Data / Rankings / Job destruction rate / Counties in North Dakota

Counties in North Dakota by job destruction rate

Dunn County had the highest job destruction rate of 53 counties in 2021, at 47.235%. Oliver County had the lowest, at 2.387%. The median was 12.107% and the figure for North Dakota was 14.72%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest47.235Dunn County
Lowest2.387Oliver County
Median12.10753 counties
North Dakota14.72History

Map of counties, 2021

Adams County: 10.618 %Barnes County: 13.991 %Benson County: 26.598 %Billings County: 16.17 %Bottineau County: 11.574 %Bowman County: 14.412 %Burke County: 11.573 %Burleigh County: 12.479 %Cass County: 11.941 %Cavalier County: 13.915 %Dickey County: 12.5 %Divide County: 12.987 %Dunn County: 47.235 %Eddy County: 11.1 %Emmons County: 12.013 %Foster County: 20.976 %Golden Valley County: 9.286 %Grand Forks County: 13.536 %Grant County: 4.839 %Griggs County: 16.538 %Hettinger County: 9.297 %Kidder County: 6.182 %LaMoure County: 17.542 %Logan County: 8.419 %McHenry County: 5.574 %McIntosh County: 11.443 %McKenzie County: 30.231 %McLean County: 14.297 %Mercer County: 7.303 %Morton County: 9.553 %Mountrail County: 26.875 %Nelson County: 10.588 %Oliver County: 2.387 %Pembina County: 10.141 %Pierce County: 12.903 %Ramsey County: 15.375 %Ransom County: 15.19 %Renville County: 16.351 %Richland County: 7.246 %Rolette County: 19.3 %Sargent County: 5.306 %Sheridan County: 11.915 %Sioux County: 13.359 %Slope County: 20.548 %Stark County: 23.754 %Steele County: 12.107 %Stutsman County: 10.971 %Towner County: 11.87 %Traill County: 7.137 %Walsh County: 8.276 %Ward County: 13.936 %Wells County: 9.206 %Williams County: 27.706 %
  • Under 8.4
  • 8.4 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 14
  • 14 to 18
  • 18 and over
%, 2021. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All counties, 2021

Dunn County: 47.235 %Dunn County47.235McKenzie County: 30.231 %McKenzie County30.231Williams County: 27.706 %Williams County27.706Mountrail County: 26.875 %Mountrail County26.875Benson County: 26.598 %Benson County26.598Stark County: 23.754 %Stark County23.754Foster County: 20.976 %Foster County20.976Slope County: 20.548 %Slope County20.548Rolette County: 19.3 %Rolette County19.3LaMoure County: 17.542 %LaMoure County17.542Griggs County: 16.538 %Griggs County16.538Renville County: 16.351 %Renville County16.351Billings County: 16.17 %Billings County16.17Ramsey County: 15.375 %Ramsey County15.375Ransom County: 15.19 %Ransom County15.19Bowman County: 14.412 %Bowman County14.412McLean County: 14.297 %McLean County14.297Barnes County: 13.991 %Barnes County13.991Ward County: 13.936 %Ward County13.936Cavalier County: 13.915 %Cavalier County13.915Grand Forks County: 13.536 %Grand Forks County13.536Sioux County: 13.359 %Sioux County13.359Divide County: 12.987 %Divide County12.987Pierce County: 12.903 %Pierce County12.903Dickey County: 12.5 %Dickey County12.5Burleigh County: 12.479 %Burleigh County12.479Steele County: 12.107 %Steele County12.107Emmons County: 12.013 %Emmons County12.013Cass County: 11.941 %Cass County11.941Sheridan County: 11.915 %Sheridan County11.915Towner County: 11.87 %Towner County11.87Bottineau County: 11.574 %Bottineau County11.574Burke County: 11.573 %Burke County11.573McIntosh County: 11.443 %McIntosh County11.443Eddy County: 11.1 %Eddy County11.1Stutsman County: 10.971 %Stutsman County10.971Adams County: 10.618 %Adams County10.618Nelson County: 10.588 %Nelson County10.588Pembina County: 10.141 %Pembina County10.141Morton County: 9.553 %Morton County9.553Hettinger County: 9.297 %Hettinger County9.297Golden Valley County: 9.286 %Golden Valley County9.286Wells County: 9.206 %Wells County9.206Logan County: 8.419 %Logan County8.419Walsh County: 8.276 %Walsh County8.276Mercer County: 7.303 %Mercer County7.303Richland County: 7.246 %Richland County7.246Traill County: 7.137 %Traill County7.137Kidder County: 6.182 %Kidder County6.182McHenry County: 5.574 %McHenry County5.574Sargent County: 5.306 %Sargent County5.306Grant County: 4.839 %Grant County4.839Oliver County: 2.387 %Oliver County2.387Dunn County: 47.235 %Dunn County47.235McKenzie County: 30.231 %McKenzie County30.231Williams County: 27.706 %Williams County27.706Mountrail County: 26.875 %Mountrail County26.875Benson County: 26.598 %Benson County26.598Stark County: 23.754 %Stark County23.754Foster County: 20.976 %Foster County20.976Slope County: 20.548 %Slope County20.548Rolette County: 19.3 %Rolette County19.3LaMoure County: 17.542 %LaMoure County17.542Griggs County: 16.538 %Griggs County16.538Renville County: 16.351 %Renville County16.351Billings County: 16.17 %Billings County16.17Ramsey County: 15.375 %Ramsey County15.375Ransom County: 15.19 %Ransom County15.19Bowman County: 14.412 %Bowman County14.412McLean County: 14.297 %McLean County14.297Barnes County: 13.991 %Barnes County13.991Ward County: 13.936 %Ward County13.936Cavalier County: 13.915 %Cavalier County13.915Grand Forks County: 13.536 %Grand Forks County13.536Sioux County: 13.359 %Sioux County13.359Divide County: 12.987 %Divide County12.987Pierce County: 12.903 %Pierce County12.903Dickey County: 12.5 %Dickey County12.5Burleigh County: 12.479 %Burleigh County12.479Steele County: 12.107 %Steele County12.107Emmons County: 12.013 %Emmons County12.013Cass County: 11.941 %Cass County11.941Sheridan County: 11.915 %Sheridan County11.915Towner County: 11.87 %Towner County11.87Bottineau County: 11.574 %Bottineau County11.574Burke County: 11.573 %Burke County11.573McIntosh County: 11.443 %McIntosh County11.443Eddy County: 11.1 %Eddy County11.1Stutsman County: 10.971 %Stutsman County10.971Adams County: 10.618 %Adams County10.618Nelson County: 10.588 %Nelson County10.588Pembina County: 10.141 %Pembina County10.141Morton County: 9.553 %Morton County9.553Hettinger County: 9.297 %Hettinger County9.297Golden Valley County: 9.286 %Golden Valley County9.286Wells County: 9.206 %Wells County9.206Logan County: 8.419 %Logan County8.419Walsh County: 8.276 %Walsh County8.276Mercer County: 7.303 %Mercer County7.303Richland County: 7.246 %Richland County7.246Traill County: 7.137 %Traill County7.137Kidder County: 6.182 %Kidder County6.182McHenry County: 5.574 %McHenry County5.574Sargent County: 5.306 %Sargent County5.306Grant County: 4.839 %Grant County4.839Oliver County: 2.387 %Oliver County2.387
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Dunn County47.235+36.88 pts
2McKenzie County30.231+12.32 pts
3Williams County27.706+13.71 pts
4Mountrail County26.875+11.78 pts
5Benson County26.598+14.63 pts
6Stark County23.754+12.18 pts
7Foster County20.976+13.68 pts
8Slope County20.548+10.4 pts
9Rolette County19.3+10.18 pts
10LaMoure County17.542+5.09 pts
11Griggs County16.538+5.71 pts
12Renville County16.351+6.52 pts
13Billings County16.17+6.72 pts
14Ramsey County15.375+4.1 pts
15Ransom County15.19+4.99 pts
16Bowman County14.412+0.67 pts
17McLean County14.297+6.75 pts
18Barnes County13.991+4 pts
19Ward County13.936+3.7 pts
20Cavalier County13.915+4.71 pts
21Grand Forks County13.536+2.12 pts
22Sioux County13.359+7.19 pts
23Divide County12.987+0.41 pts
24Pierce County12.903+4.1 pts
25Dickey County12.5+2.21 pts
26Burleigh County12.479+4.93 pts
27Steele County12.107+1.42 pts
28Emmons County12.013+0.02 pts
29Cass County11.941+1.83 pts
30Sheridan County11.915+0.67 pts
31Towner County11.87+6.14 pts
32Bottineau County11.574+0.23 pts
33Burke County11.573-4.8 pts
34McIntosh County11.443+4.44 pts
35Eddy County11.1+2.51 pts
36Stutsman County10.971+3.69 pts
37Adams County10.618-1.72 pts
38Nelson County10.588+0.32 pts
39Pembina County10.141+1.74 pts
40Morton County9.553-3.05 pts
41Hettinger County9.297-1.5 pts
42Golden Valley County9.286+1.24 pts
43Wells County9.206+1 pts
44Logan County8.419-1.73 pts
45Walsh County8.276-3.82 pts
46Mercer County7.303-3.84 pts
47Richland County7.246-3.47 pts
48Traill County7.137-4.06 pts
49Kidder County6.182-7.45 pts
50McHenry County5.574-8.07 pts
51Sargent County5.306+2.23 pts
52Grant County4.839-8.64 pts
53Oliver County2.387-3.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Jobs lost at closing and shrinking establishments during the year, as a percentage of average employment in the two years. United States: Census Bureau Business Dynamics Statistics.

A gross flow: jobs added elsewhere are not subtracted, so the net change is job_creation_rate minus this rate. Not a layoff rate: it counts positions lost at establishments, not people who lost a job. The year is the twelve months to March: 2023 compares March 2022 with March 2023.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010 (Counties in North Dakota by job destruction rate, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv

MLA 9

Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in North Dakota by job destruction rate, 2021. U.S. Census Bureau, 25 Sept. 2025, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-dakota-counties?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2025. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Counties in North Dakota by job destruction rate, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-dakota-counties?period=2021.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2025) Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010, Counties in North Dakota by job destruction rate, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-dakota-counties?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_north_dakota_2021,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in North Dakota by job destruction rate, 2021}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-dakota-counties?period=2021. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023\_st\_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010: Counties in North Dakota by job destruction rate, 2021
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/09/25
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-dakota-counties?period=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/job-destruction-rate/north-dakota-counties?period=2021.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/bds/tables/time-series/2023/bds2023_st_cty.csv. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest job destruction rate?

Dunn County, with 47.235% in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest job destruction rate?

Oliver County, with 2.387% in 2021.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Dynamics Statistics: job destruction rate, all covered industries, nation and states from 1978, counties from 2010. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Job destruction rate: other rankings

Counties in North Dakota: more rankings