In Pembina County, North Dakota, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Pembina County, 15.7% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 94% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pembina County's score
In Pembina County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 38.8. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 10.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pembina 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.
Pembina 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.
- 38.8 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202640th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
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- 24.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability13.1% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,534 · 202424th percentile
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- 15.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.6% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202513th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.1% · second quarter of 202626th percentile
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- 10.6 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 income15.7% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
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- 10.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.1% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people60.1 · 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 Pembina 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 Pembina County, 25.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pembina County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Pembina County had its largest rise, from 11.9% in 1999 to 16.7% in 2004.
In Pembina County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 18.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Pembina County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Pembina County getting SNAP food aid rose by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8.6%, with most of the change between 2019 and 2020
High on the chart: 8.6% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pembina County, North Dakota.
How Pembina County has changed
Pembina County's population had its largest drop, from 11,936 in 1974 to 10,706 in 1979.
Pembina County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1974 and is down 45% since
High on the chart: 11,936 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pembina County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Pembina County rose most sharply from its first year (3,315 in 1990) to 4,042 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Pembina County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 17% since
High on the chart: 4,042 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pembina County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 8.7% | 2025 3.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.3% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,561 | 2024 $77,534 |
The table uses 3.5% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Pembina County's history
1867
January 9, 1867 (created) August 12, 1867 (organized). Wikipedia
1878
Icelandic immigrant settlement in Pembina County late 1870s. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,869. The 2020 Census counted 6,844, 38% of the peak. Census Bureau
1970
Cavalier Space Force Station established. Wikipedia
1999
A tornado in June 1999 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in June 2005 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
38 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pembina County, 34 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pembina County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Pembina County, in North Dakota and Minnesota, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pembina County ranks 4th of the five; Kittson County is highest, at 29.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walsh County, ND | 18 | 11.7% | 21.5% |
| Marshall County, MN | 7 | 9.0% | 25.5% |
| Kittson County, MN | 6 | 10.0% | 29.8% |
| Pembina County, ND | 5 | 9.5% | 18.5% |
| Cavalier County, ND | 3 | 9.7% | 18.4% |
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 Pembina County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Pembina County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 42nd 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, Pembina County ranks 32nd of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pembina 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 Pembina 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 Pembina County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.