Unemployment in Sanborn County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Sanborn County, 1.6% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Sanborn County's score
In Sanborn County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 41.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Sanborn 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, Sanborn County is worse off than most counties on people with a credit card behind (9.4%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 41.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind9.4% · August 202593rd 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 score30.1% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 31.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.7% · 202446th percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.7% · 202442nd percentile
- People with a disability11.9% · 2020 to 202414th percentile
- People without health insurance5.3% · 2020 to 202423rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$74,310 · 202430th percentile
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- 17.9 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent13.9% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.4% · fiscal year 20279th percentile
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- 8.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector12.5% · August 20259th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people41.7 · 20256th percentile
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- 5.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year1.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working6.1% · 2020 to 20245th or lower 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 Sanborn 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 Sanborn 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
Sanborn County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Sanborn County had its largest rise, from 11.5% in 2004 to 15.7% in 2009.
In Sanborn County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 19.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Sanborn County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Sanborn County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 6.2% in 2013 to 8.0% in 2014.
The share of households in Sanborn County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2019 and has since fallen to 5.7%
Low on the chart: 4.7% 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, Sanborn County, South Dakota.
How Sanborn County has changed
Sanborn County's population had its largest drop, from 3,379 in 1979 to 3,069 in 1984.
Sanborn County's population fell by about a third from 1969 to 2024, reaching 2,392
High on the chart: 3,729 in 1969. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Sanborn County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Sanborn County had its largest drop, from 867 in 2005 to 670 in 2010.
The number of jobs located in Sanborn County was at its highest on the chart in 2005 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 867 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Sanborn County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.7% | 2025 1.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 18.8% | 2024 12.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,882 | 2024 $74,310 |
The table uses 1.7% for 2025; the score uses 1.6% 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 Sanborn County's history
1883
Created May 1, 1883 by Dakota Territorial legislature from land partitioned from Miner County; fully organized July 18, 1883. Wikipedia
2000
The county's largest recorded population was the 2000 Census count of 2,675. The 2020 Census counted 2,330, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A flood in April 2011 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Sanborn County, 15 of them for flooding. FEMA
Sanborn County beside its neighbors
Of the seven counties that border Sanborn County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Sanborn County ranks 4th of the eight; Jerauld County is highest, at 24.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beadle County, SD | 16 | 10.7% | 19.1% |
| Davison County, SD | 9 | 10.8% | 18.0% |
| Sanborn County, SD | 5 | 12.7% | 19.5% |
| Miner County, SD | 4 | 11.3% | 20.1% |
| Jerauld County, SD | 3 | 14.3% | 24.3% |
| Aurora County, SD | 2 | 10.6% | 22.0% |
| Kingsbury County, SD | 0 | 9.0% | 19.0% |
| Hanson County, SD | 0 | 8.7% | 14.1% |
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 Sanborn County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Sanborn County's poverty rate was 12.7% in 2024, 24th 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, Sanborn County ranks 33rd of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Sanborn 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.
Download the CSV for Sanborn 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 Sanborn County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.