About half adults aged 25 to 54 in Jackson County, South Dakota, are not working
In Jackson County, 48.9% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 62% of U.S. counties.
What drives Jackson County's score
In Jackson County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 86.4. About three in ten renters (27.7%, 2020 to 2024) pay half their income or more in rent, a higher share than in 93% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 78.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Jackson 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.
Jackson County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (12.0%, 2020 to 2024) and people with unpaid debt sent to a collector (16.1%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 86.4 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 rent27.7% · 2020 to 202493rd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.2% · fiscal year 202779th percentile
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- 78.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line29.1% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line42.5% · 2024top 5%
- People with a disability12.0% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance27.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,228 · 202491st percentile
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- 69.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202644th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working48.9% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 37.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202519th 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 score48.4% · second quarter of 202675th percentile
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- 17.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.1% · August 202522nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202512th 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County, 12.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Jackson County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Jackson County, benefit checks' share of income has more than tripled since 1969, reaching 33.8% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Jackson County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income more than tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.8%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 29.4% in 2011 to 20.9% in 2012.
The share of households in Jackson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2011 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 17.8% 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, Jackson County, South Dakota.
How Jackson County has changed
Jackson County's population had its largest rise, from 2,950 in 1969 to 3,350 in 1974.
Jackson County's population was at its highest on the chart in 1979 and has since fallen by about a fifth
High on the chart: 3,389 in 1979. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Jackson County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County had its largest rise, from 675 in 2000 to 733 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Jackson County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 735 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Jackson County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.6% | 2025 3.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 31.7% | 2024 29.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,411 | 2024 $50,228 |
The table uses 3.3% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% 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 Jackson County's history
1883
1883 (created) 1915 (organized). Wikipedia
1980
The county's largest recorded population was the 1980 Census count of 3,437. The 2020 Census counted 2,806, 82% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Jackson County, 12 of them for flooding. FEMA
Jackson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Jackson County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Jackson County ranks 2nd of the seven; Oglala Lakota County is highest, at 49.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 84 | 35.8% | 49.2% |
| Jackson County, SD | 62 | 29.1% | 33.8% |
| Bennett County, SD | 53 | 29.4% | 33.2% |
| Mellette County, SD | 53 | 25.9% | 32.8% |
| Pennington County, SD | 18 | 9.8% | 20.0% |
| Jones County, SD | 6 | 13.2% | 17.4% |
| 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 Jackson County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Jackson County's poverty rate was 29.1% in 2024, 7th 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, Jackson County ranks 5th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.