Unemployment in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Minnehaha County, 2.1% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 90% of U.S. counties.
What drives Minnehaha County's score
In Minnehaha County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 36.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 2.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Minnehaha 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.
Minnehaha 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.
- 36.7 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.4% · August 202532nd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people109.7 · 202541st percentile
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- 33.7 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 rent16.9% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.3% · fiscal year 202724th percentile
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- 29.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.3% · August 202535th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.0% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
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- 18.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line7.5% · 20245th percentile
- Children below the poverty line7.4% · 20244th percentile
- People with a disability10.9% · 2020 to 20247th percentile
- People without health insurance8.2% · 2020 to 202453rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$80,546 · 202419th percentile
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- 2.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20261st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working10.5% · 2020 to 20243rd 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 Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County, 13.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Minnehaha County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Minnehaha County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 14.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Minnehaha County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 14.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Minnehaha County getting SNAP food aid rose most sharply from its first year (7.0% in 2009) to 8.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Minnehaha County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 7.0% 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, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
How Minnehaha County has changed
Minnehaha County's population had its largest rise, from 181,411 in 2014 to 195,212 in 2019.
Minnehaha County's population more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 208,639, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1969 to 1974, reaching 100,115. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Minnehaha County had its largest rise, from 88,162 in 1995 to 106,097 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Minnehaha County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 139,772, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 111,990. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Minnehaha County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.6% | 2025 2.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 8.3% | 2024 7.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $28,506 | 2024 $80,546 |
The table uses 2.0% for 2025; the score uses 2.1% 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 Minnehaha County's history
1862
April 5, 1862 (created) 1868 (organized). Wikipedia
1909
John Morrell meat packing plant opened 1909. Wikipedia
1984
A thunderstorm in June 1984 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1993
A thunderstorm in May 1993 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2004
A flash flood in June 2004 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 197,214, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2022
A thunderstorm in May 2022 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
17 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Minnehaha County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Minnehaha County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Minnehaha County, in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Minnehaha County ranks 5th of the eight; Rock County is highest, at 23.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moody County, SD | 14 | 10.1% | 15.9% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 9 | 7.5% | 14.5% |
| Lake County, SD | 4 | 8.8% | 13.3% |
| McCook County, SD | 4 | 8.3% | 17.4% |
| Rock County, MN | 4 | 8.9% | 23.7% |
| Turner County, SD | 2 | 9.5% | 13.4% |
| Lincoln County, SD | 0 | 3.8% | 8.6% |
| Lyon County, IA | 0 | 7.3% | 14.6% |
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 Minnehaha County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Minnehaha County's poverty rate was 7.5% in 2024, 63rd 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, Minnehaha County ranks 25th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Minnehaha 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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Lutheran Social Services of South Dakota - CCCS
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Minnehaha 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 Minnehaha County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.