Ziebach County, South Dakota

County Distress Index: Elevated · 53.1 | 2,322 people · 10th most distressed in South Dakota
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Ziebach County, SD registers elevated household financial distress with a score of 53.1 — 1365th nationally out of 3144 counties. The primary driver is Income & Poverty, where poverty rates are high and household incomes lag well behind state and national medians. Within South Dakota, it ranks 10th of 66 counties. Among its 6 neighboring counties, 4 show less distress.

The Numbers Behind the Score

The CDI measures five domains of financial distress. Ziebach County's primary driver is Income & Poverty at 95.0 — worse than roughly 95% of U.S. counties.

Income & Poverty Primary driver 95.0
Poverty Rate 95
Income vs. State Median 95
Child Poverty Rate 95
Housing Cost Burden 61.4
Rent-Burdened (30%+) 52
Severely Rent-Burdened (50%+) 68
Mortgage-Burdened (30%+) 5
Homeownership Rate 95
Rent-to-Income Ratio 87
Community Vulnerability 50.0
Uninsured Rate 95
Disability Rate 5
Employment & Wages 43.1
Unemployment Rate 19
Wage-to-Rent Ratio 15
Business Formation Rate 95
Debt & Delinquency 16.1
Debt in Collections 12
Medical Debt 21
Student Loan Delinquency 14
Auto Loan Delinquency 18
Credit Card Delinquency 19
Bankruptcy Filing Rate 13

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

Neighbors and Peers

How Ziebach County compares to its 6 neighboring counties and population peers.

Neighboring Counties

County Score Zone vs. Ziebach County
Ziebach County, SD 53.1 Elevated —
Dewey County, SD 60.2 Elevated +7.1
Corson County, SD 60.0 Elevated +6.9
Perkins County, SD 33.9 Healthy -19.2
Meade County, SD 32.1 Healthy -21.1
Stanley County, SD 31.9 Healthy -21.3
Haakon County, SD 25.6 Healthy -27.5

Population Peers

County Score Zone vs. Ziebach County
Lake and Peninsula Borough, AK 53.2 Elevated +0.0
Hickman County, KY 53.1 Elevated -0.0
Mora County, NM 53.0 Elevated -0.1
Woodson County, KS 53.2 Elevated +0.1
Linn County, KS 53.3 Elevated +0.2

Download Data

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

Find Help in Ziebach 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 Ziebach 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 Ziebach County, South Dakota?

    Ziebach County has a County Distress Index score of 53.1 out of 100, placing it in the Elevated zone. It ranks 1,365th nationally out of 3,144 counties and 10th in South Dakota out of 66 counties.

  • What drives financial distress in Ziebach County?

    The primary driver of distress in Ziebach County is Income & Poverty, where the county scores 95.0 out of 100. This domain is measured by indicators including Poverty Rate, Income vs. State Median, Child Poverty Rate.

  • How does Ziebach County compare to neighboring counties?

    Ziebach County (53.1) can be compared to its 6 neighboring counties: Dewey County, SD (60.2); Corson County, SD (60.0); Perkins County, SD (33.9).

  • 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 Ziebach County?

    Ziebach County, South Dakota has a population of approximately 2,322 (2023 Census estimate), classified as a tiny county.