About two in five people in Corson County, South Dakota, live below the poverty line
In Corson County, 37.9% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 64% of U.S. counties.
What drives Corson County's score
In Corson County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 89.6. Jobs come next, at 70.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Corson 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.
Corson County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (26.4, 2025) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (11.7%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 89.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line37.9% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line54.4% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability18.3% · 2020 to 202469th percentile
- People without health insurance16.9% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$42,573 · 2024top 5%
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- 70.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202645th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working45.8% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 56.2 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 rent11.7% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income28.6% · fiscal year 202794th percentile
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- 41.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.5% · August 202578th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people26.4 · 20255th or lower percentile
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- 37.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202519th 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 score48.2% · second quarter of 202675th 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 Corson 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 Corson County, 13.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Corson County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Corson County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 38.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Corson County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 38.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Corson County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 20.6% in 2010 to 26.7% in 2011.
The share of households in Corson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 20.6% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Corson County, South Dakota.
How Corson County has changed
Corson County's population had its largest drop, from 5,547 in 1979 to 4,872 in 1984.
Corson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a third
High on the chart: 5,547 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Corson County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Corson County rose most sharply from its first year (610 in 1990) to 768 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Corson County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and is down 12% since
High on the chart: 862 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Corson County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 19.5% | 2025 4.1% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 40.9% | 2024 37.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,758 | 2024 $42,573 |
The table uses 4.1% for 2025; the score uses 3.9% 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 Corson County's history
1909
Created in 1909. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 9,535. The 2020 Census counted 3,902, 41% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Corson County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Corson County beside its neighbors
Of the eight counties that border Corson County, in South Dakota and North Dakota, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Corson County ranks 3rd of the nine; Sioux County is highest, at 44.8%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey County, SD | 82 | 28.8% | 30.1% |
| Corson County, SD | 64 | 37.9% | 38.3% |
| Sioux County, ND | 56 | 29.9% | 44.8% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 52 | 45.8% | 41.2% |
| Adams County, ND | 17 | 12.2% | 36.7% |
| Walworth County, SD | 16 | 14.6% | 23.9% |
| Emmons County, ND | 14 | 14.0% | 27.8% |
| Perkins County, SD | 8 | 12.8% | 27.9% |
| Campbell County, SD | 2 | 10.5% | 20.0% |
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 Corson County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Corson County's poverty rate was 37.9% in 2024, 2nd 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, Corson County ranks 4th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Corson 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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Dakota Plains 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 Corson 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 Corson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.