Unemployment in Fall River County, South Dakota, is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties
In Fall River County, 3.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 88% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 63% of U.S. counties.
What drives Fall River County's score
In Fall River County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 67.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 14.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Fall River 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, Fall River County is worse off than most counties on people with a car or retail loan behind (10.2%, August 2025) and people without health insurance (13.2%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 67.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent22.5% · 2020 to 202475th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.7% · fiscal year 202760th percentile
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- 55.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.7% · 202437th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.3% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability18.7% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.2% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$71,364 · 202437th percentile
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- 52.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.0% · August 202541st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind10.2% · August 202592nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.4% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 19.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.5% · August 202528th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54.1 · 202511th percentile
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- 14.3 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th 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 Fall River 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 Fall River County, 32.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Fall River County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Fall River County had its largest rise, from 23.0% in 2004 to 29.2% in 2009.
In Fall River County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 36.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Fall River County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 36.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Fall River County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 8.5% in 2019 to 13.7% in 2020.
The share of households in Fall River County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 6.3% in 2018. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Fall River County, South Dakota.
How Fall River County has changed
Fall River County's population had its largest rise, from 7,422 in 1969 to 7,937 in 1974.
Fall River County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and is down 11% since
High on the chart: 8,235 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Fall River County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Fall River County rose 10% from 1990 to 2025, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
High on the chart: 2,580 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Fall River County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 2.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.1% | 2024 11.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,055 | 2024 $71,364 |
The table uses 2.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Fall River County's history
1883
Founded April 3, 1883. Wikipedia
1960
The county's largest recorded population was the 1960 Census count of 10,688. The 2020 Census counted 6,973, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
2010
Hail in June 2010 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
A thunderstorm in July 2010 did $1.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1997
13 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Fall River County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Fall River County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Fall River County, in South Dakota, Nebraska and Wyoming, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Fall River County ranks 2nd of the six; Oglala Lakota County is highest, at 49.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 84 | 35.8% | 49.2% |
| Fall River County, SD | 36 | 11.7% | 36.3% |
| Dawes County, NE | 32 | 15.9% | 27.0% |
| Niobrara County, WY | 30 | 15.2% | 25.7% |
| Sioux County, NE | 13 | 14.9% | 12.1% |
| Custer County, SD | 2 | 9.6% | 23.5% |
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 Fall River County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Fall River County's poverty rate was 11.7% in 2024, 28th 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, Fall River County ranks 11th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Fall River 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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Dakota Plains 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 Fall River 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 Fall River County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.