John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
John Lettieri, President and CEO of Economic Innovation Group | Official Website
Among all government transfer programs, Income Maintenance was the smallest contributor in the county. Social Security was the largest contributor, totaling $11.07 million, equating to $5,362 per capita and making up 32% of total transfers.
Comparatively, Income Maintenance transfers across North Dakota amounted to $599.7 million, ranking lowest among all transfer types within the state. This translates to an average of $770 per capita, or 7.8% of total government transfers. Including all transfer types, government transfer payments totaled $7.72 billion, accounting for 14.1% of residents’ total income, with an average of $9,913 per resident.
Medicaid was the second largest contributor in Towner County in 2022, accounting for $9.18 million, averaging $4,448 per capita, representing 26.5% of transfers. Medicare transfers provided another $8.59 million, averaging $4,160 per capita and comprising 24.8% of government support, making them the third largest contributors.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
With 27.4% of the population aged 65 and older, Towner County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Despite this aid, the total per capita income in Towner County, excluding government transfers was $102,777, which is below the county's total income of $119,550, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Towner County saw a decrease in its Income Maintenance transfer dependency by 0.5%.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans' income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.2% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.6% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022 nationwide. In Towner County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 10.9% (or $2,241 per capita) in 1970 to 14% (or $16,773 per capita) in 2022.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | Rank | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers (%) | Medicare Transfers (%) | Medicaid Transfers (%) | Income Maintenance Transfers (%) | Per Capita Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cass County | 1 | 10.8% | 12.9% | 4% | 2.5% | 1.6% | 0.9% | $7,444 |
| Burleigh County | 2 | 13.4% | 17.9% | 5.1% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 0.8% | $9,577 |
| Grand Forks County | 3 | 14.7% | 14.4% | 4.9% | 3.5% | 2.6% | 1.2% | $8,964 |
| Ward County | 4 | 14.6% | 14.3% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 1.2% | $9,145 |
| Morton County | 5 | 16.4% | 17.3% | 5.7% | 4% | 3.2% | 1.2% | $9,956 |
| Stark County | 6 | 12.6% | 14% | 4.2% | 2.8% | 2.7% | 1% | $8,426 |
| Stutsman County | 7 | 18.2% | 20.5% | 6.2% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 1.2% | $12,343 |
| Williams County | 8 | 9.4% | 10.6% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 1.9% | 0.9% | $6,490 |
| Rolette County | 9 | 33.5% | 13.2% | 5.6% | 5.2% | 12.8% | 5.8% | $19,076 |
| Richland County | 10 | 16.4% | 20.4% | 6.1% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 1.1% | $10,843 |
| Ramsey County | 11 | 20.4% | 21.4% | 6.3% | 4.6% | 5.5% | 1.5% | $13,907 |
| Walsh County | 12 | 19.6% | 22.2% | 6.1% | 5.8% | 4.5% | 1.3% | $14,881 |
| Barnes County | 13 | 17.8% | 23.4% | 6% | 4.1% | 4.3% | 1.1% | $13,491 |
| McLean County | 14 | 17% | 26.3% | 6.2% | 4.2% | 3.6% | 0.8% | $13,771 |
| Mercer County | 15 | 19.3% | 22.6% | 7.7% | 5.6% | 3.3% | 0.9% | $12,778 |
| Traill County | 16 | 17.3% | 20.5% | 5.6% | 4.2% | 4.1% | 1% | $13,043 |
| Mountrail County | 17 | 12.8% | 13.7% | 3.6% | 2.6% | 3.7% | 1.1% | $10,398 |
| Bottineau County | 18 | 16.2% | 25.3% | 5.5% | 4% | 3.6% | 1.1% | $14,564 |
| Benson County | 19 | 22.9% | 16% | 4.9% | 4% | 7.6% | 3.4% | $15,683 |
| Pembina County | 20 | 15.2% | 25.7% | 5.9% | 4.3% | 2.6% | 0.8% | $13,336 |
| Ransom County | 21 | 18.9% | 22% | 5.5% | 4.4% | 5.4% | 0.9% | $14,042 |
| McKenzie County | 22 | 7.3% | 10.3% | 2.2% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 0.8% | $5,568 |
| Dickey County | 23 | 15.9% | 20.1% | 4.5% | 3.6% | 5.1% | 1% | $14,804 |
| McHenry County | 24 | 17.7% | 21.9% | 5.5% | 4.6% | 3.3% | 1.3% | $13,835 |
| Wells County | 25 | 15.1% | 28.3% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 0.9% | $16,511 |
| Pierce County | 26 | 20.2% | 24% | 6.2% | 4.6% | 5.4% | 1.5% | $15,101 |
| Nelson County | 27 | 20.7% | 27.6% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 6.9% | 0.9% | $19,084 |
| Sioux County | 28 | 38.7% | 9.3% | 4.8% | 4.5% | 17.3% | 7.3% | $14,991 |
| Cavalier County | 29 | 10.7% | 27.9% | 4% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 0.6% | $14,531 |
| LaMoure County | 30 | 13.5% | 27.6% | 4.8% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 0.9% | $12,749 |
| McIntosh County | 31 | 23.5% | 30% | 6% | 6.6% | 7.8% | 1.1% | $21,094 |
| Emmons County | 32 | 16.3% | 28.6% | 5.4% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 1% | $15,293 |
| Sargent County | 33 | 13% | 23.1% | 5.1% | 4.1% | 1.5% | 0.7% | $12,105 |
| Dunn County | 34 | 11.4% | 18.9% | 3.6% | 2.8% | 2.6% | 0.7% | $10,467 |
| Bowman County | 35 | 18.7% | 24.3% | 6.1% | 6.5% | 3.7% | 0.8% | $14,020 |
| Foster County | 36 | 12.8% | 23.7% | 4.5% | 3.3% | 2.5% | 0.8% | $11,693 |
| Griggs County | 37 | 16.7% | 31.3% | 5.7% | 4.3% | 4.4% | 1.1% | $15,703 |
| Eddy County | 38 | 16.8% | 22.2% | 5.3% | 2.9% | 6.1% | 1% | $15,169 |
| Kidder County | 39 | 17.5% | 27.5% | 5.2% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 1.1% | $14,601 |
| Towner County | 40 | 14% | 27.4% | 4.5% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 0.9% | $16,773 |
| Adams County | 41 | 27.7% | 30.5% | 9.1% | 7.7% | 7% | 1.5% | $16,267 |
| Grant County | 42 | 23.3% | 30.9% | 7% | 6.9% | 4.7% | 2% | $14,996 |
| Renville County | 43 | 13.3% | 20.9% | 4.1% | 2.8% | 4% | 0.7% | $15,048 |
| Hettinger County | 44 | 19.6% | 23% | 6.7% | 5% | 4.8% | 1.3% | $13,197 |
| Divide County | 45 | 18.4% | 25.3% | 5.7% | 5.5% | 3.9% | 1.1% | $13,583 |
| Logan County | 46 | 18.2% | 26.7% | 4.9% | 4.3% | 5.5% | 1.1% | $15,539 |
| Burke County | 47 | 9.4% | 22.5% | 3.9% | 2.7% | 1.4% | 0.6% | $9,690 |
| Steele County | 48 | 9.4% | 25.8% | 4.6% | 2.7% | 0.4% | 0.7% | $10,899 |
| Sheridan County | 49 | 15.2% | 35.9% | 5.4% | 3.6% | 2.9% | 1.5% | $15,039 |
| Oliver County | 50 | 15.2% | 25.2% | 7.8% | 3.6% | 1.1% | 1.1% | $9,563 |
| Golden Valley County | 51 | 17.4% | 27.6% | 7.5% | 5.6% | 1.5% | 1.1% | $9,894 |
| Slope County | 52 | 17.8% | 30.8% | 6.9% | 3.3% | 3% | 1.5% | $10,190 |
| Billings County | 53 | 6.8% | 23.9% | 3.5% | 1% | 0.8% | 0.7% | $5,653 |
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