Counties with the highest unemployment rate in North Dakota
Counties with the highest unemployment rate in North Dakota
Unemployment rates, while significantly lower than the alarming pandemic peak of 14.7% experienced in April 2020, remain a subject of concern, notably as economic experts bandy around the idea of a potential recession by 2023. The last economic recession—the Great Recession of 2008-2010—sent rates up to 10% as of October 2009. It was not until the spring of 2019 that unemployment finally went down to the same level it sits at now.
As of October of this year, national unemployment is at 3.7%, 0.2% higher than in September. Seasonally adjusted unemployment rates by state demonstrate a rather sizable spectrum, ranging from just 2.0% in Minnesota, to 4.5% in Illinois and 4.7% in the District of Columbia. Further breakdown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows yet another county-based spectrum within each state.
To that end, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the highest unemployment rate in North Dakota using data from the BLS. Counties are ranked by unemployment rate in September 2022.
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#53. Divide County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.4%
- Total labor force: 1,426 (12 unemployed)

#52. Billings County
--- 1 month change: -1.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 513 (5 unemployed)
#51. Dunn County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -1.1%
- Total labor force: 3,150 (34 unemployed)
#50. Bowman County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 1,578 (19 unemployed)
#49. Griggs County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 997 (12 unemployed)
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#48. LaMoure County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 2,090 (26 unemployed)
#47. McIntosh County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -1.3%
- Total labor force: 1,065 (13 unemployed)
#46. Sargent County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 2,373 (28 unemployed)
#45. Steele County
--- 1 month change: -1.0%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 924 (11 unemployed)
#44. Dickey County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 2,212 (28 unemployed)
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#43. Foster County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 1,494 (20 unemployed)
#42. Hettinger County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 1,423 (18 unemployed)
#41. Mountrail County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 6,230 (81 unemployed)

#40. Cass County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 108,696 (1,469 unemployed)
#39. Grant County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 1,179 (16 unemployed)
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#38. Burke County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -1.5%
- Total labor force: 1,037 (16 unemployed)

#37. Burleigh County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 51,891 (773 unemployed)

#36. Grand Forks County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 36,983 (545 unemployed)
#35. Logan County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 860 (13 unemployed)
#34. Ransom County
--- 1 month change: -0.2%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 2,682 (39 unemployed)
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#33. Richland County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 8,751 (127 unemployed)
#32. Stutsman County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 10,348 (155 unemployed)
#31. Barnes County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 5,269 (82 unemployed)
#30. Towner County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 1,125 (18 unemployed)
#29. Traill County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 4,435 (69 unemployed)
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#28. Adams County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 930 (16 unemployed)
#27. Cavalier County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 1,907 (32 unemployed)
#26. Ramsey County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 5,750 (97 unemployed)
#25. Renville County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 1,209 (20 unemployed)

#24. Stark County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 17,813 (298 unemployed)
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#23. Morton County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.8%
- Total labor force: 17,039 (311 unemployed)
#22. Oliver County
--- 1 month change: -1.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.4%
- Total labor force: 879 (16 unemployed)
#21. Sheridan County
--- 1 month change: 0.0%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 659 (12 unemployed)

#20. Ward County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 31,771 (557 unemployed)
#19. McKenzie County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -1.9%
- Total labor force: 8,984 (167 unemployed)
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#18. Slope County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 351 (7 unemployed)
#17. Eddy County
--- 1 month change: -0.8%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 1,213 (26 unemployed)
#16. Golden Valley County
--- 1 month change: +0.7%
--- 1 year change: 0.0%
- Total labor force: 850 (18 unemployed)
#15. Wells County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.6%
- Total labor force: 1,910 (40 unemployed)
#14. Bottineau County
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 3,038 (67 unemployed)
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#13. Nelson County
--- 1 month change: -0.9%
--- 1 year change: -0.2%
- Total labor force: 1,457 (32 unemployed)
#12. Pierce County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.4%
- Total labor force: 1,662 (36 unemployed)
#11. Sioux County
--- 1 month change: -1.9%
--- 1 year change: -1.2%
- Total labor force: 1,229 (27 unemployed)
#10. McHenry County
--- 1 month change: -0.3%
--- 1 year change: -0.4%
- Total labor force: 3,179 (73 unemployed)
#9. McLean County
--- 1 month change: -0.6%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
- Total labor force: 4,739 (109 unemployed)
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#8. Walsh County
--- 1 month change: -1.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 5,203 (121 unemployed)
#7. Williams County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -2.5%
- Total labor force: 21,350 (506 unemployed)
#6. Benson County
--- 1 month change: -0.5%
--- 1 year change: -0.9%
- Total labor force: 2,349 (59 unemployed)
#5. Mercer County
--- 1 month change: -1.1%
--- 1 year change: -1.0%
- Total labor force: 3,699 (94 unemployed)
#4. Pembina County
--- 1 month change: -0.7%
--- 1 year change: -0.7%
- Total labor force: 3,257 (88 unemployed)
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#3. Kidder County
--- 1 month change: -1.0%
--- 1 year change: -0.5%
- Total labor force: 1,322 (38 unemployed)
#2. Emmons County
--- 1 month change: -0.4%
--- 1 year change: -0.3%
- Total labor force: 1,460 (47 unemployed)
#1. Rolette County
--- 1 month change: -6.5%
--- 1 year change: -1.6%
- Total labor force: 4,706 (261 unemployed)