Sanborn County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Healthy · 30.6 | 2,399 people · 35th most distressed in South Dakota
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Sanborn County, SD ranks among the least distressed counties in the country at 30.6 — 2865th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where household incomes are relatively strong and poverty rates are low. Within South Dakota, it ranks 35th of 66 counties. Among its 7 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Sanborn County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 38.3 — above the national median.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 38.3
Poverty Rate 41
Income vs. State Median 48
Child Poverty Rate 26
Employment & Wages 35.9
Unemployment Rate 5
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 64
Business Formation Rate 38
Debt & Delinquency 30.4
Debt in Collections 10
Medical Debt 42
Student Loan Delinquency 14
Auto Loan Delinquency 18
Credit Card Delinquency 93
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 7
Community Vulnerability 25.8
Uninsured Rate 34
Disability Rate 18
Housing Cost Burden 22.8
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 18
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 23
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 32
Homeownership Rate 32
Rent-to-Income Ratio 8

Scores are percentile-based: 50 = national median, higher = more distressed. The median line is shown on each bar.

Neighbors and Peers

How Sanborn County compares to its 7 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Sanborn County
Sanborn County, SD 30.6 Healthy —
Beadle County, SD 45.2 Normal +14.6
Miner County, SD 33.9 Healthy +3.2
Jerauld County, SD 33.7 Healthy +3.1
Davison County, SD 30.1 Healthy -0.5
Kingsbury County, SD 28.9 Healthy -1.8
Aurora County, SD 26.3 Healthy -4.3
Hanson County, SD 20.2 Healthy -10.4

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Sanborn County
Grant County, NE 30.6 Healthy -0.0
Palo Alto County, IA 30.7 Healthy +0.0
Oneida County, ID 30.5 Healthy -0.1
Jackson County, CO 30.5 Healthy -0.1
Loving County, TX 30.8 Healthy +0.2

Download Data

Export all distress indicators for Sanborn County as a CSV file.

Find Help in Sanborn County

Find an Attorney

State Bar of South Dakota Lawyer Referral Service offers a lawyer referral service for bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, and consumer rights.

State Bar of South Dakota Lawyer Referral Service 605-224-7554

Free Legal Aid

Legal aid organizations serving Sanborn County residents at no cost.

East River Legal Services 1-800-952-3015
Dakota Plains Legal Services 1-800-658-2297

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the distress score for Sanborn County, South Dakota?

    Sanborn County has a County Distress Index score of 30.6 out of 100, placing it in the Healthy zone. It ranks 2,865th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 35th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Sanborn County?

    The primary driver of distress in Sanborn County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 38.3 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Sanborn County compare to neighboring counties?

    Sanborn County (30.6) can be compared to its 7 neighboring counties: Beadle County, SD (45.2); Miner County, SD (33.9); Jerauld County, SD (33.7).

  • How is the County Distress Index calculated?

    The County Distress Index uses percentile-rank averaging across five domains: Debt & Delinquency, Income & Poverty, Housing Cost Burden, Employment & Wages, and Community Vulnerability. Each county's indicators are ranked against all 3,144 U.S. counties. A score of 50 means the county is at the national median; higher scores indicate greater distress.

  • What is the population of Sanborn County?

    Sanborn County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 2,399 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.