Unemployment in Pennington County, South Dakota, is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties
In Pennington County, 2.0% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Pennington County's score
In Pennington County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 54.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 7.5.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Pennington 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.
Pennington 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.
- 54.3 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 rent18.0% · 2020 to 202449th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income21.6% · fiscal year 202759th percentile
-
- 35.4 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.8% · 202420th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.7% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability15.6% · 2020 to 202446th percentile
- People without health insurance10.2% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$79,338 · 202421st percentile
-
- 30.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.3% · August 202530th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.7% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
-
- 27.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.1% · August 202531st percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people77.7 · 202523rd percentile
-
- 7.5 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20261st percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working14.4% · 2020 to 202413th percentile
-
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 Pennington 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 Pennington County, 20.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Pennington County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Pennington County had its largest rise, from 13.1% in 2004 to 16.6% in 2009.
In Pennington County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 20.0% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Pennington County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.0%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
SNAP food aid is one of the benefit checks counted in the income totals above.
The share of households in Pennington County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 8.1%
Biggest drop: 2017 to 2018, reaching 11.0%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Pennington County, South Dakota.
How Pennington County has changed
Pennington County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 108,550 in 2019 to 115,979 in 2024.
Pennington County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 115,979, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1994 to 1999, reaching 88,047. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Pennington County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Pennington County nearly doubled to 62,445, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 62,445. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Pennington County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 2.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.5% | 2024 9.8% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,859 | 2024 $79,338 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Pennington County's history
1875
January 11, 1875 (created) April 19, 1877 (organized). Wikipedia
1972
Black Hills Flood of 1972 killed 238 people and destroyed over $100 million in property. Wikipedia
2001
Lightning in June 2001 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Lightning in August 2011 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in August 2013 did $12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2013
Hail in August 2013 did $10 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 109,222, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
-
Since 1965
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Pennington County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Pennington County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Pennington County, in South Dakota and Wyoming, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Pennington County ranks 7th of the eight; Oglala Lakota County is highest, at 49.2%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oglala Lakota County, SD | 84 | 35.8% | 49.2% |
| Jackson County, SD | 62 | 29.1% | 33.8% |
| Pennington County, SD | 18 | 9.8% | 20.0% |
| Weston County, WY | 6 | 10.5% | 27.6% |
| Lawrence County, SD | 6 | 11.3% | 18.9% |
| Meade County, SD | 3 | 8.1% | 20.8% |
| Custer County, SD | 2 | 9.6% | 23.5% |
| Haakon County, SD | 0 | 10.8% | 21.2% |
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 Pennington County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Pennington County's poverty rate was 9.8% in 2024, 46th 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, Pennington County ranks 18th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Pennington 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.
-
Black Hills Children's Ranch, Inc. - Pioneer Credit Counseling
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Consumer Credit Counseling Service of the Black Hills
HUD-approved housing counselor
-
Dakota Plains Legal Services
Legal aid
-
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 Pennington 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 Pennington County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.