Unemployment in Moody County, South Dakota, is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties
In Moody County, 2.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Moody County's score
In Moody County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 46.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 10.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Moody 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, Moody County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (25.3%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 46.5 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent25.3% · 2020 to 202487th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income15.6% · fiscal year 20275th percentile
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- 32.4 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.6% · August 202567th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind2.4% · August 20257th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.0% · second quarter of 202622nd percentile
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- 30.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.1% · 202423rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.2% · 20249th percentile
- People with a disability12.9% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- People without health insurance11.0% · 2020 to 202472nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,922 · 202423rd percentile
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- 21.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector14.8% · August 202518th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.5 · 202523rd percentile
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- 10.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th 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 Moody 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 Moody County, 20.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Moody County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Moody County had its largest rise, from 13.0% in 2004 to 15.6% in 2009.
In Moody County, benefit checks' share of income has nearly doubled since 1969, reaching 15.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about four times as much as benefit checks
In Moody County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 15.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Moody County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.8% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Moody County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 4.2%
Low on the chart: 3.8% 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, Moody County, South Dakota.
How Moody County has changed
Moody County's population had its largest drop, from 7,152 in 1974 to 6,570 in 1979.
Moody County's population fell 15% from 1969 to 2024
High on the chart: 7,712 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Moody County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Moody County rose by about half to 2,552, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 2,133. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Moody County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.3% | 2025 2.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.1% | 2024 10.1% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,084 | 2024 $77,922 |
The table uses 2.4% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Moody County's history
1869
Area resettled in 1869 by twenty-five families of Christianized Sioux from Santee reservation. Wikipedia
1873
Founded in 1873. Wikipedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 9,742. The 2020 Census counted 6,336, 65% of the peak. Census Bureau
2012
A thunderstorm in May 2012 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
21 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Moody County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Moody County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Moody County, in South Dakota and Minnesota, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Moody County ranks 3rd of the six; Rock County is highest, at 23.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pipestone County, MN | 16 | 10.0% | 21.2% |
| Moody County, SD | 14 | 10.1% | 15.9% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 9 | 7.5% | 14.5% |
| Lake County, SD | 4 | 8.8% | 13.3% |
| Rock County, MN | 4 | 8.9% | 23.7% |
| Brookings County, SD | 0 | 10.8% | 13.5% |
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 Moody County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Moody County's poverty rate was 10.1% in 2024, 44th 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, Moody County ranks 22nd of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Moody 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.
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 Moody County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.