About 19 in 20 adults aged 25 to 54 in McPherson County, South Dakota, have a job
In McPherson County, 7.1% 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 McPherson County's score
In McPherson County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 47.5. 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 McPherson 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, McPherson County is worse off than most counties on children below the poverty line (24.9%, 2024) and people below the poverty line (17.9%, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 47.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line17.9% · 202479th percentile
- Children below the poverty line24.9% · 202481st percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance1.9% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$75,475 · 202428th percentile
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- 18.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behindnot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202519th 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 score31.4% · second quarter of 202617th percentile
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- 6.4 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 rent2.3% · 2020 to 20245th or lower percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.1% · fiscal year 20277th percentile
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- 5.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.5% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people42.8 · 20256th 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 working7.1% · 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 McPherson 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 McPherson County, 33.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
McPherson County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in McPherson County had its largest drop, from 24.3% in 2009 to 16.5% in 2014.
In McPherson County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 19.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In McPherson County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in McPherson County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.9% in 2013 to 12.0% in 2014.
The share of households in McPherson County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 3.2%
Biggest drop: 2015 to 2016, reaching 8.4%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, McPherson County, South Dakota.
How McPherson County has changed
McPherson County's population had its largest drop, from 5,127 in 1969 to 4,570 in 1974.
McPherson County's population fell by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,307, with no rise in any year shown
Smallest drop: 2014 to 2019, reaching 2,431. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, McPherson County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in McPherson County fell by about a quarter to 554, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2000 and 2005
High on the chart: 776 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, McPherson County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.0% | 2025 2.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.7% | 2024 17.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,073 | 2024 $75,475 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in McPherson County's history
1873
January 8, 1873 (created) 1884 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 8,774. The 2020 Census counted 2,411, 27% of the peak. Census Bureau
1966
A tornado in July 1966 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1979
A tornado in June 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered McPherson County, 9 of them for flooding. FEMA
McPherson County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border McPherson County, in South Dakota and North Dakota, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, McPherson County ranks 4th of the seven; McIntosh County is highest, at 34.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walworth County, SD | 16 | 14.6% | 23.9% |
| Brown County, SD | 13 | 11.6% | 15.7% |
| McIntosh County, ND | 9 | 12.3% | 34.1% |
| Dickey County, ND | 3 | 12.5% | 17.1% |
| McPherson County, SD | 2 | 17.9% | 19.9% |
| Campbell County, SD | 2 | 10.5% | 20.0% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 1 | 11.0% | 14.7% |
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 McPherson County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, McPherson County's poverty rate was 17.9% in 2024, 13th 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, McPherson County ranks 46th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in McPherson 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 McPherson 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 McPherson County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.