Unemployment in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Bon Homme County, 2.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Bon Homme County's score
In Bon Homme County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 38.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Bon Homme 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.
Bon Homme 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.
- 38.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.2% · 202458th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.0% · 202427th percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance5.2% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$67,215 · 202448th percentile
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- 17.1 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 rent9.7% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.1% · fiscal year 202722nd percentile
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- 12.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.0% · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people56.6 · 202512th percentile
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- 11.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind1.7% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.2% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.4% · 2020 to 20245th 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 Bon Homme 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 Bon Homme County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Bon Homme County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Bon Homme County made its largest gain on the way to its 2014 high, from 19.8% in 2009 to 23.7% in 2014.
In Bon Homme County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Bon Homme County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Bon Homme County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.9% in 2010 to 10.2% in 2011.
The share of households in Bon Homme County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 6.3%
Low on the chart: 5.5% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Bon Homme County, South Dakota.
How Bon Homme County has changed
Bon Homme County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7,071, with most of the change between 1979 and 1984
High on the chart: 8,658 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Bon Homme County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Bon Homme County had its largest rise, from 1,913 in 1990 to 2,137 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Bon Homme County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 2,137 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Bon Homme County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.2% | 2025 2.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 16.1% | 2024 14.2% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,595 | 2024 $67,215 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Bon Homme County's history
1862
Created in 1862. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 11,940. The 2020 Census counted 7,003, 59% of the peak. Census Bureau
2016
A thunderstorm in September 2016 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 did $1.49 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in June 2024 did $1.17 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Bon Homme County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Bon Homme County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Bon Homme County, in South Dakota and Nebraska, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Bon Homme County ranks 3rd of the five; Charles Mix County is highest, at 25.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Mix County, SD | 20 | 20.3% | 25.6% |
| Knox County, NE | 8 | 12.1% | 25.3% |
| Yankton County, SD | 3 | 10.9% | 18.4% |
| Bon Homme County, SD | 2 | 14.2% | 23.7% |
| Hutchinson County, SD | 0 | 12.2% | 20.3% |
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 Bon Homme County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Bon Homme County's poverty rate was 14.2% in 2024, 19th 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, Bon Homme County ranks 45th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Bon Homme 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 Bon Homme 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 Bon Homme County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.