Unemployment in Turner County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Turner County, 1.9% of the labor force was out of work, on average. That is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 97% of U.S. counties.
What drives Turner County's score
In Turner County, housing costs are the highest-scoring part, at 30.1. Jobs are the lowest part, at 5.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Turner 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.
Turner 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.
- 30.1 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 rent14.4% · 2020 to 202428th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.0% · fiscal year 202731st percentile
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- 20.3 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.5% · 202418th percentile
- Children below the poverty line8.6% · 20248th percentile
- People with a disability11.1% · 2020 to 20248th percentile
- People without health insurance7.0% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$77,615 · 202424th percentile
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- 12.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.8% · August 202522nd percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind0.0% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score27.9% · second quarter of 20268th percentile
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- 8.8 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector11.1% · August 20255th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people55.4 · 202511th percentile
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- 5.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year1.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th or lower 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 Turner 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 Turner County, 20.3% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Turner County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Turner County had its largest rise, from 11.4% in 1979 to 14.8% in 1984.
In Turner County, pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks, with little change in benefit checks' share since 1969
In Turner County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income rose by about a quarter from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Turner County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.9% in 2011 to 7.2% in 2012.
The share of households in Turner County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen by about a fifth
Low on the chart: 5.5% 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, Turner County, South Dakota.
How Turner County has changed
Turner County's population had its largest drop, from 9,929 in 1969 to 9,218 in 1974.
Turner County's population fell 8% from 1969 to 2024, with its low point on the chart in 2009
Low on the chart: 8,317 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Turner County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Turner County rose by about a quarter to 2,423, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 2020 and 2025
High on the chart: 2,423 in 2025. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Turner County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 2.3% | 2025 2.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 12.0% | 2024 9.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $21,570 | 2024 $77,615 |
The table uses 2.0% for 2025; the score uses 1.9% 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 Turner County's history
1871
Created 1871. Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 14,891. The 2020 Census counted 8,673, 58% of the peak. Census Bureau
1965
A tornado in June 1965 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2003
A tornado in June 2003 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 did $3.12 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2024
A flood in June 2024 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Turner County, 17 of them for flooding. FEMA
Turner County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Turner County, four score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Turner County ranks 6th of the seven; Hutchinson County is highest, at 20.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, SD | 23 | 19.3% | 19.6% |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 9 | 7.5% | 14.5% |
| McCook County, SD | 4 | 8.3% | 17.4% |
| Yankton County, SD | 3 | 10.9% | 18.4% |
| Turner County, SD | 2 | 9.5% | 13.4% |
| Hutchinson County, SD | 0 | 12.2% | 20.3% |
| Lincoln County, SD | 0 | 3.8% | 8.6% |
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 Turner County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Turner County's poverty rate was 9.5% in 2024, 49th 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, Turner County ranks 51st of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Turner 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 Turner 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 Turner County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.