About one in 11 people in Oliver County, North Dakota, has a disability
In Oliver County, 9.5% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oliver County's score
In Oliver County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 26.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Almost no renters (0.0%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Oliver 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.
Oliver 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.
- 26.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.8% · 202438th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.7% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability9.5% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance4.7% · 2020 to 202415th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,193 · 202415th percentile
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- 19.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202517th 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 score31.6% · second quarter of 202618th percentile
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- 13.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.3% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
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- 11.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202514th percentile
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- 5.0 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 rent0.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.2% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Oliver 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 Oliver County, 27.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Oliver County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Oliver County had its largest rise, from 15.2% in 2014 to 19.4% in 2019.
In Oliver County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Oliver County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Oliver County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 2.2% in 2010 to 7.6% in 2011.
The share of households in Oliver County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen to 1.2%
Biggest drop: 2015 to 2016, reaching 3.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Oliver County, North Dakota.
How Oliver County has changed
Oliver County's population had its largest drop, from 2,445 in 1989 to 2,177 in 1994.
Oliver County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1984 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,613 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Oliver County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Oliver County rose most sharply after its 2005 low, from 601 in 2005 to 979 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Oliver County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 28% since
High on the chart: 979 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Oliver County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.5% | 2024 11.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,602 | 2024 $84,193 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.3% 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 Oliver County's history
1885
April 14, 1885 (created) May 18, 1885 (organized). Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 4,425. The 2020 Census counted 1,877, 42% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1966
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Oliver County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Oliver County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Oliver County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Oliver County ranks 2nd of the five; McLean County is highest, at 22.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morton County, ND | 7 | 9.2% | 17.6% |
| Mercer County, ND | 5 | 8.1% | 20.7% |
| Oliver County, ND | 2 | 11.8% | 21.5% |
| Burleigh County, ND | 1 | 8.1% | 14.5% |
| 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 Oliver County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Oliver County's poverty rate was 11.8% in 2024, 17th 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, Oliver County ranks 43rd of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Oliver 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 Oliver 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 Oliver County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.