Unemployment in Stutsman County, North Dakota, is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Stutsman County, 2.3% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 89% of U.S. counties.
What drives Stutsman County's score
In Stutsman County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 50.9. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 12.1. Bankruptcy filings ran at 42.1 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Stutsman 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.
Even so, Stutsman County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (28.1%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 50.9 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent28.1% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
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- 35.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.4% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability17.1% · 2020 to 202460th percentile
- People without health insurance5.5% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,277 · 202428th percentile
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- 12.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.7% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.9% · August 202512th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.5% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 12.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20263rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working16.0% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
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- 12.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.7% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people42.1 · 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 Stutsman 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 Stutsman County, 20.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Stutsman County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Stutsman County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 20.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Stutsman County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Stutsman County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise in the last span, from 7.0% in 2023 to 9.4% in 2024.
The share of households in Stutsman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.5% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Stutsman County, North Dakota.
How Stutsman County has changed
Stutsman County's population fell 10% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1984 and 1989
High on the chart: 24,019 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Stutsman County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Stutsman County fell most sharply after its 2015 high, from 11,456 in 2015 to 10,542 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Stutsman County rose 28% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 11,456 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Stutsman County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.5% | 2025 2.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.6% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,128 | 2024 $75,277 |
The table uses 2.5% for 2025; the score uses 2.3% 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 Stutsman County's history
1872
Fort Seward established by United States Army, 1872, garrisoned by Twentieth Infantry Regiment. Wikipedia
1873
January 4, 1873 (created) June 10, 1873 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 26,100. The 2020 Census counted 21,593, 83% of the peak. Census Bureau
1960
Northern Pacific Railroad repair yard, main industry until 1960s. Wikipedia
1997
Hail in August 1997 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
Winter weather in November 1997 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
A thunderstorm in September 2018 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
Hail in June 2025 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1966
31 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Stutsman County, 23 of them for flooding. FEMA
Stutsman County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Stutsman County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Stutsman County ranks 6th of the eight; Logan County is highest, at 27.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes County, ND | 13 | 10.4% | 23.2% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 10 | 11.7% | 20.2% |
| Logan County, ND | 9 | 12.9% | 27.9% |
| Kidder County, ND | 8 | 13.9% | 22.3% |
| Griggs County, ND | 2 | 11.7% | 24.1% |
| Wells County, ND | 2 | 12.8% | 22.5% |
| Foster County, ND | 2 | 8.4% | 19.5% |
| LaMoure County, ND | 0 | 10.9% | 19.6% |
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 Stutsman County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Stutsman County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 18th 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, Stutsman County ranks 17th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Stutsman 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 Stutsman 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 Stutsman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.