About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Wells County, North Dakota, have a job
In Wells County, 8.1% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Wells County's score
In Wells County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 28.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 6.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Wells 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.
Wells 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.
- 28.2 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202528th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202524th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score35.5% · second quarter of 202631st percentile
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- 26.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.8% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line14.5% · 202436th percentile
- People with a disability11.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance3.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,565 · 202430th percentile
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- 11.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.0% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202514th percentile
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- 7.0 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 rent3.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.3% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 6.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20268th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working8.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Wells 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 Wells County, 26.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Wells County
North Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Wells County had its largest rise, from 18.2% in 1984 to 25.3% in 1989.
In Wells County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Wells County, North Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Wells County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.8% in 2010 to 9.1% in 2011.
The share of households in Wells County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 2.1% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Wells County, North Dakota.
How Wells County has changed
Wells County's population fell by about half to 3,803, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 6,089. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Wells County, North Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Wells County fell most sharply on the way to its 2020 low, from 1,609 in 2015 to 1,391 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Wells County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 15% since
High on the chart: 1,701 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Wells County, North Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.0% | 2025 2.6% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 12.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,966 | 2024 $74,565 |
The table uses 2.6% for 2025; the score uses 2.8% 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 Wells County's history
1873
January 4, 1873 (created) August 28, 1884 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 13,285. The 2020 Census counted 3,982, 30% of the peak. Census Bureau
2009
A flood in April 2009 did $2.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Wells County, 22 of them for flooding. FEMA
Wells County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Wells County, six score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Wells County ranks 5th of the eight; Sheridan County is highest, at 30.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benson County, ND | 53 | 24.2% | 29.8% |
| Sheridan County, ND | 16 | 15.5% | 30.4% |
| Stutsman County, ND | 10 | 11.7% | 20.2% |
| Kidder County, ND | 8 | 13.9% | 22.3% |
| Eddy County, ND | 7 | 12.4% | 22.9% |
| Pierce County, ND | 4 | 11.7% | 27.0% |
| Wells County, ND | 2 | 12.8% | 22.5% |
| Foster County, ND | 2 | 8.4% | 19.5% |
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 Wells County the poorest county in North Dakota?
No, Wells County's poverty rate was 12.8% in 2024, 11th 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, Wells County ranks 41st of 53 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Wells 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 Wells County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.