About one in 10 people with a credit file in Mercer County, North Dakota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Mercer County, 10.0% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Mercer County's score
In Mercer County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 9.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Mercer 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, Mercer County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (26.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.2 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 rent26.0% · 2020 to 202489th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.6% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 16.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.1% · 20248th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.0% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability11.6% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance7.6% · 2020 to 202447th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$93,154 · 20248th percentile
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- 14.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202617th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.9% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
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- 13.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.2% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.8% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.5% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 9.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.2 · 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County, 22.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Mercer County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Mercer County had its largest rise, from 8.5% in 1984 to 12.6% in 1989.
In Mercer County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Mercer County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Mercer County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.6% in 2020 to 5.0% in 2021.
The share of households in Mercer County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 2.7%
Low on the chart: 2.0% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Mercer County, North Dakota.
How Mercer County has changed
Mercer County's population had its largest rise, from 8,487 in 1979 to 12,290 in 1984.
Mercer County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 12,290 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Mercer County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 5,191 in 2015 to 3,977 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Mercer County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 5,191 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Mercer County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.2% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.0% | 2024 8.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $33,372 | 2024 $93,154 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.1% 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 Mercer County's history
1875
January 14, 1875 (created) November 6, 1883 (organized). Wikipedia
1990
The county's largest recorded population was the 1990 Census count of 9,808. The 2020 Census counted 8,350, 85% of the peak. Census Bureau
2014
A flood in August 2014 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2023
A thunderstorm in August 2023 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Mercer County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Mercer County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Mercer County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Mercer County ranks 3rd of the six; McLean County is highest, at 22.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stark County, ND | 9 | 10.1% | 13.1% |
| Morton County, ND | 7 | 9.2% | 17.6% |
| Mercer County, ND | 5 | 8.1% | 20.7% |
| Dunn County, ND | 3 | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| Oliver County, ND | 2 | 11.8% | 21.5% |
| McLean County, ND | 0 | 10.8% | 22.6% |
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 Mercer County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Mercer County's poverty rate was 8.1% in 2024, 49th 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, Mercer County ranks 30th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 Mercer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.