Unemployment in Stark County, North Dakota, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Stark County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stark County's score
In Stark County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 34.6. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.6.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Stark 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.
Stark 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.
- 34.6 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.1% · August 202533rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score34.8% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 30.3 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 income16.7% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 26.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.6% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people69.7 · 202519th percentile
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- 20.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.8% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability11.5% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- People without health insurance6.5% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$88,681 · 202411th percentile
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- 9.6 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 20264th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.8% · 2020 to 202414th 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 Stark 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 Stark County, 14.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stark County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Stark County fell most sharply on the way to its 2014 low, from 15.1% in 2009 to 7.0% in 2014.
In Stark County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 13.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Stark County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stark County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 6.7% in 2021 to 5.3% in 2022.
The share of households in Stark County getting SNAP food aid fell from 2009 to 2024, reaching 7.5%, with its low point on the chart in 2022
Low on the chart: 5.3% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stark County, North Dakota.
How Stark County has changed
Stark County's population nearly doubled to 33,767, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2009 and 2014
Biggest rise: 2009 to 2014, reaching 31,069. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stark County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Stark County had its largest rise, from 14,108 in 2010 to 22,168 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Stark County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 22,168 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stark County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.8% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.0% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,344 | 2024 $88,681 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Stark County's history
1879
February 10, 1879 (created) May 25, 1883 (organized). Wikipedia
1924
1924 tornado killed nine people. Wikipedia
1999
Hail in August 1999 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2005
A thunderstorm in June 2005 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
A tornado in July 2009 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
Lightning in August 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 33,646, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1966
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stark County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Stark County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Stark County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stark County ranks 6th of the eight; Hettinger County is highest, at 33.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grant County, ND | 30 | 16.9% | 33.5% |
| Hettinger County, ND | 26 | 13.0% | 33.7% |
| Slope County, ND | 11 | 13.6% | 32.3% |
| Stark County, ND | 9 | 10.1% | 13.1% |
| Morton County, ND | 7 | 9.2% | 17.6% |
| Mercer County, ND | 5 | 8.1% | 20.7% |
| Dunn County, ND | 3 | 9.5% | 11.6% |
| Billings County, ND | 0 | 9.0% | 9.5% |
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 Stark County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Stark County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 35th 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, Stark County ranks 18th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stark 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.
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 Stark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.