Jackson County, South Dakota
More than double the national median for child poverty rate — and 11.6× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Douglas County, CO — 3%).
Main Findings
Jackson County, South Dakota ranks 1,729th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. The driver: 36% of children live below the federal poverty line — more than double the national median of 18%.
- 1,729th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Middle fifth, 5th in South Dakota.
- 36% of children live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 18%). Child poverty rate at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Severe rent burden (50%+) at 26% — national median 18%, ranked at the 91st percentile.
- Subprime credit share at 27% — national median 23%, ranked at the 63rd percentile.
- Labor domain score 27 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span three CDI distress fifths. The 55-point drop to Haakon County marks where the West River SD distress corridor ends.
"Jackson County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story."
"The CDI places this county in the middle fifth nationally. The county sits near the center of the geography distribution, so the domain mix matters more than the composite alone."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Jackson County's disability rate indicator is at the 5th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 80th percentile. The gap stands out against child poverty rate and EITC % of returns. Worth a call to Urban Institute or a local credit counselor in Kadoka.
36% of children under 18 in Jackson County live below the federal poverty line, versus 18% nationally. When a county's adult poverty rate is accompanied by a materially higher child poverty rate, the gap typically reflects single-parent household concentration or limited access to workforce-participation supports (childcare, transportation). Worth a call to the local school district's free-and-reduced-lunch coordinator or a regional United Way affiliate.
The Indicators Behind Jackson County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Jackson County's value shown alongside SD's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Jackson | SD median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 33 · Rank 2,140 of 3,144 | |||||
| Auto loan delinquency Share of auto loan accounts 60+ days past due | 3% | 3% | 5% | 18th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Credit card delinquency Share of credit card accounts 60+ days past due | 4% | 4% | 5% | 19th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Subprime credit share Share of residents with a credit score below 660 | 27% | 16% | 23% | 63rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 18 · Rank 2,841 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 16% | 13% | 23% | 23rd | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Bankruptcy filing rate Personal bankruptcy filings per 100,000 residents | 57 | 57 | 126 | 13th | US Courts F-5A (2025) |
| Debt Burden (housing basis) — domain score 80 · Rank 408 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 17% | 21% | 69th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 26% | 12% | 18% | 91st | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 27 · Rank 2,312 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 3% | 2% | 4% | 27th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 81 · Rank 383 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 36% | 13% | 18% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 9% | 12% | 16% | 5th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 30% | 11% | 14% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 34% | 20% | 27% | 80th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 29% | 8% | 8% | 95th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
Five-Domain Breakdown
The CDI is an equal-weight composite of five family-v1 distress domains. Each domain contributes 20% of the county score.
Methodology
The County Distress Index is a 0–100 composite score of household financial distress, computed for all 3,144 U.S. counties. Higher scores indicate greater distress. 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 CDI score is the equal-weight mean of those domain scores.
Data sources include the Urban Institute Debt in America (Equifax consumer credit panel), U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, Business Formation Statistics), Bureau of Labor Statistics (Local Area Unemployment Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages), U.S. Courts Administrative Office (F-5A bankruptcy filings), and HUD Fair Market Rents. Data vintages range from 2023 to 2025 depending on source; full indicator-level vintage detail is in the methodology document.
For Press & Research
Everything you need to cite Jackson County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 157-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
KADOKA, S.D. — Jackson County ranks 1,729th among the nation's most financially distressed counties, according to the County Distress Index released this month by American Default Research.
The composite score of 48 out of 100 places Jackson in the middle fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 1,728 counties rank more distressed. Within South Dakota, Jackson ranks fifth of 66 counties.
The index, which draws on 16 source indicators from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Urban Institute and federal court filings, identifies safety net & buffer as the primary driver in Jackson. 36% of children live below the federal poverty line — more than double the national median of 18%.
"Jackson County ranks in the middle fifth of U.S. counties. The county sits near the national center of the CDI distribution, so the domain mix carries the story," said Ross Kilburn, founder of American Default Research.
Full methodology and county-by-county data are available at americandefault.org/methodology/cdi.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jackson County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Jackson County's distress score?
How does Jackson County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
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