Unemployment in Clark County, South Dakota, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Clark 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 92% of U.S. counties.
What drives Clark County's score
In Clark County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 30.2. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 13.6. Rent on a two-bedroom takes 15.3% of the typical household's income (fiscal year 2027), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Clark 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.
Clark 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.
- 30.2 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment 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 working21.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
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- 28.5 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.8% · August 202539th 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 score34.8% · second quarter of 202628th percentile
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- 23.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.0% · 202422nd percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.6% · 202420th percentile
- People with a disability11.2% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,333 · 202421st percentile
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- 15.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.7% · August 202525th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people25.3 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 13.6 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 rent13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.3% · fiscal year 20275th 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 Clark 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 Clark County, 23.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Clark County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Clark County had its largest drop, from 19.0% in 2009 to 12.6% in 2014.
In Clark County, pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Clark County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.1%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Clark County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 3.7% in 2020 to 2.2% in 2021.
The share of households in Clark County getting SNAP food aid fell by more than half from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1.9%
Low on the chart: 1.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Clark County, South Dakota.
How Clark County has changed
Clark County's population had its largest drop, from 4,873 in 1984 to 4,474 in 1989.
Clark County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2019, reaching 3,783, then turned up in 2024
High on the chart: 5,652 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Clark County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Clark County had its largest rise, from 1,043 in 2015 to 1,300 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Clark County rose 44% from 1990 to 2020, then turned down in 2025
High on the chart: 1,300 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Clark County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.3% | 2025 2.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 10.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,242 | 2024 $79,333 |
The table uses 2.2% for 2025; the score uses 2.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Clark County's history
1873
1873 (created) 1881 (organized). Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 11,136. The 2020 Census counted 3,837, 34% of the peak. Census Bureau
1961
A tornado in June 1961 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in May 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Clark County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Clark County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Clark County, two score higher. Of the group, Clark County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Day County gets the largest, at 23.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beadle County, SD | 16 | 10.7% | 19.1% |
| Day County, SD | 9 | 15.5% | 23.3% |
| Clark County, SD | 7 | 10.0% | 13.1% |
| Spink County, SD | 3 | 11.7% | 22.2% |
| Codington County, SD | 3 | 8.3% | 17.4% |
| Kingsbury County, SD | 0 | 9.0% | 19.0% |
| Hamlin County, SD | 0 | 8.2% | 15.6% |
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 Clark County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Clark County's poverty rate was 10.0% in 2024, 45th 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, Clark County ranks 29th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Clark 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.
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 Clark County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.