Unemployment in Haakon County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Haakon County, 1.8% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Haakon County's score
In Haakon County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 25.4. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Haakon 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.
Haakon 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.
- 25.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.8% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.4% · 202415th percentile
- People with a disability11.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance6.7% · 2020 to 202439th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,649 · 202429th percentile
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- 9.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.2% · August 20258th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people54 · 202511th percentile
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- 9.9 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 score27.4% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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- 9.7 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 rent1.4% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th 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 year1.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.4% · 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 Haakon 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 Haakon County, 29.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Haakon County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Haakon County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 21.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Haakon County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21.2%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Haakon County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 4.3% in 2010 to 1.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Haakon County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 1.3% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Haakon County, South Dakota.
How Haakon County has changed
Haakon County's population had its largest drop, from 2,715 in 1989 to 2,448 in 1994.
Haakon County's population fell by about a third to 1,834, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 2,885 in 1984. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Haakon County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Haakon County had its largest drop, from 806 in 2000 to 718 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Haakon County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2005, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 718 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Haakon County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.5% | 2025 1.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.7% | 2024 10.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,597 | 2024 $74,649 |
The table uses 1.7% for 2025; the score uses 1.8% 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 Haakon County's history
1914
1914 (created) 1915 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 4,679. The 2020 Census counted 1,872, 40% of the peak. Census Bureau
2001
A thunderstorm in June 2001 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2008
A flood in June 2008 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Haakon County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Haakon County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Haakon County score higher than it does. For the share of income from benefit checks, Haakon County ranks 3rd of the seven; Ziebach County is highest, at 41.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County, SD | 62 | 29.1% | 33.8% |
| Ziebach County, SD | 52 | 45.8% | 41.2% |
| Pennington County, SD | 18 | 9.8% | 20.0% |
| Jones County, SD | 6 | 13.2% | 17.4% |
| Stanley County, SD | 5 | 7.4% | 15.7% |
| Meade County, SD | 3 | 8.1% | 20.8% |
| Haakon County, SD | 0 | 10.8% | 21.2% |
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 Haakon County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Haakon County's poverty rate was 10.8% in 2024, 37th 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, Haakon County ranks 59th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Haakon 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 Haakon 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 Haakon County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.