Unemployment in McCook County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In McCook 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 95% of U.S. counties.
What drives McCook County's score
In McCook County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 33.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in McCook 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.
McCook 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.
- 33.1 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202520th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.5% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score29.6% · second quarter of 202611th percentile
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- 24.2 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 rent14.7% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.7% · fiscal year 202718th percentile
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- 18.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line8.3% · 202410th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.9% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability10.5% · 2020 to 20245th percentile
- People without health insurance7.8% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$83,250 · 202416th percentile
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- 11.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector9.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people68.9 · 202518th 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 year1.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.8% · 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 McCook 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 McCook County, 18.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McCook County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In McCook County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 17.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In McCook County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 17.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McCook County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.5% in 2020 to 6.9% in 2021.
The share of households in McCook County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 4.4% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McCook County, South Dakota.
How McCook County has changed
McCook County's population had its largest drop, from 7,322 in 1969 to 6,772 in 1974.
McCook County's population fell by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 5,771
High on the chart: 7,322 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McCook County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in McCook County had its largest drop, from 1,478 in 2005 to 1,309 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in McCook County was about the same in 2025 as in 1990
High on the chart: 1,490 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McCook County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.8% | 2025 1.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.7% | 2024 8.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,978 | 2024 $83,250 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in McCook County's history
1873
January 8, 1873 (created) June 15, 1878 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 10,316. The 2020 Census counted 5,682, 55% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
A tornado in June 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A tornado in May 1993 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1995
Hail in September 1995 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A tornado in May 1998 did $17 million in property damage and killed six people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McCook County, 13 of them for flooding. FEMA
McCook County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McCook County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, McCook County ranks 3rd of the seven; Hutchinson County is highest, at 20.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County, SD | 9 | 7.5% | 14.5% |
| Miner County, SD | 4 | 11.3% | 20.1% |
| Lake County, SD | 4 | 8.8% | 13.3% |
| McCook County, SD | 4 | 8.3% | 17.4% |
| Turner County, SD | 2 | 9.5% | 13.4% |
| Hutchinson County, SD | 0 | 12.2% | 20.3% |
| Hanson County, SD | 0 | 8.7% | 14.1% |
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 McCook County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, McCook County's poverty rate was 8.3% in 2024, 58th 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, McCook County ranks 38th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McCook 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 McCook 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 McCook County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.