#2,539 North Dakota · 2026

Mountrail County, North Dakota

31.9 · low-moderate county distress 2,539th of 3,144 counties nationally · 9,383 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
31% Mountrail residents
vs.
23% U.S. median

Above the national median for subprime credit share.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 32 words · paste-ready

Mountrail County, North Dakota ranks 2,539th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Mountrail sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 2,539th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 31.9 · low-moderate county distress, 4th in North Dakota.
  • 31% of residents carry subprime credit (score below 660) (U.S. median 23%). Subprime credit share at the 78th percentile nationally. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025).
  • Uninsured rate at 16% — national median 8%, ranked at the 91st percentile. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023).
  • Default & Legal domain score 25 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 13 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Mountrail County, North Dakota and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Mountrail and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Mountrail County ranks 2,539th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 20 words

Mountrail County has a low-moderate county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 32 words

The CDI gives this county a low-moderate county distress label. The label comes from the score, while the rank compares the county with the current national cross-section. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Jul 1, 2026
BLS 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

2.7% -2.7 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

11.7% -6.6 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

13.7% +0.5 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

31.1% -1.5 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Mountrail County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Mountrail County's value shown alongside ND's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Mountrail County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Mountrail ND median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 72 · Rank 762 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 7% 3% 5% 75th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 6% 3% 5% 64th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 31% 15% 23% 78th Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 25 · Rank 2,586 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 21% 12% 23% 44th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 43 59 126 7th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 13 · Rank 2,983 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 16% 21% 15th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 9% 12% 18% 11th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 6 · Rank 2,950 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 2% 2% 4% 6th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 43 · Rank 1,845 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 15% 12% 18% 34th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 14% 13% 16% 32nd U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 12% 11% 14% 34th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 16% 6% 8% 91st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Data compiled May 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2023, SAIPE 2023, Business Formation Statistics 2024), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS May 2026, QCEW 2024), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2026).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Delinquency Primary driver 72
Weight 20% · Rank 762 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 43
Weight 20% · Rank 1,845 of 3,144
Default & Legal 25
Weight 20% · Rank 2,586 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 13
Weight 20% · Rank 2,983 of 3,144
Labor 6
Weight 20% · Rank 2,950 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), FRED/Equifax (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2022 to 2026 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Mountrail County data — in under 60 seconds.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · same-day response, 9am–6pm ET
Draft wire copy 125-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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STANLEY, N.D. — Mountrail County ranks 2,539th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

The composite score of 31.9 out of 100 gives Mountrail a low-moderate county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,538 counties rank more distressed. Within North Dakota, Mountrail ranks fourth of 53 counties.

The index, which draws on 13 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Mountrail sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mountrail County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Mountrail County scores 31.9 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label low-moderate county distress. It ranks 2,539th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 4th of 53 North Dakota counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Mountrail County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 72. Subprime credit share ranks at the 78th percentile nationally.

How does Mountrail County compare to its neighbors?

Mountrail County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: McKenzie County (31.71, low-moderate county distress). Lowest: McLean County (9.11, exceptionally low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI is a 0–100 composite of 13 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, HUD, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Two decades working directly with financially distressed American households — from property preservation in 2003, to negotiating over 1,000 short sales during the Great Recession, to foreclosure defense marketing today. Author, The Ark Law Group Complete Guide to Short Sales (Auroch Press, 2013). Founded American Default Research in 2026.

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