Lyman County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Elevated · 54.4 | 3,705 people · 9th most distressed in South Dakota
American Default Research

Behind on your mortgage or facing eviction? Take a 2-minute assessment to see your options.

Lyman County, SD registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 54.4 — 1257th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within South Dakota, it ranks 9th of 66 counties. Among its 10 neighboring counties, 9 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Lyman County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 84.5 — worse than roughly 85% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 84.5
Poverty Rate 83
Income vs. State Median 88
Child Poverty Rate 82
Community Vulnerability 71.5
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 48
Employment & Wages 54.3
Unemployment Rate 23
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 79
Business Formation Rate 61
Housing Cost Burden 35.3
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 5
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 19
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 48
Homeownership Rate 61
Rent-to-Income Ratio 44
Debt & Delinquency 26.3
Debt in Collections 64
Medical Debt 32
Student Loan Delinquency 14
Auto Loan Delinquency 18
Credit Card Delinquency 17
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Lyman County compares to its 10 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Lyman County
Lyman County, SD 54.4 Elevated —
Buffalo County, SD 61.9 Elevated +7.6
Mellette County, SD 52.4 Elevated -2.0
Charles Mix County, SD 44.9 Normal -9.5
Jones County, SD 44.7 Normal -9.7
Tripp County, SD 42.8 Normal -11.6
Gregory County, SD 39.0 Normal -15.3
Brule County, SD 33.0 Healthy -21.3
Stanley County, SD 31.9 Healthy -22.5
Hughes County, SD 23.5 Healthy -30.9
Hyde County, SD 20.4 Healthy -34.0

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Lyman County
Mineral County, MT 54.5 Elevated +0.2
Forest County, PA 54.5 Elevated +0.2
Greenwood County, KS 54.6 Elevated +0.2
Robertson County, KY 54.6 Elevated +0.2
Harrison County, MO 54.1 Elevated -0.3

Download Data

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

Find Help in Lyman County

Find an Attorney

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 Lyman County residents at no cost.

East River Legal Services 1-800-952-3015
Dakota Plains Legal Services 1-800-658-2297

American Default Research does not endorse, rate, or rank any provider. Verify attorney credentials with your state bar.

Need legal help? Find a foreclosure defense attorney in South Dakota →

Continue Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Lyman County, South Dakota?

    Lyman County has a County Distress Index score of 54.4 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,257th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 9th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Lyman County?

    The primary driver of distress in Lyman County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 84.5 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Lyman County compare to neighboring counties?

    Lyman County (54.4) can be compared to its 10 neighboring counties: Buffalo County, SD (61.9); Mellette County, SD (52.4); Charles Mix County, SD (44.9).

  • 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 Lyman County?

    Lyman County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 3,705 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.