Unemployment in Hand County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Hand County, 1.9% 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 Hand County's score
In Hand County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 19.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Hand 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.
Hand 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.
- 19.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.4% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line6.3% · 20245th or lower percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance5.0% · 2020 to 202419th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,983 · 202431st percentile
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- 15.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.0% · August 202510th 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 score31.2% · second quarter of 202616th percentile
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- 8.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector8.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202512th percentile
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- 7.3 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 rent5.6% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 20279th 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 year1.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working9.2% · 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 Hand 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 Hand County, 24.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Hand County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Hand County had its largest rise, from 13.7% in 2014 to 16.9% in 2019.
In Hand County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 16.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Hand County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Hand County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 3.4% in 2020 to 5.5% in 2021.
The share of households in Hand County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2021 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 2.9% 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, Hand County, South Dakota.
How Hand County has changed
Hand County's population had its largest drop, from 5,451 in 1974 to 4,932 in 1979.
Hand County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 3,097, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2004 to 2009, reaching 3,399. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Hand County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Hand County rose by about a third to 1,430, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2010 to 2015, reaching 1,384. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Hand County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.8% | 2025 1.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.0% | 2024 8.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,841 | 2024 $73,983 |
The table uses 1.7% for 2025; the score uses 1.9% 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 Hand County's history
1873
1873 (created) 1882 (redrawn) 1882 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 9,485. The 2020 Census counted 3,145, 33% of the peak. Census Bureau
1964
A tornado in June 1964 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
A tornado in August 2020 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Hand County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Hand County beside its neighbors
All six counties that border Hand County score higher than it does. Of the group, Hand County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Buffalo County gets the largest, at 50.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, SD | 62 | 36.3% | 50.5% |
| Beadle County, SD | 16 | 10.7% | 19.1% |
| Faulk County, SD | 8 | 13.7% | 18.0% |
| Hyde County, SD | 4 | 11.7% | 20.9% |
| Spink County, SD | 3 | 11.7% | 22.2% |
| Jerauld County, SD | 3 | 14.3% | 24.3% |
| Hand County, SD | 0 | 8.4% | 16.0% |
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 Hand County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Hand County's poverty rate was 8.4% in 2024, 57th 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, Hand County ranks 62nd of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Hand 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.
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 Hand County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.