About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Douglas County, South Dakota, have a job
In Douglas County, 7.5% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Douglas County's score
In Douglas County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 33.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.1%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Douglas 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.
Even so, Douglas County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (16.0%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 33.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.3% · 202424th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.9% · 202417th percentile
- People with a disability10.6% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance16.0% · 2020 to 202491st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,820 · 202429th percentile
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- 17.2 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 rent12.5% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th percentile
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- 9.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower 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 score20.5% · second quarter of 20265th or lower percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector7.4% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people35.2 · 20255th or lower 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 year2.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working7.5% · 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 Douglas 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 Douglas County, 24.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Douglas County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Douglas County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Douglas County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.4% in 2019 to 2.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Douglas County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 1.8%
Low on the chart: 1.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Douglas County, South Dakota.
How Douglas County has changed
Douglas County's population had its largest drop, from 4,279 in 1979 to 3,976 in 1984.
Douglas County's population fell 38% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 4,560 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Douglas County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County had its largest rise, from 933 in 1995 to 1,020 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Douglas County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 1,137 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Douglas County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 1.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 10.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,566 | 2024 $74,820 |
The table uses 1.9% for 2025; the score uses 2.1% 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 Douglas County's history
1873
1873 (created) 1882 (organized). Wikipedia
1885
Armour was named after Philip Danforth Armour, who was the founder of Armour and Company, a meat packing company. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 7,236. The 2020 Census counted 2,835, 39% of the peak. Census Bureau
1997
A thunderstorm in June 1997 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A wildfire in March 2000 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
A tornado in May 2015 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
18 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Douglas County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Douglas County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Douglas County, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Douglas County ranks 4th of the five; Charles Mix County is highest, at 25.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Mix County, SD | 20 | 20.3% | 25.6% |
| Davison County, SD | 9 | 10.8% | 18.0% |
| Aurora County, SD | 2 | 10.6% | 22.0% |
| Douglas County, SD | 1 | 10.3% | 19.5% |
| Hutchinson County, SD | 0 | 12.2% | 20.3% |
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 Douglas County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Douglas County's poverty rate was 10.3% in 2024, 43rd 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, Douglas County ranks 56th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Douglas 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.
Download the CSV for Douglas 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 Douglas County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.