Unemployment in Ward County, North Dakota, is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Ward County, 2.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Ward County's score
In Ward County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 38.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 11.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Ward 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.
Ward 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.
- 38.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.1% · August 202543rd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind5.0% · August 202546th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.9% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 30.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.7% · 202428th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.4% · 202424th percentile
- People with a disability14.3% · 2020 to 202433rd percentile
- People without health insurance6.4% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,522 · 202432nd percentile
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- 30.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.3% · August 202523rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people103.9 · 202537th percentile
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- 28.0 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 rent16.7% · 2020 to 202441st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th percentile
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- 11.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20263rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.7% · 2020 to 202419th 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 Ward 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 Ward 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
Ward County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Ward County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 15.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Ward County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Ward County getting SNAP food aid moved most in three steps: 8.5% in 2012 to 7.4% in 2013; 6.5% in 2014 to 5.4% in 2015; 6.0% in 2023 to 7.1% in 2024.
The share of households in Ward County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2012 and has since fallen to 7.1%
Low on the chart: 4.5% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Ward County, North Dakota.
How Ward County has changed
Ward County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 68,427, with most of the change between 2009 and 2014
High on the chart: 70,214 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Ward County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Ward County had its largest rise, from 29,528 in 2010 to 34,995 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Ward County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 34,995 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Ward County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.5% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.8% | 2024 10.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $25,255 | 2024 $73,522 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.4% 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 Ward County's history
1885
April 14, 1885 (created) November 23, 1885 (organized). Wikipedia
1957
Minot Air Force Base constructed 1956-1957. Wikipedia
1995
Hail in August 1995 did $40 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
2002 train derailment released anhydrous ammonia, largest such spill in U.S. history. Wikipedia
2010
A tornado in August 2010 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flood in May 2011 did $100 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
A flash flood in June 2011 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 69,919, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
28 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Ward County, 20 of them for flooding. FEMA
Ward County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Ward County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Ward County ranks 4th of the six; McHenry County is highest, at 22.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountrail County, ND | 34 | 11.7% | 13.7% |
| Ward County, ND | 14 | 10.7% | 15.5% |
| Burke County, ND | 8 | 9.7% | 14.8% |
| McHenry County, ND | 6 | 11.7% | 22.7% |
| Renville County, ND | 1 | 9.6% | 19.8% |
| McLean County, ND | 0 | 10.8% | 22.6% |
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 Ward County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Ward County's poverty rate was 10.7% in 2024, 31st 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, Ward County ranks 13th of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Ward 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 Ward County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.