About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Richland County, North Dakota, have a job
In Richland County, 10.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Richland County's score
In Richland County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 37.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.4%, 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 Richland 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.
Richland 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.
- 37.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.0% · second quarter of 202615th percentile
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- 25.4 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 rent17.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.2% · fiscal year 20275th or lower percentile
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- 23.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.4% · 202425th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.1% · 202413th percentile
- People with a disability12.7% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,180 · 202420th percentile
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- 9.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.7% · August 202510th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people48.3 · 20258th 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 year2.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.5% · 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 Richland 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 Richland County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Richland County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Richland County had its largest rise, from 9.6% in 1974 to 13.9% in 1979.
In Richland County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by more than half since 1969, reaching 18.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Richland County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Richland County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.8% in 2018 to 8.2% in 2019.
The share of households in Richland County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen to 6.2%
Low on the chart: 4.1% 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, Richland County, North Dakota.
How Richland County has changed
Richland County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 19,589 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Richland County, North Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Richland County rose 29% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 8,113 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Richland County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.6% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 10.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $26,532 | 2024 $80,180 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.4% 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 Richland County's history
1873
January 4, 1873 (created) November 25, 1873 (organized). Wikipedia
1904
Wahpeton Indian School established for Native American children. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 21,008. The 2020 Census counted 16,529, 79% of the peak. Census Bureau
1955
A tornado in July 1955 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A flood in April 2006 did $1.14 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2022
Strong winds/derecho in 2022 produced 34 tornadoes in Richland County. Wikipedia
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Since 1965
37 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Richland County, 30 of them for flooding. FEMA
Richland County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Richland County, in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Richland County ranks 6th of the eight; Traverse County is highest, at 25.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts County, SD | 31 | 16.2% | 24.2% |
| Traverse County, MN | 20 | 13.1% | 25.6% |
| Clay County, MN | 19 | 11.2% | 22.9% |
| Wilkin County, MN | 15 | 8.5% | 24.5% |
| Cass County, ND | 7 | 11.0% | 11.7% |
| Richland County, ND | 5 | 10.4% | 18.2% |
| Ransom County, ND | 2 | 8.7% | 22.4% |
| Sargent County, ND | 2 | 8.1% | 17.3% |
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 Richland County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Richland County's poverty rate was 10.4% in 2024, 32nd 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, Richland County ranks 31st of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Richland 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 Richland 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 Richland County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.