Unemployment in Aurora County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Aurora County, 1.7% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Aurora County's score
In Aurora County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 27.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 5.0. About one in 13 people with a credit file (8.0%, August 2025) has unpaid debt sent to a collector, a lower share than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Aurora County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Aurora County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 27.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.6% · 202427th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.7% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$68,117 · 202445th percentile
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- 23.0 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.9% · fiscal year 202720th percentile
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- 13.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202517th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.6% · second quarter of 20265th percentile
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- 7.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year1.7% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working13.4% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people35.9 · 20255th or lower percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Aurora County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Aurora County, 19.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Aurora County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Aurora County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 22.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Aurora County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Aurora County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 4.6% in 2009 to 6.0% in 2010.
The share of households in Aurora County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 4.4%
Low on the chart: 4.0% in 2019. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Aurora County, South Dakota.
How Aurora County has changed
Aurora County's population had its largest drop, from 3,512 in 1984 to 3,161 in 1989.
Aurora County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,752
High on the chart: 4,161 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Aurora County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Aurora County rose most sharply after its 2005 low, from 708 in 2005 to 921 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Aurora County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 931 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Aurora County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.7% | 2025 1.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.7% | 2024 10.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,938 | 2024 $68,117 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Aurora County's history
1879
1879 (created) 1881 (organized). Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 7,246. The 2020 Census counted 2,747, 38% of the peak. Census Bureau
2024
A flood in June 2024 did $2.54 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Aurora County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Aurora County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Aurora County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Aurora County ranks 3rd of the seven; Charles Mix County is highest, at 25.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Mix County, SD | 20 | 20.3% | 25.6% |
| Davison County, SD | 9 | 10.8% | 18.0% |
| Brule County, SD | 6 | 12.7% | 18.5% |
| Sanborn County, SD | 5 | 12.7% | 19.5% |
| Jerauld County, SD | 3 | 14.3% | 24.3% |
| Aurora County, SD | 2 | 10.6% | 22.0% |
| Douglas County, SD | 1 | 10.3% | 19.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Aurora County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Aurora County's poverty rate was 10.6% in 2024, 41st highest of 66 in South Dakota (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Ziebach County, at 45.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Aurora County ranks 52nd of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Aurora County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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East River Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Aurora County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Aurora County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.