Unemployment in Davison County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Davison 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 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Davison County's score
In Davison County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 32.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Davison 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.
Davison 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.
- 32.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.8% · 202416th percentile
- People with a disability14.0% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$72,516 · 202434th percentile
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- 30.2 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 behind3.6% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.7% · second quarter of 202624th percentile
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- 28.9 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 rent15.9% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.0% · fiscal year 202721st percentile
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- 25.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.6% · August 202513th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people100.4 · 202536th 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 year1.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working11.1% · 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 Davison 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 Davison County, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Davison County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Davison County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by more than half since 1969, reaching 18.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Davison County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Davison County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2021 low, from 9.2% in 2020 to 7.1% in 2021.
The share of households in Davison County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 7.1% in 2021. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Davison County, South Dakota.
How Davison County has changed
Davison County's population had its largest rise, from 17,994 in 1994 to 18,720 in 1999.
Davison County's population rose 16% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 20,014 in 2014. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Davison County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Davison County had its largest rise, from 8,464 in 1990 to 9,677 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Davison County rose by about half from 1990 to 2025, reaching 12,474
High on the chart: 12,523 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Davison County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 1.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.3% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,428 | 2024 $72,516 |
The table uses 1.8% 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 Davison County's history
1873
1873 (created) 1874 (organized). Wikipedia
2000
A thunderstorm in August 2000 did $8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in April 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in September 2019 did $15.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 19,956, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A flood in June 2024 did $10.25 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
15 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Davison County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Davison County beside its neighbors
Davison County scores higher than all five counties that border it. For the share of income from benefit checks, Davison County ranks 5th of the six; Aurora County is highest, at 22.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davison County, SD | 9 | 10.8% | 18.0% |
| Sanborn County, SD | 5 | 12.7% | 19.5% |
| Aurora County, SD | 2 | 10.6% | 22.0% |
| Douglas County, SD | 1 | 10.3% | 19.5% |
| Hutchinson County, SD | 0 | 12.2% | 20.3% |
| Hanson County, SD | 0 | 8.7% | 14.1% |
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 Davison County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Davison County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 37th 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, Davison County ranks 24th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Davison 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 Davison 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 Davison County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.