Data / Rankings / Poverty rate (US official measure) / Counties in South Dakota

Counties in South Dakota by poverty rate

Ziebach County had the highest poverty rate of 66 counties in 2017, at 56.7%. Lincoln County had the lowest, at 3.5%. The median was 12.1% and the figure for South Dakota was 12.8%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Highest56.7Ziebach County
Lowest3.5Lincoln County
Median12.166 counties
South Dakota12.8History

Top 40 counties, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

Ziebach CountyZiebach County: 56.7 %56.7Todd CountyTodd County: 50.4 %50.4Buffalo CountyBuffalo County: 43.3 %43.3Corson CountyCorson County: 42.4 %42.4Oglala Lakota CountyOglala Lakota County: 41.5 %41.5Mellette CountyMellette County: 38 %38Jackson CountyJackson County: 36.2 %36.2Bennett CountyBennett County: 34.9 %34.9Dewey CountyDewey County: 34.9 %34.9Charles Mix CountyCharles Mix County: 24.9 %24.9Lyman CountyLyman County: 22.2 %22.2Clay CountyClay County: 20.2 %20.2Tripp CountyTripp County: 19 %19Roberts CountyRoberts County: 17.6 %17.6Gregory CountyGregory County: 16.5 %16.5Beadle CountyBeadle County: 15.7 %15.7Day CountyDay County: 15.7 %15.7McPherson CountyMcPherson County: 15.6 %15.6Brule CountyBrule County: 14.3 %14.3Faulk CountyFaulk County: 14.2 %14.2Fall River CountyFall River County: 14 %14Butte CountyButte County: 13.7 %13.7Jones CountyJones County: 13.7 %13.7Lawrence CountyLawrence County: 13.6 %13.6Sanborn CountySanborn County: 13.5 %13.5Bon Homme CountyBon Homme County: 13.1 %13.1Brookings CountyBrookings County: 13 %13Jerauld CountyJerauld County: 12.9 %12.9Pennington CountyPennington County: 12.9 %12.9Davison CountyDavison County: 12.8 %12.8Perkins CountyPerkins County: 12.8 %12.8Walworth CountyWalworth County: 12.3 %12.3Douglas CountyDouglas County: 12.1 %12.1Marshall CountyMarshall County: 12.1 %12.1Haakon CountyHaakon County: 12 %12Miner CountyMiner County: 12 %12Hutchinson CountyHutchinson County: 11.5 %11.5Clark CountyClark County: 11.4 %11.4Yankton CountyYankton County: 11.4 %11.4Custer CountyCuster County: 11.3 %11.3
%. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Full ranking

RankCounties2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Ziebach County56.7+13 pts
2Todd County50.4+1.8 pts
3Buffalo County43.3+3.8 pts
4Corson County42.4+3.3 pts
5Oglala Lakota County41.5+0.8 pts
6Mellette County38+5 pts
7Jackson County36.2+5.5 pts
8Bennett County34.9+1.1 pts
8Dewey County34.9+7.4 pts
10Charles Mix County24.9+3.2 pts
11Lyman County22.2-0.1 pts
12Clay County20.2+0.2 pts
13Tripp County19+1.7 pts
14Roberts County17.6-0.3 pts
15Gregory County16.5+0.6 pts
16Beadle County15.7+1.7 pts
16Day County15.7+1.7 pts
18McPherson County15.6+0.5 pts
19Brule County14.3+1.6 pts
20Faulk County14.2+0.4 pts
21Fall River County14+1.1 pts
22Butte County13.7-0.2 pts
22Jones County13.7+0.7 pts
24Lawrence County13.6+1.7 pts
25Sanborn County13.5+1.8 pts
26Bon Homme County13.1-1.5 pts
27Brookings County13-1 pts
28Jerauld County12.9+0.3 pts
28Pennington County12.9-1.6 pts
30Davison County12.8+2 pts
30Perkins County12.8+0.1 pts
32Walworth County12.3-2.5 pts
33Douglas County12.1+1.1 pts
33Marshall County12.1+1.1 pts
35Haakon County12+0.8 pts
35Miner County12-0.2 pts
37Hutchinson County11.5-1.2 pts
38Clark County11.4-0.2 pts
38Yankton County11.4-0.4 pts
40Custer County11.3+0.7 pts
41Codington County11.2-0.6 pts
42Aurora County10.9+0.5 pts
42Brown County10.9+0.3 pts
42Harding County10.9-0.5 pts
45Edmunds County10.7+0.6 pts
45Moody County10.7+0.2 pts
47Hand County10.5+1.5 pts
48Hughes County10.3+1.8 pts
48Kingsbury County10.3+0.9 pts
48Spink County10.3-0.7 pts
51Hyde County10.2+0.9 pts
51Turner County10.2+1 pts
53Lake County10.1+1.5 pts
54Grant County10+0.1 pts
55Campbell County9.8+0.2 pts
56McCook County9.4-0.6 pts
56Potter County9.4-0.4 pts
58Deuel County9.2-0.6 pts
58Hanson County9.2+0.4 pts
60Meade County9.1-0.8 pts
61Hamlin County9-0.5 pts
61Minnehaha County9-0.9 pts
63Sully County8.3+1.1 pts
64Stanley County7.6-0.3 pts
65Union County6.1-0.5 pts
66Lincoln County3.5-0.2 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People living in families or alone with income below the official US poverty thresholds, as a percentage of people whose poverty status can be determined. United States: Census Bureau Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE), all ages.

Absolute thresholds set by the US government, so not comparable with the EU at_risk_of_poverty_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe/datasets/2017/2017-state-and-county/est17all.txt. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

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Questions

Which county has the highest poverty rate?

Ziebach County, with 56.7% in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest poverty rate?

Lincoln County, with 3.5% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE): percent of people of all ages in poverty, states and counties. Retrieved 2026-10-08.

Poverty rate (US official measure): other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings