Unemployment in Lyman County, South Dakota, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Lyman County, 2.5% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 61% of U.S. counties.
What drives Lyman County's score
In Lyman County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 72.0. Late payments on loans are the lowest part, at 27.1. People with a credit card behind: 3.5%, August 2025, lower than in 82% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Lyman 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.
Even so, Lyman County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (21.3%, 2020 to 2024) and people below the poverty line (21.4%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 72.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line21.4% · 202490th percentile
- Children below the poverty line28.4% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability13.0% · 2020 to 202422nd percentile
- People without health insurance21.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,598 · 202462nd percentile
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- 42.2 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working26.4% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
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- 38.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector27.1% · August 202564th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202512th percentile
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- 38.1 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 rent13.4% · 2020 to 202424th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.8% · fiscal year 202751st percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.5% · August 202517th 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 score39.3% · second quarter of 202646th 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 Lyman 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 Lyman County, 18.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Lyman County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Lyman County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 25.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Lyman County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 25.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Lyman County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen to 11.4%
Biggest drop: 2022 to 2023, reaching 11.7%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Lyman County, South Dakota.
How Lyman County has changed
Lyman County's population fell 9% from 1969 to 2024, with most of the change between 1969 and 1974
High on the chart: 4,105 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Lyman County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Lyman County rose most sharply from its first year (945 in 1990) to 1,285 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Lyman County was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and is down 10% since
High on the chart: 1,502 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Lyman County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.0% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 25.8% | 2024 21.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,054 | 2024 $62,598 |
The table uses 2.3% for 2025; the score uses 2.5% 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 Lyman County's history
1910
The county's largest recorded population was the 1910 Census count of 10,848. The 2020 Census counted 3,718, 34% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flash flood in June 2011 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Lyman County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
Lyman County beside its neighbors
Of the 10 counties that border Lyman County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Lyman County ranks 5th of the 11; Buffalo County is highest, at 50.5%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County, SD | 62 | 36.3% | 50.5% |
| Mellette County, SD | 53 | 25.9% | 32.8% |
| Lyman County, SD | 38 | 21.4% | 25.5% |
| Tripp County, SD | 33 | 16.3% | 23.4% |
| Gregory County, SD | 24 | 14.1% | 25.9% |
| Charles Mix County, SD | 20 | 20.3% | 25.6% |
| Jones County, SD | 6 | 13.2% | 17.4% |
| Brule County, SD | 6 | 12.7% | 18.5% |
| Stanley County, SD | 5 | 7.4% | 15.7% |
| Hyde County, SD | 4 | 11.7% | 20.9% |
| Hughes County, SD | 1 | 8.7% | 16.7% |
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 Lyman County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Lyman County's poverty rate was 21.4% in 2024, 10th 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, Lyman County ranks 10th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Lyman 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.
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 Lyman County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.