McLean County, North Dakota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 19.6 | 9,832 people · 47th most distressed in North Dakota
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McLean County, ND ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 19.6 — 3118th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where the job market is relatively stable with wages that keep pace with costs. Within North Dakota, it ranks 47th of 53 counties. It scores lower than all 8 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. McLean County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 26.1 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 26.1
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 54
Income & Poverty 20.9
Poverty Rate 20
Income vs. State Median 32
Child Poverty Rate 11
Housing Cost Burden 19.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 17
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 9
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 59
Homeownership Rate 6
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Community Vulnerability 18.8
Uninsured Rate 25
Disability Rate 13
Debt & Delinquency 12.7
Debt in Collections 5
Medical Debt 33
Student Loan Delinquency 11
Auto Loan Delinquency 16
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 6

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How McLean County compares to its 8 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. McLean County
McLean County, ND 19.6 Healthy —
Ward County, ND 35.8 Normal +16.2
Mountrail County, ND 35.0 Healthy +15.4
Sheridan County, ND 34.8 Healthy +15.3
Mercer County, ND 32.5 Healthy +13.0
McHenry County, ND 28.0 Healthy +8.4
Dunn County, ND 26.1 Healthy +6.6
Burleigh County, ND 23.7 Healthy +4.1
Oliver County, ND 21.7 Healthy +2.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. McLean County
Sully County, SD 19.6 Healthy -0.0
Ransom County, ND 19.8 Healthy +0.2
Bowman County, ND 19.3 Healthy -0.3
Hand County, SD 20.1 Healthy +0.6
Hanson County, SD 20.2 Healthy +0.6

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for McLean County as a CSV file.

Find Help in McLean County

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State Bar Association of North Dakota Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar Association of North Dakota Lawyer Referral Service 701-255-1404

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving McLean County residents at no cost.

Legal Services of North Dakota 1-800-634-5263

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for McLean County, North Dakota?

    McLean County has a County Distress Index score of 19.6 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,118th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 47th in North Dakota out of 53 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in McLean County?

    The primary driver of distress in McLean County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 26.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does McLean County compare to neighboring counties?

    McLean County (19.6) can be compared to its 8 neighboring counties: Ward County, ND (35.8); Mountrail County, ND (35.0); Sheridan County, ND (34.8).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of McLean County?

    McLean County, North Dakota has a population of approximately 9,832 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.