Unemployment in Edmunds County, South Dakota, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Edmunds County, 2.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 98% of U.S. counties.
What drives Edmunds County's score
In Edmunds County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 20.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 10.7.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Edmunds 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.
Edmunds 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.
- 20.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.0% · 202430th percentile
- Children below the poverty line13.7% · 202431st percentile
- People with a disability11.0% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance4.4% · 2020 to 202412th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,423 · 202419th percentile
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- 15.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.7% · August 202517th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202512th percentile
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- 12.4 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 rent11.4% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 12.2 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 score30.4% · second quarter of 202614th percentile
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- 10.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Edmunds 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 Edmunds County, 22.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Edmunds County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Edmunds County had its largest rise, from 11.8% in 1974 to 16.5% in 1979.
In Edmunds County, pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Edmunds County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Edmunds County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.2% in 2014 to 7.1% in 2015.
The share of households in Edmunds 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: 2.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Edmunds County, South Dakota.
How Edmunds County has changed
Edmunds County's population had its largest drop, from 5,279 in 1979 to 4,845 in 1984.
Edmunds County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 4,027
High on the chart: 5,664 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Edmunds County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Edmunds County rose 38% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 1,191. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Edmunds County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 2.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.5% | 2024 11.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,851 | 2024 $80,423 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Edmunds County's history
1873
1873 (founded) 1883 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 8,712. The 2020 Census counted 3,986, 46% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1969
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Edmunds County, 11 of them for flooding. FEMA
Edmunds County beside its neighbors
All five counties that border Edmunds County score higher than it does. Of the group, Edmunds County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Potter County gets the largest, at 24.9%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walworth County, SD | 16 | 14.6% | 23.9% |
| Potter County, SD | 14 | 9.6% | 24.9% |
| Brown County, SD | 13 | 11.6% | 15.7% |
| Faulk County, SD | 8 | 13.7% | 18.0% |
| McPherson County, SD | 2 | 17.9% | 19.9% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 1 | 11.0% | 14.7% |
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 Edmunds County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Edmunds County's poverty rate was 11.0% in 2024, 35th 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, Edmunds County ranks 55th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Edmunds 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 Edmunds 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 Edmunds County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.