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Hettinger County, ND

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
88
12% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$110,900
national $303,400
Monthly rent
$830
national $1,348
Homeownership
80%
national 65%
Unemployment
1.9%
national 3.6%
Household income
$70,827
national $78,538
Median age
42.6 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the statewide price level for North Dakota (state avg).

The cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. The median home is valued at $110,900 (nominal). Median rent is about $830 a month. Unemployment averaged 1.9% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $70,827. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Hettinger County, ND saw a net loss of 7 tax-filing households and a net loss of 23 individuals. Against a population of about 2,415, that is a net outflow of about 9.5 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $1.2M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 22 households, came from Stark County; the largest outflow, about 20 households, went to Stark County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 23 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$1.2M
nominal dollars
Net households
-7
tax returns
Net people
-23
exemptions

-9.5 net people per 1,000 residents (population 2,415)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$1.7M
Moved out$2.9M
Net -$1.2M (nominal)
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Hettinger County within North Dakota

Hettinger County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other North Dakota counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Stark County, ND22$806K
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Where movers went

  1. 1Stark County, ND20$1.6M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Stark County, ND2220+2-$745K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$4.4M (-4 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$1.3M+70
2013+$2.1M+122
2014+$339K+29
2015-$98K+14
2016-$2.5M-93
2017-$2.9M-97
2018-$349K0
2019-$252K-26
2020-$91K-22
2021-$75K-1
2022-$656K+23
2023-$1.2M-23
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 23 more people left Hettinger County, ND than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $1.2M in income (nominal) — in a county of 2,463 people.

Population
2,463
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-9.3
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -93 people.
Net income per resident
−$499
nominal dollars
-$1.2M total across 2,463 residents.

The rate lets you compare Hettinger County, ND with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+28
Deaths
-20
Net domestic migration
+2
Net international migration
0
Total change
+10

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Hettinger County, ND run about 12% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $113 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$50,354
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
28% below the U.S. average
Price level
88.2
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 11.8% lower than average
What that income buys
$57,108
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
18% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

This county isn't in a metro area that BEA prices separately, so cost of living shows the North Dakota (state avg) figure.

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents69.3
Goods97.0
Utilities75.0
Other services89.6

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Hettinger County, ND

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
42.6
years
Median household income
$70,827
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
10% below the U.S. median
College degree
19%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
9.3%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
17 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
83%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 95%Hispanic 0%Black 0%Asian 0%Other 4%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$110,900
owner-occupied homes
63% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$830
gross rent per month
38% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
80%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
New home construction · building permits, 2023
0new housing units authorized in 2023

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
1.9%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
1,193
1,170 employed
Disaster declarations
1
major federal, 2023
most common: Flood

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
2.2%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.2 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Hettinger County, ND has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20241921,08925R +68.71,306
20201961,09125R +68.21,312
20161681,05078R +68.11,296
20123131,00049R +50.41,362
200840689349R +36.11,348
20044051,04445R +42.81,494
20003531,057109R +46.31,519

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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