Edmunds County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 15.8 | 4,057 people · 65th most distressed in South Dakota
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Edmunds County, SD ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 15.8 — 3140th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where household incomes are relatively strong and poverty rates are low. Within South Dakota, it ranks 65th of 66 counties. It scores lower than all 5 of its neighboring counties.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Edmunds County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 22.1 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 22.1
Poverty Rate 22
Income vs. State Median 26
Child Poverty Rate 18
Debt & Delinquency 16.4
Debt in Collections 18
Medical Debt 32
Student Loan Delinquency 14
Auto Loan Delinquency 18
Credit Card Delinquency 5
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13
Housing Cost Burden 16.1
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 9
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 47
Homeownership Rate 15
Rent-to-Income Ratio 5
Employment & Wages 14.3
Unemployment Rate 6
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 16
Business Formation Rate 21
Community Vulnerability 10.2
Uninsured Rate 9
Disability Rate 11

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Edmunds County compares to its 5 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Edmunds County
Edmunds County, SD 15.8 Healthy —
Walworth County, SD 46.9 Normal +31.1
Brown County, SD 32.4 Healthy +16.6
Potter County, SD 32.3 Healthy +16.6
McPherson County, SD 31.5 Healthy +15.8
Faulk County, SD 24.1 Healthy +8.3

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Edmunds County
Steele County, ND 16.7 Healthy +0.9
Cavalier County, ND 17.1 Healthy +1.3
Billings County, ND 17.3 Healthy +1.5
Hamilton County, NE 17.5 Healthy +1.7
Hamlin County, SD 18.3 Healthy +2.5

Download Data

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

Find Help in Edmunds 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 Edmunds 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 Edmunds County, South Dakota?

    Edmunds County has a County Distress Index score of 15.8 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 3,140th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 65th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Edmunds County?

    The primary driver of distress in Edmunds County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 22.1 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Edmunds County compare to neighboring counties?

    Edmunds County (15.8) can be compared to its 5 neighboring counties: Walworth County, SD (46.9); Brown County, SD (32.4); Potter County, SD (32.3).

  • 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 Edmunds County?

    Edmunds County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 4,057 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.