Mellette County, South Dakota
Above the national median for poverty rate — and 7.9× the rate of the healthiest U.S. county (Lincoln County, SD — 3%).
Main Findings
Mellette County, South Dakota ranks 2,134th most distressed in the United States on the County Distress Index. Mellette sits near the national median across major distress indicators.
- 2,134th of 3,144 counties on the County Distress Index — Second-least distressed fifth, 10th in South Dakota.
- 26% of residents live below the federal poverty line (U.S. median 14%). Poverty rate at the 95th percentile nationally.
- Debt in collections at 31% — national median 23%, ranked at the 78th percentile.
- Rent-to-income ratio at 23% — national median 21%, ranked at the 70th percentile.
- Delinquency domain score 28 — weight 20.0% of the CDI composite.
Neighbors span four CDI distress fifths. The 40-point drop to Jones County marks where the West River SD distress corridor ends.
"Mellette County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context."
"The CDI places this county in the second-least distressed fifth nationally. The rank still belongs in context with state position and the highest-scoring local domain."
Reporter's Notes
Two data points in the indicator table worth a follow-up call.
Mellette County's disability rate indicator is at the 17th percentile — while every other indicator in the safety_net_buffer domain sits at or above the 76th 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 White River.
33% of children under 18 in Mellette 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 Mellette County's CDI Score
Every number traces to a public source. Mellette County's value shown alongside SD's median and the U.S. median. Full CSV available for download.
| Indicator | Mellette | SD median | U.S. median | Pctile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delinquency — domain score 28 · Rank 2,324 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 | 23% | 16% | 23% | 48th | Urban Institute (2024) |
| Default & Legal — domain score 45 · Rank 1,755 of 3,144 | |||||
| Debt in collections Share of residents with a credit file who have debt in collections | 31% | 13% | 23% | 78th | 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 43 · Rank 1,879 of 3,144 | |||||
| Rent-to-income ratio Fair Market Rent (2BR) as share of median household income | 23% | 17% | 21% | 70th | HUD FMR × Census ACS (2024) |
| Severe rent burden (50%+) Share of renter households paying 50%+ of income on rent | 11% | 12% | 18% | 15th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Labor — domain score 5 · Rank 3,072 of 3,144 | |||||
| Unemployment Share of labor force unemployed | 2% | 2% | 4% | 5th | BLS LAUS (Dec 2025) |
| Safety Net & Buffer — domain score 82 · Rank 356 of 3,144 | |||||
| Child poverty rate Share of children under 18 below the federal poverty line | 33% | 13% | 18% | 94th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Disability rate Share of residents reporting a disability | 12% | 12% | 16% | 17th | Census ACS 5-yr (2023) |
| Poverty rate Share of population below the federal poverty line | 26% | 11% | 14% | 95th | Census SAIPE (2023) |
| Transfer-income dependency Share of personal income from government transfers | 33% | 20% | 27% | 76th | BEA Regional Personal Income (2023) |
| Uninsured rate Share of residents without health insurance coverage | 28% | 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 Mellette County data — in under 60 seconds.
Draft wire copy 143-word AP-style article — use freely with attribution
WHITE RIVER, S.D. — Mellette County ranks 2,134th 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 41 out of 100 places Mellette in the second-least distressed fifth. Among 3,144 U.S. counties scored, 2,133 counties rank more distressed. Within South Dakota, Mellette ranks tenth 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, finds Mellette sitting near the national median across major distress indicators, with no single domain emerging as a clear driver.
"Mellette County ranks in the second-least distressed fifth of U.S. counties. The state rank and domain mix give the county-level context," 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 Mellette County's CDI score, and what does it mean?
What drives Mellette County's distress score?
How does Mellette County compare to its neighbors?
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
Mellette County resident looking for help? HUD counselors, legal aid, and attorney referrals →