Dewey County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Elevated · 60.2 | 5,208 people · 6th most distressed in South Dakota
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Dewey County, SD registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 60.2 — 819th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within South Dakota, it ranks 6th of 66 counties. It scores higher than all 7 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Dewey County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 93.1 — worse than roughly 93% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 93.1
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 89
Employment & Wages 62.0
Unemployment Rate 72
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 19
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 50.0
Debt in Collections 81
Medical Debt 7
Student Loan Delinquency 14
Auto Loan Delinquency 95
Credit Card Delinquency 91
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13
Community Vulnerability 50.0
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 5
Housing Cost Burden 45.7
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 9
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 17
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 44
Homeownership Rate 91
Rent-to-Income Ratio 67

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Dewey County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Dewey County
Dewey County, SD 60.2 Elevated —
Corson County, SD 60.0 Elevated -0.2
Ziebach County, SD 53.1 Elevated -7.1
Walworth County, SD 46.9 Normal -13.3
Potter County, SD 32.3 Healthy -27.8
Stanley County, SD 31.9 Healthy -28.3
Haakon County, SD 25.6 Healthy -34.6
Sully County, SD 19.6 Healthy -40.6

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Dewey County
Garza County, TX 60.1 Elevated -0.1
Corson County, SD 60.0 Elevated -0.2
Catron County, NM 60.4 Elevated +0.2
Pickett County, TN 60.0 Elevated -0.2
Franklin County, MS 60.5 Elevated +0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Dewey 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 Dewey 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 Dewey County, South Dakota?

    Dewey County has a County Distress Index score of 60.2 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 819th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 6th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Dewey County?

    The primary driver of distress in Dewey County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 93.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Dewey County compare to neighboring counties?

    Dewey County (60.2) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Corson County, SD (60.0); Ziebach County, SD (53.1); Walworth County, SD (46.9).

  • 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 Dewey County?

    Dewey County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 5,208 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.