About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Rolette County, North Dakota, are not working
In Rolette County, 40.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 98% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 87% of U.S. counties.
What drives Rolette County's score
In Rolette County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 93.7. People with a credit card behind: 12.0%, August 2025, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Jobs come next, at 90.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Rolette 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.
Rolette County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (42.6, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (18.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 93.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind12.0% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score56.0% · second quarter of 202690th percentile
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- 90.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year5.2% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202685th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working40.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 83.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line23.4% · 202494th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.8% · 202490th percentile
- People with a disability17.8% · 2020 to 202466th percentile
- People without health insurance22.1% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$59,505 · 202472nd percentile
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- 58.1 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 rent18.1% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.4% · fiscal year 202766th percentile
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- 37.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.9% · August 202567th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people42.6 · 20256th 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 Rolette 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 Rolette County, 13.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Rolette County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Rolette County had its largest rise, from 26.5% in 1984 to 32.0% in 1989.
In Rolette County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Rolette County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Rolette County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (22.6% in 2009) to 26.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Rolette County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 25.6%
Low on the chart: 22.6% 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, Rolette County, North Dakota.
How Rolette County has changed
Rolette County's population had its largest drop, from 13,888 in 2014 to 12,421 in 2019.
Rolette County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and is down 16% since
High on the chart: 13,888 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Rolette County, North Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Rolette County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 4,666, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 4,751 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Rolette County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 14.5% | 2025 5.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 35.2% | 2024 23.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,848 | 2024 $59,505 |
The table uses 5.6% for 2025; the score uses 5.2% 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 Rolette County's history
1873
January 4, 1873 (created) October 14, 1884 (organized). Wikipedia
2005
A thunderstorm in July 2005 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A tornado in July 2008 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 13,937. The 2020 Census counted 12,187, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2023
A flood in April 2023 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
25 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Rolette County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Rolette County beside its neighbors
Rolette County scores higher than all three counties that border it. Of the group, Rolette County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (33.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolette County, ND | 87 | 23.4% | 33.3% |
| Pierce County, ND | 4 | 11.7% | 27.0% |
| 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 Rolette County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Rolette County's poverty rate was 23.4% in 2024, 3rd 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, Rolette County ranks 1st of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Rolette 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 Rolette 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 Rolette County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.