Steele County, North Dakota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 16.7 | 1,782 people · 53rd most distressed in North Dakota
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Steele County, ND ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 16.7 — 3137th 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 53rd of 53 counties. It scores lower than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Steele County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 36.0 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 36.0
Unemployment Rate 8
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 5
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 17.1
Debt in Collections 8
Medical Debt 29
Student Loan Delinquency 11
Auto Loan Delinquency 24
Credit Card Delinquency 17
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 12
Income & Poverty 13.1
Poverty Rate 9
Income vs. State Median 17
Child Poverty Rate 14
Housing Cost Burden 10.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 30
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Community Vulnerability 7.3
Uninsured Rate 7
Disability Rate 7

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

Neighbors and Peers

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

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Steele County
Steele County, ND 16.7 Healthy —
Barnes County, ND 33.9 Healthy +17.2
Grand Forks County, ND 33.2 Healthy +16.5
Cass County, ND 27.8 Healthy +11.1
Nelson County, ND 26.2 Healthy +9.5
Griggs County, ND 24.1 Healthy +7.4
Traill County, ND 18.8 Healthy +2.1

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Steele County
Cavalier County, ND 17.1 Healthy +0.4
Billings County, ND 17.3 Healthy +0.6
Hamilton County, NE 17.5 Healthy +0.8
Edmunds County, SD 15.8 Healthy -0.9
Hamlin County, SD 18.3 Healthy +1.6

Download Data

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

Find Help in Steele 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

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Legal aid organizations serving Steele 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 Steele County, North Dakota?

    Steele County has a County Distress Index score of 16.7 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,137th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 53rd in North Dakota out of 53 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Steele County?

    The primary driver of distress in Steele County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 36.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Steele County compare to neighboring counties?

    Steele County (16.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Barnes County, ND (33.9); Grand Forks County, ND (33.2); Cass County, ND (27.8).

  • 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 Steele County?

    Steele County, North Dakota has a population of approximately 1,782 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.