Bennett County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Elevated · 55.1 | 3,305 people · 8th most distressed in South Dakota
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Bennett County, SD registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 55.1 — 1203rd nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within South Dakota, it ranks 8th of 66 counties. Its score is in the middle of its 4 neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Bennett County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Employment & Wages 63.1
Unemployment Rate 34
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 89
Business Formation Rate 66
Community Vulnerability 50.0
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 5
Housing Cost Burden 45.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 9
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 25
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 6
Homeownership Rate 95
Rent-to-Income Ratio 94
Debt & Delinquency 21.8
Debt in Collections 41
Medical Debt 26
Student Loan Delinquency 14
Auto Loan Delinquency 18
Credit Card Delinquency 19
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Bennett County compares to its 4 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Bennett County
Bennett County, SD 55.1 Elevated —
Jackson County, SD 62.3 Elevated +7.1
Todd County, SD 61.0 Elevated +5.8
Mellette County, SD 52.4 Elevated -2.7
Cherry County, NE 39.7 Normal -15.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Bennett County
Terrell County, TX 55.1 Elevated 0.0
Kimble County, TX 55.2 Elevated +0.0
Blaine County, OK 55.2 Elevated +0.1
Mills County, TX 55.3 Elevated +0.1
Huerfano County, CO 55.0 Elevated -0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Bennett County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Bennett County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of South Dakota Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of South Dakota Lawyer Referral Service 605-224-7554

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Bennett County residents at no cost.

East River Legal Services 1-800-952-3015
Dakota Plains Legal Services 1-800-658-2297

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Bennett County, South Dakota?

    Bennett County has a County Distress Index score of 55.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,203rd nationally out of 3,144 counties and 8th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Bennett County?

    The primary driver of distress in Bennett County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Bennett County compare to neighboring counties?

    Bennett County (55.1) can be compared to its 4 neighboring counties: Jackson County, SD (62.3); Todd County, SD (61.0); Mellette County, SD (52.4).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Bennett County?

    Bennett County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 3,305 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.