What is the poverty rate in North Dakota?
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The poverty rate was about 9% of North Dakota’s population as of 2025. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2025, 69,100 people in North Dakota were considered in poverty.
9%
of the population (2025)
69.1K
people living under the poverty line (2025)
The state's poverty rate was 9% in 2025, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 2.1 percentage points lower than the previous year. North Dakota's poverty rate hit a peak in 2010 of 13%.
In 2025, 9% of North Dakota's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2025
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2025, 69,100 people living in North Dakota were in poverty — down 19.8% from the 2022 peak of 86,200.
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In 2025, 69,100 people in North Dakota were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2025
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in North Dakota?
From 2015 to 2025, the poverty rate for children under 18 in North Dakota decreased from 12.1% to 7.5%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 11% to 9.4%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 8.9% to 9.4%.
In 2025, 7.5% of children in North Dakota were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2015–2025
How does poverty differ by race in North Dakota?
Among racial or ethnic groups in North Dakota during 2025, three had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native; Asian; and Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race)
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Black or African American, two or more races, White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population shifted the most, decreasing from 17.9% in 2015 to 5.1% in 2025.
In North Dakota, the poverty rate for the Black or African American population decreased from 17.9% in 2015 to 5.1% in 2025.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2015–2025
What counties in North Dakota have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2020–2024, the poverty rate among North Dakota counties ranged from 5% in Slope County to 43.3% in Sioux County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Cass County — was 11%
In 2020-2024, the poverty rate among North Dakota counties ranged from 5.0% to 43.3%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2024)
| 1. | Sioux County | 43.3% |
| 2. | Benson County | 25.6% |
| 3. | Rolette County | 24.3% |
| 4. | Golden Valley County | 19.8% |
| 5. | Grant County | 16.6% |
| 6. | Ramsey County | 15.2% |
| 7. | Adams County | 14.8% |
| 8. | Mountrail County | 14.5% |
| 9. | Eddy County | 14.2% |
| 10. | Bowman County | 13.4% |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
