Unemployment in Yankton County, South Dakota, is lower than in 99% of U.S. counties
In Yankton 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 96% of U.S. counties.
What drives Yankton County's score
In Yankton County, income and the safety net is the highest-scoring part, at 27.9. Jobs are the lowest part, at 4.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Yankton 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.
Yankton 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.
- 27.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.9% · 202429th percentile
- Children below the poverty line9.9% · 202412th percentile
- People with a disability14.8% · 2020 to 202438th percentile
- People without health insurance5.6% · 2020 to 202426th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$73,710 · 202431st percentile
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- 25.6 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 rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.5% · fiscal year 202710th percentile
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- 22.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind3.6% · August 202519th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.4% · August 202523rd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score33.9% · second quarter of 202625th percentile
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- 9.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector13.8% · August 202514th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people34 · 20253rd percentile
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- 4.1 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 20260th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working12.6% · 2020 to 20247th 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 Yankton 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 Yankton County, 21.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Yankton County
South Dakota
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Yankton County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 18.4% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Yankton County, South Dakota, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 18.4%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Yankton County getting SNAP food aid had its largest drop, from 9.6% in 2019 to 6.4% in 2020.
The share of households in Yankton County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 3.8% in 2022. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Yankton County, South Dakota.
How Yankton County has changed
Yankton County's population had its largest rise, from 19,078 in 1989 to 20,791 in 1994.
Yankton County's population rose by about a quarter to 23,509, the highest on the chart
High on the chart: 23,509 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Yankton County, South Dakota.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Yankton County rose by about a third to 12,862, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 11,464. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Yankton County, South Dakota.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 1.9% | 2025 1.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.9% | 2024 10.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,483 | 2024 $73,710 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Yankton County's history
2003
Lightning in July 2003 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2009
Hail in July 2009 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in March 2019 did $9.8 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in April 2019 did $20 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 23,310, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1976
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Yankton County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Yankton County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Yankton County, in South Dakota and Nebraska, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Yankton County ranks 6th of the seven; Knox County is highest, at 25.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clay County, SD | 23 | 19.3% | 19.6% |
| Knox County, NE | 8 | 12.1% | 25.3% |
| Yankton County, SD | 3 | 10.9% | 18.4% |
| Bon Homme County, SD | 2 | 14.2% | 23.7% |
| Turner County, SD | 2 | 9.5% | 13.4% |
| Hutchinson County, SD | 0 | 12.2% | 20.3% |
| Cedar County, NE | 0 | 8.7% | 20.0% |
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 Yankton County the poorest county in South Dakota?
No, Yankton County's poverty rate was 10.9% in 2024, 36th 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, Yankton County ranks 40th of 66 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Yankton 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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CCCS of LSS - South Dakota
HUD-approved housing counselor
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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 Yankton 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 Yankton County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.