About nine in ten adults aged 25 to 54 in Potter County, South Dakota, have a job
In Potter County, 12.3% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is lower than in 93% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 85% of U.S. counties.
What drives Potter County's score
In Potter County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 79.5. Jobs are the lowest part, at 9.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Potter 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, Potter County is worse off than most counties on renters paying half their income or more in rent (29.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 79.5 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 rent29.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income22.1% · fiscal year 202763rd percentile
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- 20.1 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 score33.3% · second quarter of 202623rd percentile
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- 19.6 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.6% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.7% · 202411th percentile
- People with a disability12.2% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- People without health insurance4.3% · 2020 to 202411th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,736 · 202439th percentile
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- 12.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collectornot published for this county; scored at the state median · August 202511th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 peoplenot published for this county; scored at the state median · 202512th percentile
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- 9.8 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.0% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202612th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.3% · 2020 to 20246th 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 Potter 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 Potter County, 30.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Potter County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Potter County had its largest rise in the last span, from 16.2% in 2019 to 24.9% in 2024.
In Potter County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 24.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Potter County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 24.9%; 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 Potter County getting SNAP food aid fell by more than half to 2.1%, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 2009 to 2010, reaching 4.2%. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Potter County, South Dakota.
How Potter County has changed
Potter County's population had its largest drop, from 4,284 in 1974 to 3,732 in 1979.
Potter County's population fell by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,402
High on the chart: 4,549 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Potter County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Potter County had its largest drop, from 876 in 2015 to 762 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Potter County fell 17% from 1990 to 2020, then turned up in 2025
High on the chart: 958 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Potter County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.5% | 2025 2.2% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 14.7% | 2024 9.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,864 | 2024 $70,736 |
The table uses 2.2% for 2025; the score uses 3.0% 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 Potter County's history
1873
1873 (created) 1883 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 5,762. The 2020 Census counted 2,472, 43% of the peak. Census Bureau
1979
A tornado in June 1979 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Potter County, 7 of them for flooding. FEMA
Potter County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Potter County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Potter County ranks 2nd of the seven; Dewey County is highest, at 30.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey County, SD | 82 | 28.8% | 30.1% |
| Walworth County, SD | 16 | 14.6% | 23.9% |
| Potter County, SD | 14 | 9.6% | 24.9% |
| Faulk County, SD | 8 | 13.7% | 18.0% |
| Hyde County, SD | 4 | 11.7% | 20.9% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 1 | 11.0% | 14.7% |
| Sully County, SD | 0 | 8.0% | 12.9% |
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 Potter County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Potter County's poverty rate was 9.6% in 2024, 47th 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, Potter County ranks 21st of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Potter 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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Dakota Plains 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 Potter 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 Potter County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.