About one in 10 people with a credit file in Walworth County, South Dakota, has unpaid debt sent to a collector
In Walworth County, 10.1% of people with a credit file had unpaid debt sent to a collector. That is lower than in 95% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 83% of U.S. counties.
What drives Walworth County's score
In Walworth County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 61.2. Collections and bankruptcy is the lowest part, at 9.0.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Walworth 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, Walworth County is worse off than most counties on rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (24.7%, fiscal year 2027) and median household income ($56,788, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 61.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.6% · 202461st percentile
- Children below the poverty line18.5% · 202458th percentile
- People with a disability14.7% · 2020 to 202437th percentile
- People without health insurance10.6% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,788 · 202478th percentile
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- 49.4 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 rent11.5% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income24.7% · fiscal year 202781st percentile
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- 17.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.0% · August 202525th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score30.3% · second quarter of 202613th percentile
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- 11.1 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year2.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 20265th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.1% · 2020 to 202416th percentile
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- 9.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector10.1% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people56.9 · 202513th 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 Walworth 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 Walworth County, 23.0% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Walworth County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Walworth County had its largest rise, from 17.0% in 1999 to 20.6% in 2004.
In Walworth County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 23.9% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Walworth County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 23.9%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Walworth County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 7.0% in 2012 to 13.3% in 2013.
The share of households in Walworth County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen to 7.5%
Low on the chart: 5.4% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Walworth County, South Dakota.
How Walworth County has changed
Walworth County's population had its largest drop, from 7,364 in 1979 to 6,668 in 1984.
Walworth County's population fell by about a third to 5,270, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 7,878 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Walworth County, South Dakota.
The number of jobs located in Walworth County had its largest drop, from 2,392 in 2000 to 2,182 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Walworth County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 2,392 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Walworth County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.1% | 2025 2.8% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 17.4% | 2024 14.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,699 | 2024 $56,788 |
The table uses 2.8% for 2025; the score uses 2.6% 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 Walworth County's history
1873
1873 (created) 1883 (organized). Wikipedia
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 8,791. The 2020 Census counted 5,315, 60% of the peak. Census Bureau
2018
A flash flood in May 2018 did $3 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1976
12 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Walworth County, 5 of them for flooding. FEMA
Walworth County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Walworth County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Walworth County ranks 4th of the seven; Corson County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey County, SD | 82 | 28.8% | 30.1% |
| Corson County, SD | 64 | 37.9% | 38.3% |
| Walworth County, SD | 16 | 14.6% | 23.9% |
| Potter County, SD | 14 | 9.6% | 24.9% |
| McPherson County, SD | 2 | 17.9% | 19.9% |
| Campbell County, SD | 2 | 10.5% | 20.0% |
| Edmunds County, SD | 1 | 11.0% | 14.7% |
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 Walworth County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Walworth County's poverty rate was 14.6% in 2024, 17th 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, Walworth County ranks 19th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Walworth 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 Walworth 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 Walworth County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.