Sargent County, North Dakota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 20.5 | 3,776 people · 45th most distressed in North Dakota
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Sargent County, ND ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 20.5 — 3111th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where the job market is relatively stable with wages that keep pace with costs. Within North Dakota, it ranks 45th of 53 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sargent County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 28.3 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 28.3
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 75
Debt & Delinquency 24.6
Debt in Collections 23
Medical Debt 35
Student Loan Delinquency 11
Auto Loan Delinquency 24
Credit Card Delinquency 28
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 26
Income & Poverty 18.0
Poverty Rate 11
Income vs. State Median 31
Child Poverty Rate 12
Housing Cost Burden 16.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 7
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 12
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 53
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Community Vulnerability 15.2
Uninsured Rate 9
Disability Rate 21

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Sargent County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sargent County
Sargent County, ND 20.5 Healthy —
Roberts County, SD 47.7 Normal +27.2
Richland County, ND 33.9 Healthy +13.4
Brown County, SD 32.4 Healthy +11.9
Dickey County, ND 25.8 Healthy +5.3
Marshall County, SD 22.3 Healthy +1.8
Ransom County, ND 19.8 Healthy -0.7

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sargent County
Hyde County, SD 20.4 Healthy -0.1
Hanson County, SD 20.2 Healthy -0.3
Burke County, ND 20.8 Healthy +0.3
Hand County, SD 20.1 Healthy -0.3
Deuel County, SD 21.0 Healthy +0.5

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Sargent County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Sargent County

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State Bar Association of North Dakota Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar Association of North Dakota Lawyer Referral Service 701-255-1404

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Sargent County residents at no cost.

Legal Services of North Dakota 1-800-634-5263

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Sargent County, North Dakota?

    Sargent County has a County Distress Index score of 20.5 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,111th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 45th in North Dakota out of 53 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sargent County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sargent County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 28.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Sargent County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sargent County (20.5) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Roberts County, SD (47.7); Richland County, ND (33.9); Brown County, SD (32.4).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Sargent County?

    Sargent County, North Dakota has a population of approximately 3,776 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.