Grand Forks County is among three of North Dakota's most populated counties that made the March list of The Associated Press' 20 least economically stressed counties in the U.S.
Grand Forks County placed ninth, while Ward County placed eighth and Burleigh County was listed at No. 11. North Dakota was the least- stressed state, as it was back in November. Grand Forks County also was ninth for that month.
The AP's monthly analysis of conditions around the country calculates a score from 1 to 100 based on unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates. Counties must have populations of at least 25,000. A county is considered stressed when its score exceeds 11.
Grand Forks County's score for March was 5.3. Ward County's was 5.22 and Burleigh County's was 5.36.
Ford County in Kansas had the lowest score of 4.07. Brown and Brookings counties in South Dakota were third and fourth, respectively, with scores of 4.6 and 4.66.
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Twelve of the top 20 most economically stressed counties were in California, headed by Imperial County with a score of 31.27.
In 38 of the 50 states, economic stress dipped or was unchanged from February, thanks largely to an improving job market and a strong increase in consumer spending, the report said.
But economists doubt the unemployment rate will fall below 9 percent this year. Cutbacks by state and local governments, especially now in Minnesota, also could be a troubled spot.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
