Unemployment in Codington County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Codington County, 1.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Codington County's score
In Codington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 37.0. Jobs are the lowest part, at 2.4.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Codington 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.
Codington 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.
- 37.0 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.9% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 18.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.3% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people89.7 · 202531st percentile
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- 16.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.1% · 20246th percentile
- People with a disability10.6% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance6.3% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,115 · 202423rd percentile
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- 13.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.1% · August 202511th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.5% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score31.8% · second quarter of 202619th percentile
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- 2.4 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year1.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20260th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.9% · 2020 to 20243rd 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 Codington 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 Codington County, 19.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Codington County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Codington County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 17.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Codington County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Codington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen to 5.0%
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 5.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Codington County, South Dakota.
How Codington County has changed
Codington County's population had its largest rise, from 22,552 in 1989 to 24,736 in 1994.
Codington County's population rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29,278, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2014 to 2019, reaching 28,205. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Codington County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Codington County nearly doubled to 17,187, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 13,788. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Codington County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 2.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,083 | 2024 $78,115 |
The table uses 2.0% for 2025; the score uses 1.9% 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 Codington County's history
1877
1877 (created) 1878 (organized). Wikipedia
1979
A tornado in June 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1983
A tornado in July 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1984
A tornado in May 1984 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 28,325, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
23 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Codington County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Codington County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Codington County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Codington County ranks 3rd of the six; Day County is highest, at 23.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day County, SD | 9 | 15.5% | 23.3% |
| Clark County, SD | 7 | 10.0% | 13.1% |
| Grant County, SD | 3 | 8.6% | 19.0% |
| Codington County, SD | 3 | 8.3% | 17.4% |
| Deuel County, SD | 0 | 8.6% | 16.3% |
| 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 Codington County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Codington County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 58th 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, Codington County ranks 42nd of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Codington 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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CCCS of LSS - South Dakota
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Codington 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 Codington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.