County Data

South Dakota County Distress Index

Financial distress scores for all 66 counties in South Dakota, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 34.8. 1county is in Serious Stress or Crisis.

Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-17

South Dakota Snapshot

66 Counties Scored
34.8 Mean Score
31.7 Median Score
65.6 Oglala Lakota County Most Distressed
15.2 Lincoln County Least Distressed
1 Serious 10 Elevated 11 Normal 44 Healthy
Zone Distribution

South Dakota County Map

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Healthy Normal Elevated Serious Crisis

All 66 South Dakota counties colored by distress zone. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.

Most & Least Distressed

Most Distressed

#1 Oglala Lakota County
65.6 Serious Stress
Income & Poverty
#2 Jackson County
62.3 Elevated
Income & Poverty
#3 Buffalo County
61.9 Elevated
Income & Poverty

Least Distressed

#66 Lincoln County
15.2 Healthy
Housing Cost Burden
#65 Edmunds County
15.8 Healthy
Income & Poverty
#64 Hamlin County
18.3 Healthy
Community Vulnerability

Score Distribution

How South Dakota's 66 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.

All South Dakota Counties

66 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.

State Rank Nat'l Rank County Score Zone Primary Driver
1 469 Oglala Lakota County 65.6 Serious Stress Income & Poverty
2 671 Jackson County 62.3 Elevated Income & Poverty
3 693 Buffalo County 61.9 Elevated Income & Poverty
4 758 Todd County 61.0 Elevated Income & Poverty
5 766 Fall River County 60.9 Elevated Community Vulnerability
6 819 Dewey County 60.2 Elevated Income & Poverty
7 826 Corson County 60.0 Elevated Income & Poverty
8 1,203 Bennett County 55.1 Elevated Income & Poverty
9 1,257 Lyman County 54.4 Elevated Income & Poverty
10 1,365 Ziebach County 53.1 Elevated Income & Poverty
11 1,425 Mellette County 52.4 Elevated Income & Poverty
12 1,779 Roberts County 47.7 Normal Employment & Wages
13 1,834 Walworth County 46.9 Normal Income & Poverty
14 1,965 Beadle County 45.2 Normal Income & Poverty
15 2,003 Charles Mix County 44.9 Normal Income & Poverty
16 2,019 Jones County 44.7 Normal Employment & Wages
17 2,070 Pennington County 44.1 Normal Housing Cost Burden
18 2,127 Butte County 43.4 Normal Housing Cost Burden
19 2,156 Tripp County 42.8 Normal Income & Poverty
20 2,275 Clay County 41.2 Normal Income & Poverty
21 2,408 Gregory County 39.0 Normal Income & Poverty
22 2,467 Lawrence County 38.2 Normal Community Vulnerability
23 2,703 Perkins County 33.9 Healthy Income & Poverty
24 2,709 Miner County 33.9 Healthy Community Vulnerability
25 2,720 Jerauld County 33.7 Healthy Income & Poverty
26 2,723 Custer County 33.6 Healthy Community Vulnerability
27 2,756 Brule County 33.0 Healthy Community Vulnerability
28 2,757 Day County 33.0 Healthy Income & Poverty
29 2,784 Brown County 32.4 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
30 2,786 Potter County 32.3 Healthy Employment & Wages
31 2,798 Meade County 32.1 Healthy Community Vulnerability
32 2,805 Stanley County 31.9 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
33 2,807 Moody County 31.8 Healthy Community Vulnerability
34 2,826 McPherson County 31.5 Healthy Income & Poverty
35 2,865 Sanborn County 30.6 Healthy Income & Poverty
36 2,869 Codington County 30.5 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
37 2,883 Davison County 30.1 Healthy Community Vulnerability
38 2,884 Grant County 30.1 Healthy Community Vulnerability
39 2,897 Minnehaha County 29.7 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
40 2,929 Kingsbury County 28.9 Healthy Employment & Wages
41 2,931 Yankton County 28.8 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
42 2,937 Bon Homme County 28.5 Healthy Employment & Wages
43 2,947 Lake County 28.3 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
44 2,986 McCook County 26.9 Healthy Employment & Wages
45 2,991 Harding County 26.7 Healthy Employment & Wages
46 3,006 Aurora County 26.3 Healthy Income & Poverty
47 3,015 Clark County 26.0 Healthy Income & Poverty
48 3,023 Douglas County 25.8 Healthy Community Vulnerability
49 3,028 Haakon County 25.6 Healthy Community Vulnerability
50 3,047 Turner County 24.5 Healthy Employment & Wages
51 3,054 Faulk County 24.1 Healthy Income & Poverty
52 3,063 Brookings County 23.6 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
53 3,065 Hughes County 23.5 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
54 3,076 Spink County 22.6 Healthy Income & Poverty
55 3,079 Campbell County 22.5 Healthy Income & Poverty
56 3,081 Hutchinson County 22.3 Healthy Employment & Wages
57 3,082 Marshall County 22.3 Healthy Income & Poverty
58 3,105 Deuel County 21.0 Healthy Community Vulnerability
59 3,112 Hyde County 20.4 Healthy Income & Poverty
60 3,113 Hanson County 20.2 Healthy Community Vulnerability
61 3,114 Hand County 20.1 Healthy Employment & Wages
62 3,119 Union County 19.6 Healthy Housing Cost Burden
63 3,120 Sully County 19.6 Healthy Community Vulnerability
64 3,132 Hamlin County 18.3 Healthy Community Vulnerability
65 3,140 Edmunds County 15.8 Healthy Income & Poverty
66 3,141 Lincoln County 15.2 Healthy Housing Cost Burden

0 of 66 county reports for South Dakota are currently available. All 66 counties are scored and visible on the map above. New county reports are published weekly.

How County Scores Work

Each county is scored 0–100 using percentile-rank averaging across five data domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. A score of 50 means the county falls at the national median. Higher scores indicate greater financial distress.

Crisis (80+) — Extreme distress across multiple domains
Serious Stress (65–80) — Significant distress, multiple domains elevated
Elevated (50–65) — Above-average distress in several areas
Normal (35–50) — Near the national median
Healthy (<35) — Below-average distress

Full methodology and data sources

South Dakota Resources

South Dakota State Profile

State ADI score: 34.5 (Healthy). Debt, delinquency, and economic indicators for South Dakota.

Find Help in South Dakota

HUD-approved housing counselors, legal aid offices, credit counselors, and debtor education providers in South Dakota.

South Dakota Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure process, timeline, homeowner protections, and legal resources in South Dakota.

State Distress Rankings

All 51 U.S. jurisdictions ranked by financial distress. Compare South Dakota to the rest of the country.

National County Profiles

All 3,144 U.S. counties ranked by financial distress score.
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If you're struggling with debt or facing foreclosure, free help is available. Find help near you · Browse the Glossary · The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides HUD-approved housing counselors at no cost. You can also call 1-800-569-4287.