Unemployment in Day County, South Dakota, is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties
In Day County, 2.4% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 96% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Day County's score
In Day County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 50.6. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 8.8. Bankruptcy filings ran at 36.7 per 100,000 people (2025), lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Day 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.
Day 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.
- 50.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line15.5% · 202467th percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.2% · 202456th percentile
- People with a disability13.2% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- People without health insurance8.5% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,991 · 202449th percentile
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- 22.2 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 rent12.6% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.2% · fiscal year 202723rd percentile
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- 19.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.2% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
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- 18.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.7% · August 202537th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.2% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 8.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.2% · August 202512th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people36.7 · 20255th 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 Day 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 Day County, 26.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Day County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Day County had its largest rise, from 19.6% in 2014 to 24.8% in 2019.
In Day County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 23.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Day County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Day County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.8% in 2011 to 9.8% in 2012.
The share of households in Day County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 5.5% 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, Day County, South Dakota.
How Day County has changed
Day County's population had its largest drop, from 7,738 in 1984 to 7,102 in 1989.
Day County's population fell 39% from 1969 to 2024, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2019 to 2024, reaching 5,408. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Day County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Day County had its largest rise in the last span, from 1,812 in 2020 to 1,966 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Day County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 2,055 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Day County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 20.1% | 2024 15.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,185 | 2024 $66,991 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Day County's history
1880
Created in 1880. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 15,194. The 2020 Census counted 5,449, 36% of the peak. Census Bureau
1979
A tornado in June 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
24 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Day County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Day County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Day County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Day County ranks 2nd of the eight; Roberts County is highest, at 24.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts County, SD | 31 | 16.2% | 24.2% |
| Brown County, SD | 13 | 11.6% | 15.7% |
| Day County, SD | 9 | 15.5% | 23.3% |
| Clark County, SD | 7 | 10.0% | 13.1% |
| Spink County, SD | 3 | 11.7% | 22.2% |
| Grant County, SD | 3 | 8.6% | 19.0% |
| Codington County, SD | 3 | 8.3% | 17.4% |
| Marshall County, SD | 2 | 9.5% | 16.7% |
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 Day County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Day County's poverty rate was 15.5% in 2024, 16th 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, Day County ranks 26th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Day 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 Day County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.