Lincoln County, South Dakota
Below the national median for bankruptcy filing rate — and 13.3× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Glacier County, MT — 7).
Main Findings
Lincoln County, South Dakota ranks 3,131st most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Lincoln sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 3,131st of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 10.2 · very low county distress, 61st in South Dakota.
- A bankruptcy filing rate of 97 (U.S. median 126). Bankruptcy filing rate at the 34th percentile nationally.
- Delinquency domain score 15 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 13 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
- Safety Net & Buffer domain score 2 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
"Lincoln County has a very low county distress score. The rank and domain mix show where the county still sits in the national cross-section."
"The CDI gives this county a very low county distress label. The rank is still reported because low score intensity and relative position are different measures."
Indicator History
Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.
Unemployment rate
Poverty rate
Transfer income share
Subprime credit population
The Indicators Behind Lincoln County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Lincoln County's value shown alongside SD's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Lincoln | SD median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 15 · Rank 2,807 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 3% | 5% | 12th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 4% | 5% | 14th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 16% | 16% | 23% | 19th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 19 · Rank 2,797 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 10% | 13% | 23% | 4th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 97 | 57 | 126 | 34th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 13 · Rank 2,981 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 14% | 17% | 21% | 1st | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 14% | 12% | 18% | 26th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 1 · Rank 3,142 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 2% | 2% | 4% | 1st | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 2 · Rank 3,138 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 4% | 13% | 18% | 0th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 9% | 12% | 16% | 2nd | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 3% | 11% | 14% | 0th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 9% | 20% | 27% | 1st | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 4% | 8% | 8% | 5th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Lincoln County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 146-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
CANTON, S.D. — Lincoln County ranks 3,131st among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 10.2 out of 100 gives Lincoln a very low county distress label. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 3,130 counties rank more distressed. Within South Dakota, Lincoln ranks 61st of 66 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Lincoln sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Lincoln County has a very low county distress score. The rank and domain mix show where the county still sits in the national cross-section," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Lincoln County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Lincoln County's distress score?
How does Lincoln County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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