About 19 in 20 adults aged 25 to 54 in Nelson County, North Dakota, have a job
In Nelson County, 6.8% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Nelson County's score
In Nelson County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 35.8. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.2%, 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 Nelson 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.
Nelson 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.
- 35.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.3% · 202435th percentile
- People with a disability17.4% · 2020 to 202462nd percentile
- People without health insurance4.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,654 · 202441st percentile
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- 16.3 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 rent11.1% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.5% · fiscal year 202717th percentile
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- 11.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.3% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people66.9 · 202517th percentile
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- 11.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · 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 score25.5% · second quarter of 20265th or lower 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 year2.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working6.8% · 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County, 28.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Nelson County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Nelson County had its largest rise, from 17.2% in 1984 to 24.6% in 1989.
In Nelson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 27.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Nelson County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Nelson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 8.3% in 2020 to 5.1% in 2021.
The share of households in Nelson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 4.9%
Low on the chart: 3.9% in 2015. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Nelson County, North Dakota.
How Nelson County has changed
Nelson County's population had its largest drop, from 5,036 in 1984 to 4,520 in 1989.
Nelson County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 3,007, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2009 to 2014, reaching 3,109. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Nelson County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Nelson County had its largest drop, from 1,035 in 2015 to 942 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Nelson County fell 14% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 1,101 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Nelson County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.8% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,366 | 2024 $69,654 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.2% 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 Nelson County's history
1883
March 2, 1883 (created) June 9, 1883 (organized). Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 10,362. The 2020 Census counted 3,015, 29% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
Hail in June 1997 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A flash flood in June 2000 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in June 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A flood in July 2009 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Nelson County, 27 of them for flooding. FEMA
Nelson County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Nelson County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Nelson County ranks 2nd of the eight; Benson County is highest, at 29.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson County, ND | 53 | 24.2% | 29.8% |
| Walsh County, ND | 18 | 11.7% | 21.5% |
| Grand Forks County, ND | 8 | 12.4% | 15.6% |
| Eddy County, ND | 7 | 12.4% | 22.9% |
| Ramsey County, ND | 6 | 11.6% | 23.5% |
| Griggs County, ND | 2 | 11.7% | 24.1% |
| Nelson County, ND | 2 | 11.0% | 27.3% |
| 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 Nelson County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Nelson County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 27th 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, Nelson County ranks 39th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.