In Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2020
In 2024, 49 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (49.2%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 84% of U.S. counties.
What drives Oglala Lakota County's score
In Oglala Lakota County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 90.0. About three in five adults aged 25 to 54 (63.2%, 2020 to 2024) aren't working, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 77.4.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Oglala Lakota County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (10.7%, 2020 to 2024) and renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.8%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Oglala Lakota County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 90.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorAdults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working63.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average5.2% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202685th percentile
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- 77.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line39.7% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability10.7% · 2020 to 20246th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$44,706 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line35.8% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance44.6% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
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- 68.6 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind19.0% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind16.9% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a subprime credit scorenot published for this county; scored at the state median15th percentile
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- 63.7 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income27.2% · fiscal year 202791st percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.8% · 2020 to 202436th percentile
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- 53.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector47.2% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202512th percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; 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 Aug 2026.
Where the money in Oglala Lakota County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Oglala Lakota County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Oglala Lakota County in 2024, pay from work was 42 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 9 cents. Benefit checks were 49 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 74 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 20 cents.
In Oglala Lakota County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2020
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota: 49.2% and 41.9% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 49.2% of all personal income in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
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 Oglala Lakota County, 7.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Oglala Lakota County has changed
The number of people living in Oglala Lakota County grew by about 64% between 1969 and 2024, from 8,144 to 13,360. The number of jobs located there more than doubled from 2015 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 13.4% in 1990 to 5.2% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 8,144 | 2024 13,360 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 2015 1,822 | 2024 3,797 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.4% | 2025 5.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 2015 44.2% | 2024 35.8% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 2015 $30,391 | 2024 $44,706 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 19.6% | 2024 49.2% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Oglala Lakota County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 13,672, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1875
The county was created as a part of the Dakota Territory in 1875. Wikipedia
1999
Tornado: $3.2 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2001
Lightning: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
Thunderstorm wind: one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Oglala Lakota County beside its neighbors
Oglala Lakota County scores higher than all eight counties that border it, in South Dakota and Nebraska. Of the group, Oglala Lakota County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (49.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 84 | 35.8% | 49.2% |
| Jackson County, SD | 60 | 29.1% | 33.8% |
| Bennett County, SD | 51 | 29.4% | 33.2% |
| Fall River County, SD | 36 | 11.7% | 36.3% |
| Dawes County, NE | 31 | 15.9% | 27.0% |
| Sheridan County, NE | 20 | 14.1% | 24.7% |
| Pennington County, SD | 19 | 9.8% | 20.0% |
| Cherry County, NE | 10 | 10.2% | 20.9% |
| Custer County, SD | 2 | 9.6% | 23.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 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 Oglala Lakota County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Oglala Lakota County's poverty rate was 35.8% in 2024, 4th 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, Oglala Lakota County ranks 1st of 66 in the state.
Oglala Lakota County in photographs
Places in Oglala Lakota County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
SD and Oglala Lakota Nation.
Photo: Steve Elliott from UK via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota?
35.8% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 39.7%.
Is Oglala Lakota County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Oglala Lakota County's poverty rate was 35.8% in 2024, 4th 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, Oglala Lakota County ranks 1st of 66 in the state.
What is the population of Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota?
About 13,360 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 13,672, the most of any census.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Oglala Lakota County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Dakota Plains Legal Services
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 approved agencies 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 Oglala Lakota County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Oglala Lakota County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.