#3,072 Top 100 Least Distressed Counties · 2026

Oliver County, North Dakota

14.8 · very low county distress 3,072nd of 3,144 counties nationally · 1,879 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
3% Oliver residents
vs.
5% U.S. median

Below the national median for auto loan delinquency.

Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 32 words · paste-ready

Oliver County, North Dakota ranks 3,072nd most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Oliver sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Delinquency.

Key Findings
  • 3,072nd of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 14.8 · very low county distress, 38th in North Dakota.
  • 3% of auto loan accounts are 60+ days past due (U.S. median 5%). Auto loan delinquency at the 24th percentile nationally. Source: Urban Institute Debt in America (2025).
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 18 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Safety Net & Buffer domain score 17 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Default & Legal domain score 11 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Oliver County, North Dakota and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Oliver and its 4 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Oliver County ranks 3,072nd of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 24 words

Oliver County has a very low county distress score. The rank and domain mix show where the county still sits in the national cross-section.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 31 words

The CDI gives this county a very low county distress label. The rank is still reported because low score intensity and relative position are different measures. 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

3.7% -0.2 pp since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

11.8% +1.3 pp since 1989
BEA 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

21.5% +14.9 pp since 1969
FRED/Equifax 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

16.9% +3.5 pp since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Oliver County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Oliver 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 Oliver County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Oliver ND median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 21 · Rank 2,566 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 3% 3% 5% 24th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 3% 3% 5% 17th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 17% 15% 23% 21st Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Equifax (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 11 · Rank 3,015 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 12% 12% 23% 8th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 59 59 126 14th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 18 · Rank 2,855 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 16% 21% 14th HUD FMR (FY2026); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 12% 12% 18% 21st U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Labor — domain score 7 · Rank 2,900 of 3,144
Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed 2% 2% 4% 7th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (May 2026)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 17 · Rank 2,844 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 15% 12% 18% 35th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 8% 13% 16% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2023)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 11% 11% 14% 27th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2023)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 3% 6% 8% 5th 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 21
Weight 20% · Rank 2,566 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 18
Weight 20% · Rank 2,855 of 3,144
Safety Net & Buffer 17
Weight 20% · Rank 2,844 of 3,144
Default & Legal 11
Weight 20% · Rank 3,015 of 3,144
Labor 7
Weight 20% · Rank 2,900 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 Oliver 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 126-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
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CENTER, N.D. — Oliver County ranks 3,072nd 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 14.8 out of 100 gives Oliver a very low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 3,071 counties rank more distressed. Within North Dakota, Oliver ranks 38th 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 Oliver 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 Oliver County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Oliver County scores 14.8 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, with the score label very low county distress. It ranks 3,072nd of 3,144 U.S. counties and 38th of 53 North Dakota counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Oliver County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Delinquency, at a domain score of 21. Auto loan delinquency ranks at the 24th percentile nationally.

How does Oliver County compare to its neighbors?

Oliver County's neighbors span three CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Morton County (21.86, low 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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