About 19 in 20 adults aged 25 to 54 in Marshall County, South Dakota, have a job
In Marshall County, 7.0% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Marshall County's score
In Marshall County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 26.2. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0. Unemployment averaged 2.3%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Marshall 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.
Marshall 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.
- 26.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector15.5% · August 202520th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people91.1 · 202531st percentile
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- 22.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.7% · 202447th percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- People without health insurance3.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,964 · 202429th percentile
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- 18.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.7% · August 202521st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.5% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score28.6% · second quarter of 20269th percentile
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- 6.7 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 rent0.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.2% · fiscal year 20278th percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.3% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working7.0% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County, 23.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Marshall County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Marshall County had its largest drop, from 18.2% in 2009 to 13.3% in 2014.
In Marshall County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 16.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Marshall County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 16.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2023 low, from 4.0% in 2022 to 1.5% in 2023.
The share of households in Marshall County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2018 and has since fallen to 1.6%
Low on the chart: 1.5% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Marshall County, South Dakota.
How Marshall County has changed
Marshall County's population had its largest drop, from 5,932 in 1969 to 5,558 in 1974.
Marshall County's population fell by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 4,395
High on the chart: 5,932 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Marshall County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County had its largest rise, from 1,228 in 1990 to 1,438 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Marshall County rose 36% from 1990 to 2025
High on the chart: 1,703 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Marshall County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.2% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.5% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $19,833 | 2024 $74,964 |
The table uses 2.4% for 2025; the score uses 2.3% 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 Marshall County's history
1885
Created on May 2, 1885. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 9,596. The 2020 Census counted 4,306, 45% of the peak. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Marshall County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
Marshall County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Marshall County, in South Dakota and North Dakota, three score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Marshall County ranks 4th of the five; Roberts County is highest, at 24.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roberts County, SD | 31 | 16.2% | 24.2% |
| Brown County, SD | 13 | 11.6% | 15.7% |
| Day County, SD | 9 | 15.5% | 23.3% |
| Sargent County, ND | 2 | 8.1% | 17.3% |
| Marshall County, SD | 2 | 9.5% | 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 Marshall County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Marshall County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 49th 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, Marshall County ranks 50th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Marshall 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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East River 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 Marshall 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 Marshall County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.