About one in 12 people with a credit file in Renville County, North Dakota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Renville County, 8.5% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Renville County's score
In Renville County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 18.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 6.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Renville 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.
Renville 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.
- 18.2 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.6% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 17.2 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 working17.4% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
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- 16.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.1% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability10.8% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance5.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,417 · 202415th percentile
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- 14.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202511th 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 score27.8% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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- 6.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people43.9 · 20257th 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 Renville 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 Renville County, 21.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Renville County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Renville County had its largest drop, from 23.3% in 2004 to 14.5% in 2009.
In Renville County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Renville County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Renville County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (3.6% in 2009) to 7.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Renville County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 3.6% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Renville County, North Dakota.
How Renville County has changed
Renville County's population had its largest drop, from 3,273 in 1989 to 2,859 in 1994.
Renville County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 3,925 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Renville County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Renville County had its largest rise, from 759 in 2005 to 892 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Renville County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 892 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Renville County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.4% | 2025 2.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.4% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,441 | 2024 $83,417 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Renville County's history
1873
January 4, 1873 (created) July 20, 1910 (organized). Wikipedia
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 7,840. The 2020 Census counted 2,282, 29% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A tornado in July 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in June 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Renville County, 18 of them for flooding. FEMA
Renville County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Renville County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Renville County ranks 3rd of the five; McHenry County is highest, at 22.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ward County, ND | 14 | 10.7% | 15.5% |
| Burke County, ND | 8 | 9.7% | 14.8% |
| McHenry County, ND | 6 | 11.7% | 22.7% |
| Bottineau County, ND | 2 | 10.0% | 22.0% |
| Renville County, ND | 1 | 9.6% | 19.8% |
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 Renville County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Renville County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 41st 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, Renville County ranks 46th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Renville 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 Renville 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 Renville County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.