Clay County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Normal · 41.2 | 15,431 people · 20th most distressed in South Dakota
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Clay County, SD falls within the normal range for household financial distress at 41.2 — 2275th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where income and poverty levels indicate moderate economic strain. Within South Dakota, it ranks 20th of 66 counties. It scores higher than all 6 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Clay County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 57.3 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 57.3
Poverty Rate 76
Income vs. State Median 63
Child Poverty Rate 33
Housing Cost Burden 57.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 35
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 93
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 47
Homeownership Rate 95
Rent-to-Income Ratio 16
Employment & Wages 41.2
Unemployment Rate 10
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 29
Business Formation Rate 85
Community Vulnerability 37.2
Uninsured Rate 60
Disability Rate 14
Debt & Delinquency 13.3
Debt in Collections 17
Medical Debt 23
Student Loan Delinquency 21
Auto Loan Delinquency 6
Credit Card Delinquency 8
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 5

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Clay County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Clay County, SD 41.2 Normal —
Yankton County, SD 28.8 Healthy -12.4
Turner County, SD 24.5 Healthy -16.7
Dixon County, NE 24.2 Healthy -17.0
Cedar County, NE 23.5 Healthy -17.8
Union County, SD 19.6 Healthy -21.6
Lincoln County, SD 15.2 Healthy -26.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Clay County
Fremont County, ID 41.2 Normal 0.0
Tama County, IA 41.3 Normal +0.0
Anderson County, KY 41.2 Normal -0.1
Meade County, KY 41.2 Normal -0.1
Caroline County, VA 41.1 Normal -0.1

Download Data

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

Find Help in Clay 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 Clay 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 Clay County, South Dakota?

    Clay County has a County Distress Index score of 41.2 out of 100, placing it in the Normal zone. It ranks 2,275th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 20th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Clay County?

    The primary driver of distress in Clay County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 57.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Clay County compare to neighboring counties?

    Clay County (41.2) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Yankton County, SD (28.8); Turner County, SD (24.5); Dixon County, NE (24.2).

  • 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 Clay County?

    Clay County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 15,431 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a small county.