Unemployment in Lawrence County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Lawrence 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 93% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lawrence County's score
In Lawrence County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 36.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 4.3.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lawrence 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.
Lawrence 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.
- 36.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line10.3% · 202414th percentile
- People with a disability16.5% · 2020 to 202454th percentile
- People without health insurance8.9% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$78,721 · 202422nd percentile
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- 31.3 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 rent16.0% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.4% · fiscal year 202725th percentile
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- 19.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.2% · August 20256th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people92.7 · 202532nd percentile
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- 17.3 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.1% · August 202526th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.2% · August 202518th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.4% · second quarter of 20267th percentile
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- 4.3 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 20260th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.7% · 2020 to 20247th 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, 25.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lawrence County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lawrence County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 18.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Lawrence County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply after its 2010 low, from 6.2% in 2010 to 8.3% in 2011.
The share of households in Lawrence County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 6.2% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lawrence County, South Dakota.
How Lawrence County has changed
Lawrence County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 25,549 in 2019 to 28,809 in 2024.
Lawrence County's population nearly doubled to 28,809, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 28,809 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lawrence County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Lawrence County rose 41% from 1990 to 2025, reaching its highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 13,691. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lawrence County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 1.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.7% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $23,933 | 2024 $78,721 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Lawrence County's history
1875
January 11, 1875 (created) 1877 (organized). Wikipedia
1876
Deadwood gold rush 1876-1879 brought 25,000 people; population collapsed to 1,156 by 2020. Wikipedia
2000
A thunderstorm in August 2000 did $9.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Hail in July 2011 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2015
Lightning in July 2015 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2018
Hail in June 2018 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 25,768, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1965
14 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lawrence County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lawrence County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Lawrence County, in South Dakota and Wyoming, two score higher. Of the group, Lawrence County gets the smallest share of its income from benefit checks; Weston County gets the largest, at 27.6%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butte County, SD | 25 | 11.6% | 25.3% |
| Pennington County, SD | 18 | 9.8% | 20.0% |
| Weston County, WY | 6 | 10.5% | 27.6% |
| Lawrence County, SD | 6 | 11.3% | 18.9% |
| Meade County, SD | 3 | 8.1% | 20.8% |
| Crook County, WY | 2 | 7.7% | 20.5% |
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 Lawrence County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Lawrence County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 33rd 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, Lawrence County ranks 31st of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lawrence 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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Neighborworks Dakota Home Resources
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.