIntosh County, North Dakota.
How McIntosh County has changed
McIntosh County's population had its largest drop, from 5,674 in 1969 to 5,209 in 1974.
McIntosh County's population fell by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,461, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2009 to 2014, reaching 2,777. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McIntosh County, North Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in McIntosh County fell 13% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 1,183 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McIntosh County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.4% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.9% | 2024 12.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,762 | 2024 $62,513 |
The table uses 2.5% 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 McIntosh County's history
1883
March 9, 1883 (created) October 4, 1884 (organized). Wikipedia
1884
Organized October 4, 1884. Wikipedia
1888
Hoskins moved to Ashley in 1888 when Soo Line Railroad townsite established; everything but the school moved three miles east. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 9,621. The 2020 Census counted 2,530, 26% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McIntosh County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
McIntosh County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McIntosh County, in North Dakota and South Dakota, one scores higher. Of the group, McIntosh County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (34.1%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmons County, ND | 14 | 14.0% | 27.8% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 9 | 12.3% | 34.1% |
| Logan County, ND | 9 | 12.9% | 27.9% |
| Dickey County, ND | 3 | 12.5% | 17.1% |
| McPherson County, SD | 2 | 17.9% | 19.9% |
| Campbell County, SD | 2 | 10.5% | 20.0% |
| LaMoure County, ND | 0 | 10.9% | 19.6% |
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 McIntosh County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, McIntosh County's poverty rate was 12.3% in 2024, 15th 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, McIntosh County ranks 19th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McIntosh 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 McIntosh 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 McIntosh County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.