South Dakota County Distress Index
Financial distress scores for all 66 counties in South Dakota, scored 0–100 across five domains. Mean score: 23.1. 3counties are in the two most distressed fifths.
Data: Census, BLS, Urban Institute, HUD, US Courts | Scores as of 2026-03-26
South Dakota Snapshot
66 Counties Scored
23.1 Mean Score
18.8 Median Score
70.0 Oglala Lakota County Most Distressed
6.7 Hamlin County Least Distressed
1 Most distressed fifth2 Second-most distressed fifth4 Middle fifth7 Second-least distressed fifth52 Least distressed fifth
Quintile Distribution South Dakota County Map
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Least distressed fifth Second-least distressed fifth Middle fifth Second-most distressed fifth Most distressed fifth
All 66 South Dakota counties colored by distress fifth. Hover for details; click released counties for full reports.
Most & Least Distressed
Most Distressed
Least Distressed
Score Distribution
How South Dakota's 66 county scores are distributed across the 0–100 scale.
All South Dakota Counties
66 counties ranked by distress score. Click column headers to sort.
| State Rank | Nat'l Rank | County | Score | Distress Fifth | Primary Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 473 | Oglala Lakota County | 70.0 | Most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 2 | 812 | Todd County | 63.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 3 | 1,161 | Dewey County | 57.7 | Second-most distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 4 | 1,493 | Buffalo County | 51.8 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 5 | 1,729 | Jackson County | 47.8 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 6 | 1,808 | Fall River County | 46.4 | Middle fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 7 | 1,871 | Corson County | 45.4 | Middle fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 8 | 2,003 | Ziebach County | 43.1 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 9 | 2,064 | Bennett County | 41.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 10 | 2,134 | Mellette County | 40.5 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 11 | 2,426 | Roberts County | 34.7 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 12 | 2,485 | Butte County | 33.3 | Second-least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 13 | 2,498 | Gregory County | 32.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 14 | 2,499 | Lyman County | 32.9 | Second-least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 15 | 2,582 | Tripp County | 31.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 16 | 2,625 | Pennington County | 30.4 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 17 | 2,634 | Beadle County | 30.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 18 | 2,797 | Potter County | 25.9 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 19 | 2,806 | Minnehaha County | 25.6 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 20 | 2,832 | Clay County | 24.8 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 21 | 2,846 | Charles Mix County | 24.3 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 22 | 2,860 | Jones County | 23.9 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 23 | 2,923 | Moody County | 22.3 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 24 | 2,948 | Codington County | 21.4 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 25 | 2,949 | Walworth County | 21.3 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 26 | 2,951 | Brown County | 21.2 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 27 | 2,954 | Lawrence County | 21.1 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 28 | 2,963 | Perkins County | 20.8 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 29 | 2,968 | Lake County | 20.5 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 30 | 2,977 | Stanley County | 20.3 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 31 | 2,981 | Davison County | 20.0 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 32 | 2,989 | Jerauld County | 19.7 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 33 | 3,004 | Sanborn County | 19.1 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 34 | 3,010 | Grant County | 18.5 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 35 | 3,013 | Miner County | 18.5 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 36 | 3,015 | Day County | 18.4 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 37 | 3,047 | McPherson County | 16.1 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 38 | 3,052 | Clark County | 15.9 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 39 | 3,054 | Hyde County | 15.8 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 40 | 3,057 | Meade County | 15.7 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 41 | 3,064 | Brule County | 15.5 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 42 | 3,066 | Haakon County | 15.5 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 43 | 3,068 | Kingsbury County | 15.4 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 44 | 3,074 | Marshall County | 15.3 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 45 | 3,077 | Harding County | 15.0 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 46 | 3,078 | McCook County | 15.0 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 47 | 3,087 | Yankton County | 14.3 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 48 | 3,094 | Hughes County | 13.6 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 49 | 3,095 | Campbell County | 13.6 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 50 | 3,096 | Deuel County | 13.6 | Least distressed fifth | Delinquency |
| 51 | 3,102 | Aurora County | 13.3 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 52 | 3,106 | Custer County | 13.0 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 53 | 3,107 | Turner County | 13.0 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 54 | 3,110 | Union County | 12.8 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 55 | 3,115 | Spink County | 12.4 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 56 | 3,118 | Bon Homme County | 12.2 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 57 | 3,122 | Faulk County | 11.5 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 58 | 3,124 | Sully County | 11.4 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 59 | 3,127 | Douglas County | 10.7 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 60 | 3,129 | Edmunds County | 10.3 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 61 | 3,131 | Lincoln County | 10.2 | Least distressed fifth | Default & Legal |
| 62 | 3,133 | Hutchinson County | 9.6 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 63 | 3,134 | Brookings County | 9.6 | Least distressed fifth | Debt Burden (housing basis) |
| 64 | 3,138 | Hand County | 8.8 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 65 | 3,140 | Hanson County | 8.1 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
| 66 | 3,143 | Hamlin County | 6.7 | Least distressed fifth | Safety Net & Buffer |
How County Scores Work
Each county is scored 0–100 using five equal-weighted domains. Each domain averages its member indicators' county ranks, and the composite is the mean of those domain scores. Higher scores indicate greater household financial distress.
Most distressed fifth — 1 South Dakota county
Second-most distressed fifth — 2 South Dakota counties
Middle fifth — 4 South Dakota counties
Second-least distressed fifth — 7 South Dakota counties
Least distressed fifth — 52 South Dakota counties