Harding County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 26.7 | 1,324 people · 45th most distressed in South Dakota
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Harding County, SD ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 26.7 — 2991st nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Employment & Wages, where employment and wage conditions show moderate stress. Within South Dakota, it ranks 45th of 66 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 5 show more distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Harding County's primary driver is Employment & Wages at 48.4 — above the national median.

Employment & Wages Primary driver 48.4
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 45
Business Formation Rate 95
Income & Poverty 48.2
Poverty Rate 38
Income vs. State Median 78
Child Poverty Rate 28
Debt & Delinquency 16.1
Debt in Collections 12
Medical Debt 21
Student Loan Delinquency 14
Auto Loan Delinquency 18
Credit Card Delinquency 19
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13
Housing Cost Burden 16.0
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 5
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 35
Rent-to-Income Ratio 30
Community Vulnerability 5.0
Uninsured Rate 5
Disability Rate 5

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Harding County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Harding County
Harding County, SD 26.7 Healthy —
Butte County, SD 43.4 Normal +16.6
Carter County, MT 42.4 Normal +15.7
Perkins County, SD 33.9 Healthy +7.2
Adams County, ND 33.1 Healthy +6.4
Fallon County, MT 31.8 Healthy +5.1
Bowman County, ND 19.3 Healthy -7.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Harding County
Towner County, ND 26.6 Healthy -0.1
Daniels County, MT 26.5 Healthy -0.2
McCook County, SD 26.9 Healthy +0.2
Scott County, KS 26.9 Healthy +0.2
Butler County, NE 27.0 Healthy +0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Harding County

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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 Harding 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 Harding County, South Dakota?

    Harding County has a County Distress Index score of 26.7 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,991st nationally out of 3,144 counties and 45th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Harding County?

    The primary driver of distress in Harding County is Employment & Wages, where the county scores 48.4 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Unemployment Rate, Wage-to-Rent Ratio, Business Formation Rate.

  • How does Harding County compare to neighboring counties?

    Harding County (26.7) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Butte County, SD (43.4); Carter County, MT (42.4); Perkins County, SD (33.9).

  • 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 Harding County?

    Harding County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 1,324 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.