#3,125 Top 100 Least Distressed Counties · 2026

Haakon County, South Dakota

0 · exceptionally low county distress less distressed than nearly every other U.S. county · 3,125th of 3,144 counties nationally · 1,851 residents How this is calculated →
The headline number
7% Haakon residents
vs.
8% U.S. median

Near the national median for uninsured rate.

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)

Main Findings

Wire lede · 40 words · paste-ready

Haakon County, South Dakota ranks 3,125th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Haakon sits near the national median across major distress indicators. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer and its lowest is Labor.

Key Findings
  • 3,125th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — 0 · exceptionally low county distress, less distressed than nearly every other U.S. county; 61st in South Dakota.
  • 7% of residents lack health insurance (U.S. median 8%). Uninsured rate at the 39th percentile nationally. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024).
  • Default & Legal domain score 10 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Debt Burden (housing basis) domain score 10 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
  • Delinquency domain score 9 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite. Source: American Default Research.
County Distress Index cluster map. Haakon County, South Dakota and its neighbors colored by county distress score label.
Haakon and its 6 geographic neighbors, graded by County Distress Index score. Haakon County ranks 3,125th of 3,144. American Default Research
Wire summary — paste-ready, any angle 21 words

Haakon County has an exceptionally low county distress score. The CDI reading is a county comparison, separate from national ADI bands.

— American Default Research
Index note — for feature use 35 words

The CDI gives this county an exceptionally low county distress label. The score label is not a national ADI band; it is a county CDI score range. Its highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer.

— American Default Research

Indicator History

Period-correct raw indicators from the county-history panel. The CDI composite is excluded because it is a current cross-sectional score.

Updated Sep 22, 2026
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1990 to 2025

Unemployment rate

1.7% -0.8 percentage points since 1990
Census 1989 to 2024

Poverty rate

10.8% +0.1 percentage points since 1989
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis 1969 to 2024

Transfer income share

21.2% +13.6 percentage points since 1969
Equifax data retrieved via FRED 2014 Q2 to 2025 Q4

Subprime credit population

11.9% +5.95 percentage points since 2014 Q2

The Indicators Behind Haakon County's CDI Score

Every number traces to a public source. Haakon County's value shown alongside SD's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.

How to read the table. A domain score is a 0–100 composite of the indicators in that domain; higher values represent a higher mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles. A county's domain rank is computed separately against all counties. Percentile is Haakon County's national rank among all 3,144 U.S. counties for that indicator, always oriented so higher = more distressed.
Indicator Haakon SD median U.S. median Pctile Source
Delinquency — domain score 9 · Rank 3,022 of 3,144
Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due 3% 3% 5% 18th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due 0% 4% 5% 5th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 12% 16% 23% 5th Equifax data retrieved via FRED (2025)
Default & Legal — domain score 10 · Rank 3,040 of 3,144
Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections 12% 13% 23% 9th Urban Institute Debt in America (2025)
Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents 54 57 126 11th Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, F-5A (2025)
Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 10 · Rank 3,048 of 3,144
Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income 17% 18% 21% 14th U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents (FY2027); U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent 1% 13% 18% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Labor — domain score 5 · Rank 3,083 of 3,144
Adults 25-54 not working Share of adults aged 25 to 54 without a job, leaving out residents of prisons and other institutions (service members count as working) 10% 13% 21% 5th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Unemployment (average of monthly rates) Share of labor force unemployed, averaged over the monthly rates published for September 2025 to August 2026 (no figures published for October 2025) 2% 2% 4% 5th U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS (monthly rates averaged, September 2025 to August 2026; no figures published for October 2025)
Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 25 · Rank 2,558 of 3,144
Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line 10% 13% 17% 15th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability 12% 13% 16% 14th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line 11% 11% 13% 29th U.S. Census Bureau, SAIPE (2024)
Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage 7% 8% 8% 39th U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year (2024)
Compiled September 30, 2026 from Urban Institute Debt in America (2025 panel), U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-yr 2024, SAIPE 2024, Business Formation Statistics 2025), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS August 2026, QCEW 2025), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings 2025), and HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2027).

Five-Domain Breakdown

The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.

Safety Net & Buffer Primary driver 25
Weight 20% · Rank 2,558 of 3,144
Default & Legal 10
Weight 20% · Rank 3,040 of 3,144
Debt Burden (housing basis) 10
Weight 20% · Rank 3,048 of 3,144
Delinquency 9
Weight 20% · Rank 3,022 of 3,144
Labor 5
Weight 20% · Rank 3,083 of 3,144

Methodology

The County Distress Index scores household financial distress from 0 to 100 for all 3,144 U.S. counties. A county's score is the share of U.S. counties it is more distressed than. The index is built from five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer. Each domain is the mean of distress-oriented indicator percentiles; the five domains are averaged, and that average is ranked against every other county to give the score.

Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), Equifax data retrieved via FRED (subprime credit share), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics), Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2024 to 2027 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.

For Press & Research

Everything you need to cite Haakon County data.

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Press contact: Ross Kilburn · press@americandefault.org · (307) 264-2992 · media inquiries welcome
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PHILIP, S.D. — Haakon County ranks 3,125th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.

Haakon scores 0 out of 100, which means it is less distressed than nearly every other U.S. county; its score label is exceptionally low county distress. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 3,124 counties rank more distressed. Within South Dakota, Haakon ranks 61st of 66 counties.

The index, which draws on 14 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, finds Haakon sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.

American Default Research founder Ross Kilburn is available for interview at press@americandefault.org.

Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.

— 30 —

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Haakon County's CDI score, and what does it mean?

Haakon County scores 0 out of 100 on the County Distress Index, which means it is less distressed than nearly every other U.S. county. Its score label is exceptionally low county distress. It ranks 3,125th of 3,144 U.S. counties and 61st of 66 South Dakota counties. Higher county scores indicate more distress.

What drives Haakon County's distress score?

The highest-scoring domain is Safety Net & Buffer, at a domain score of 25. Uninsured rate ranks at the 39th percentile nationally.

How does Haakon County compare to its neighbors?

Haakon County's neighbors span 4 CDI score labels. Highest-distress neighbor: Jackson County (60.00, moderate-high county distress). Lowest: Meade County (3.00, exceptionally low county distress).

How is the County Distress Index calculated?

The CDI averages 14 source indicators across five equal-weighted domains: Delinquency, Default & Legal, Debt Burden, Labor, and Safety Net & Buffer, then ranks that average against every other county, so the score is the share of U.S. counties a county is more distressed than. Data comes from Urban Institute, Census Bureau, BLS, U.S. Courts, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and related public sources. Full methodology →
Ross Kilburn
Written by

Ross Kilburn, Founder

Founder · American Default Research · Seattle, Washington

Ross Kilburn is the former COO of Ark Law Group, a foreclosure defense firm serving five states. He founded Seattle Short Sales, wrote Short Sale Your Home, and worked as a mortgage loan originator and real estate agent. He founded American Default Research in 2026.

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