North Dakota

How North Dakota ranks among the states

North Dakota is the least distressed state, but by the New York Fed’s count of dollars, its share of mortgage debt seriously behind is no lower than the nation’s. At the end of 2025, 0.9% of the state’s mortgage dollars were 90 or more days late, the same share as nationwide and tied for 24th highest among the states (Federal Reserve Bank of New York). Card dollars that far behind climbed from 5.6% at the end of 2019 to 9.0% at the end of 2025, though North Dakota is still tied for 3rd lowest on that measure. Its two lowest parts are jobs and the share of renters paying half their income for housing.

North Dakota has never been more distressed than 49th among the states in any quarter since mid-2006

How many people live in North Dakota, and is it growing?

North Dakota had 799,358 residents in 2025, its highest Census Bureau estimate since 2000. The state grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, 27th highest among the 50 states and D.C., and it has gained people every year since a small dip in 2021.

The fastest growth came early in the 2010s. From 2010 to 2015 the state added 80,785 residents, more than in any other five-year stretch since 2000.

More than half of North Dakotans live in the four counties around Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot: 55.8% of the people in our county figures. The three most distressed counties hold 2.7% (see the counties). These shares use the county populations in our County Distress Index, an older Census estimate than the state total.

Which North Dakota counties are most distressed? Rolette, Sioux and Benson, far ahead of the rest

Rolette County is North Dakota’s most distressed county on our County Distress Index, which scores the strain on household budgets in every U.S. county. Its score of 87 means it is more distressed than 87% of the nation’s counties. Sioux County is second on our index and has the state’s highest poverty rate, 29.9% in 2024 by the Census Bureau’s estimate. Benson County is third. Together the three hold 2.7% of North Dakotans. No other county scores above 34, and 17 rank among the 100 least distressed in the country, more than in any state but South Dakota. McLean County is the fifth least distressed county nationwide.

Every county, by score

Only Rolette scores 80 or more, and it holds 1.5% of the people in our county figures. Sioux and Benson fall between 50 and 69 and Mountrail and Grant between 30 and 49. The other 48 counties all score under 30.

Every North Dakota county, ranked →

Where does North Dakota’s strain sit? Three counties first, the oil patch a distant second

We sorted the 53 counties into four groups of our own and averaged their County Distress Index scores, weighting each county by its population. The three most distressed counties average 72, more than four times any other group. The five oil-patch counties average 16, while the four city counties and the 41 others both average 7.

McKenzie and Williams have the state’s highest incomes and rank high on late payments

McKenzie and Williams have the two highest median household incomes in the state, $110,682 and $98,038. Yet McKenzie, Mountrail and Williams rank second, third and fourth in North Dakota on the late-payments part of our county index, behind only Rolette. That part counts card and car-loan borrowers far behind and people with low credit scores.

High incomes and late payments don’t travel together everywhere: Dunn and Mercer, with the third- and fourth-highest incomes, sit low on that part. We haven’t tested why the oil counties run high. The part counts the share of people behind, not what they earn. Of these, McKenzie and Mountrail also hold part of the Fort Berthold Reservation, as does Dunn in the oil-patch group, so the oil counties overlap reservation land.

North Dakota wells produced 1,161,427 barrels of oil a day in August 2026, and the state counted 34 rigs drilling on Oct. 14 (North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources). We found no source linking those figures to household budgets.

What changed in North Dakota in the past year

1. Oct. 1, 2026

   Medicaid was set to stop covering refugees, asylees and some other immigrants

   North Dakota Health and Human Services said that from Oct. 1, 2026, refugees, asylees, humanitarian parolees and trafficking victims would no longer qualify for Medicaid under the new federal law.

   North Dakota Health and Human Services, Stay Enrolled: updates on SNAP and Medicaid

2. Sept. 18, 2026

   The state’s jobless rate came in lower than a year earlier

   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put North Dakota’s August rate at 2.2%, down from 2.6% in August 2025, a drop it counted as statistically significant. South Dakota was the only state with a lower rate (see unemployment).

   U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, State Employment and Unemployment, August 2026

3. Sept. 1, 2026

   Montana-Dakota Utilities electric rates were set to rise under an interim increase

   On Aug. 26, 2026, the North Dakota Public Service Commission approved an interim increase of $26.3 million a year in the company’s electric revenue, for service from Sept. 1. The rate case (PU-26-241) is still open, so final rates are not yet set.

   North Dakota Public Service Commission, Order on Interim Rates, case PU-26-241, Aug. 26, 2026; case PU-26-241

4. Sept. 1, 2026

   A federal disaster declaration for the June storms pays toward public repairs

   On Sept. 1, 2026, the President declared a major disaster for the June 7 to 9 storms (DR-4934). It covers public assistance only. That means Federal Emergency Management Agency grants to governments and certain nonprofits for cleanup and repairs, not aid to households. The counties named are Bottineau, Burke, Divide, McLean, Mercer, Oliver and Williams. Under the declaration, the Small Business Administration offers disaster loans only to certain private nonprofits, with a Nov. 1, 2026 deadline for physical damage loans.

   Small Business Administration notice, Federal Register, Sept. 15, 2026; Federal Emergency Management Agency, Public Assistance

5. Jan. 1, 2026

   Applications opened for a larger Primary Residence Credit on property taxes

   From Jan. 1 to April 1, 2026, homeowners could apply for a credit of up to $1,600 on the home they live in, up from $500 before the 2025 Legislature passed House Bill 1176. The Tax Commissioner’s office lists no age or income limit and one credit per household. The credit is set to show on the 2026 property tax statements mailed in December.

   Office of State Tax Commissioner, Primary Residence Credit; Office of State Tax Commissioner, news release, Jan. 1, 2026; North Dakota Legislative Assembly, HB 1176 (2025)

6. Oct. 22, 2025

   A disaster declaration for the August 2025 storms covered public repairs in seven counties

   Declared Oct. 22, 2025, the declaration (DR-4895) for the Aug. 7 and 8, 2025 storms provides public assistance in Barnes, Grand Forks, Griggs, Kidder, Nelson, Steele and Stutsman counties, with the federal share set at 75% of eligible costs. Like the 2026 declaration, it helps governments pay for repairs rather than paying households.

   Federal Emergency Management Agency notice, Federal Register, May 6, 2026

Is North Dakota a poor state? Near the middle on both poverty and income

North Dakota is neither poor nor rich: it lands near the middle. In 2024, 10.8% of North Dakotans lived below the poverty line, 30th highest among the 50 states and D.C., against 12.1% nationwide. The typical household earned $80,132, 24th highest, close to the U.S. median of $81,604 (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates).

Here is the state’s poverty rate beside the nation’s since 1989.

Household income ran above the nation’s from 2011 to 2018 and is now close to it

From 2011 through 2018, the typical North Dakota household earned more than the typical American household, by the Census Bureau’s estimates. It earned less in 2020 and 2021, and since 2022 the two have been too close to tell apart. Counting all income, from wages to investments to benefit checks, North Dakotans received $71,749 a resident in 2024, 19th highest among the states and D.C. (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis).

SNAP reaches a smaller share of North Dakotans than of Americans overall

In July 2026, 49,511 North Dakotans got SNAP, the federal food benefit once known as food stamps, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s count. That is 6.2% of the 2025 population, against 10.5% nationwide. The count is 12.8% lower than in July 2025 but still above the 47,727 the state averaged from October 2019 to February 2020.

We found no source that ties the past year’s drop to one cause. North Dakota Health and Human Services lists two rule changes: more SNAP recipients have had to prove they meet the work rule since Oct. 1, 2025, and some immigrants will no longer qualify (Stay Enrolled). Census poverty counts run only through 2024, so they can’t tell us whether need fell too.

Applications for SNAP and Medicaid go through North Dakota Health and Human Services →

Why other sites show a different poverty rate

For states, Census QuickFacts and many other sites quote the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, a different survey from the one this page uses. Here, the state and all 53 counties come from the bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, so their rates can be compared. Benefit programs go by the federal poverty guideline instead, $15,960 a year for one person in 2026 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). North Dakota’s cost of living →

Is North Dakota cheap to live in? For renters, cheaper than most states

For renters, yes. Median rent was $954 a month over 2020 to 2024, tied for 4th lowest among the states and D.C., against $1,413 nationwide (Census Bureau, American Community Survey). A year of that rent comes to 14.3% of the typical household’s 2024 income; for the nation, it comes to 20.8% (our calculation). We don’t track prices, so we don’t rank North Dakota’s overall cost of living.

The State Distress Index counts renters who pay half their income for housing; here is that share for the state and the nation since 2005.

That share is the only measure in the renters’ part of the State Distress Index, one of the two parts where North Dakota scores lowest (see how it ranks).

What is North Dakota’s unemployment rate? Lower than in all but one state

North Dakota’s jobless rate was 2.2% in August 2026, against 4.1% for the nation. Only South Dakota’s rate, 2.0%, was lower, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. A year earlier the state’s rate had been 2.6%.

Unemployment is the single measure in the jobs part of the State Distress Index; the chart follows it month by month since 1990.

By yearly average, North Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate of any state in each of the seven years from 2009 through 2015 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Rolette County’s jobless rate is the highest in the state

Rolette County’s August rate, 6.5%, was tied for 91st highest among the 3,143 U.S. counties with a rate that month. County rates aren’t adjusted for seasonal swings, so they don’t line up exactly with the state rate above.

Unemployment claims are filed with Job Service North Dakota.

Are North Dakotans behind on their bills? Less often than Americans overall

Less often. In early 2025, 11.5% of North Dakotans with a credit record had a debt 90 or more days late, against 17.2% for the U.S., our population-weighted average of the states (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia). That is 7th lowest among the states and D.C. These figures cover household debt, not state government debt. The chart compares North Dakota with the nation on each kind of loan and on collections.

North Dakota borrowers were less likely than borrowers nationwide to be far behind on every kind of loan in early 2025, and less likely to have a debt in collections

First quarter of 2025: the share of North Dakota and U.S. borrowers at least 90 days behind on each type of loan, and the share of people with a credit record carrying a debt in collections.

People with a debt in collections

N.D. 9.2% U.S. 13.2%

Card borrowers 90+ days late

N.D. 9.2% U.S. 13.5%

Car-loan borrowers 90+ days late

N.D. 4.5% U.S. 8.5%

Mortgage borrowers 90+ days late

N.D. 0.8% U.S. 1.2%

Among the states and D.C., North Dakota is tied for 10th lowest on collections, 6th lowest on cards, tied for lowest on car loans and tied for 7th lowest on mortgages. Each U.S. bar is our population-weighted average of the states.

Card trouble is up while collections are down

In the Philadelphia Fed’s count, 6.5% of North Dakota card borrowers were 90 or more days behind at the end of 2019; by early 2025 the share was 9.2%. Collections moved the other way, from 13.9% of residents with a credit record to 9.2%.

Most of that fall in collections came from mid-2022 to mid-2023, after the three national credit bureaus announced in March 2022 that they would stop reporting certain medical debts. These figures can’t show how much of North Dakota’s decline came from that change. A debt that drops off a report can still be owed. Across the country, the share of people with a medical collection on their report fell from about 14% in March 2022 to about 5% in June 2023 (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).

Bankruptcy in North Dakota: under half the national rate, though filings are climbing

North Dakotans filed 620 bankruptcy cases in 2025, or 77.6 for every 100,000 residents (2025 population), the 8th lowest rate among the states and D.C. (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts). The national rate was 166.3. Filings have risen every year since 2022, the year with the fewest in U.S. Courts records since 2001, and grew 11.9% in 2025, a bit faster than the 11.1% rise nationwide.

Most North Dakota filings are Chapter 7, which wipes out many debts but can mean giving up property the law doesn’t protect. Chapter 13, a court-approved repayment plan of three to five years, made up 10.2% of the state’s 2025 filings, 2nd lowest among the states, against 35.9% nationwide.

Is North Dakota a judicial foreclosure state? Yes, for nearly every home loan

Yes. A lender has to bring a case in district court to foreclose on a mortgage (North Dakota Century Code 32-19-01). Only mortgages held by the state or its agencies can be foreclosed by advertisement, without a lawsuit (N.D.C.C. 35-22-01).

Before the lawsuit starts, the owner must be served a notice 30 to 90 days ahead that lists what it would take to catch up (32-19-20 and 32-19-21). Paying what the notice asks within 30 days of being served puts the mortgage back in good standing (32-19-28). After the sheriff’s sale, the owner of a home that is not abandoned or farmland has 60 days to buy it back (32-19-18).

For a home of up to four units on 40 acres or less that the owner lives in, the lender can’t get a court judgment for any balance left after the sale (32-19-03). Under federal servicing rules, a mortgage company generally can’t make the first foreclosure filing on a borrower’s home until the payments are more than 120 days late.

Through the first quarter of 2026, the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund had helped 3,463 North Dakota households, by the U.S. Treasury’s count. The state was awarded $50.0 million. Legal aid and housing counselors are listed below and on North Dakota’s foreclosure guide.

North Dakota mortgage complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: payment trouble leads

North Dakotans sent the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 253 mortgage complaints from 2012 through mid-October 2026. The most common subject was trouble during the payment process, in 69 complaints, followed by loan modification, collection and foreclosure, in 49.

What to watch before the next edition

Each date below comes from the agency or body named with it, and the nearest comes first.

1. Nov. 1, 2026

   North Dakota has asked to start SNAP limits on soda, energy drinks and candy

   North Dakota Health and Human Services says the state asked, at federal direction, to move the start of these limits from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1, 2026. Its page doesn’t say whether the request was approved. The limits would apply only to purchases made with SNAP benefits.

   North Dakota Health and Human Services, SNAP healthy choice waiver

2. Nov. 20, 2026

   October jobless rates for every state

   The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has scheduled its October state release for this date. The rate this page ranks, North Dakota’s August figure, was 2.2%.

   U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, release schedule

3. December 2026

   Property tax statements carrying the Primary Residence Credit are due in the mail

   The Tax Commissioner’s office says 2026 property tax statements with the Primary Residence Credit will be mailed in December 2026.

   Office of State Tax Commissioner, Primary Residence Credit

4. Jan. 1, 2027

   Work reporting for Medicaid Expansion adults is set to start

   North Dakota Health and Human Services says Medicaid Expansion adults ages 19 to 64 will need to show 80 hours a month of work or other qualifying activity, under the new federal law, starting on this date.

   North Dakota Health and Human Services, news release, July 21, 2026

5. Jan. 5, 2027

   The 70th Legislative Assembly is tentatively set to convene

   The Legislature’s tentative calendar opens the session on this date and ends it by April 30, 2027. Lawmakers can prefile bills until Dec. 18, 2026.

   North Dakota Legislative Council, Tentative 2027 Legislative Deadlines

Where North Dakota ranks highest and lowest