About one in 11 people in Pierce County, North Dakota, has a disability
In Pierce County, 9.0% of people reported a disability. That is lower than in 97% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pierce County's score
In Pierce County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 35.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.5%, 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 Pierce 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.
Pierce 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.
- 35.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.9% · 202432nd percentile
- People with a disability9.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$65,205 · 202454th percentile
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- 30.4 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.7% · fiscal year 202728th percentile
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- 14.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.6% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people76.9 · 202523rd percentile
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- 12.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.1% · 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 score27.1% · second quarter of 20266th 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 year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.9% · 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 Pierce 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 Pierce County, 26.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pierce County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Pierce County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Pierce County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Pierce County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.7% in 2015 to 10.5% in 2016.
The share of households in Pierce County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 7.2%
Low on the chart: 6.7% in 2014. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pierce County, North Dakota.
How Pierce County has changed
Pierce County's population fell 40% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 5,203. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pierce County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Pierce County had its largest rise, from 1,692 in 1995 to 2,084 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Pierce County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 2,084 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pierce County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.9% | 2025 3.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.6% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,579 | 2024 $65,205 |
The table uses 3.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% 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 Pierce County's history
1887
March 11, 1887 (created) April 6, 1889 (organized). Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 9,740. The 2020 Census counted 3,990, 41% of the peak. Census Bureau
2005
A thunderstorm in June 2005 did $1.75 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pierce County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pierce County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Pierce County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pierce County ranks 4th of the eight; Rolette County is highest, at 33.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolette County, ND | 87 | 23.4% | 33.3% |
| Benson County, ND | 53 | 24.2% | 29.8% |
| Sheridan County, ND | 16 | 15.5% | 30.4% |
| McHenry County, ND | 6 | 11.7% | 22.7% |
| Pierce County, ND | 4 | 11.7% | 27.0% |
| Wells County, ND | 2 | 12.8% | 22.5% |
| Bottineau County, ND | 2 | 10.0% | 22.0% |
| Towner County, ND | 1 | 10.0% | 23.2% |
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 Pierce County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Pierce County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Pierce County ranks 33rd of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pierce 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 Pierce 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 Pierce County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.