State ranking · HUD FMR + Census ACS

South Dakota: County Rent Burden

How much of household income goes to rent in each South Dakota county, FY 2026.

18.5%
State avg 2BR burden
4
Counties over 30% (of 66)
0
Severely burdened (>50%)

What rent burden reveals about South Dakota

Rent burden measures the share of household income going to rent. The federal standard, used by HUD and the Census Bureau, flags any household paying more than 30% of gross income on rent as "cost-burdened" and any household above 50% as "severely cost-burdened." This page calculates county-level burden by dividing HUD's FY 2026 Fair Market Rents, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom, by Census-reported median household income for each county in South Dakota. Across the 66 counties with complete data, the weighted average 2-bedroom burden is 18.5%, compared with a national average of 21.7% - meaning South Dakota sits 3.2 percentage points lower than the US benchmark.

The distribution matters more than the state average. In South Dakota, 4 of 66 counties (6%) have a 2-bedroom burden above 30%, and 0 counties cross the severe-burden threshold of 50%. The most burdened county is Jackson County at 41.8%, where the FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $929 eats that share of the local median income of $26,686. Because HUD's FMR sits at the 40th percentile of gross rents, this calculation understates the reality faced by renters paying market-rate: many higher-quality units in each county rent well above FMR, pushing actual burden rates even higher than the numbers shown below.

Burden data has direct policy stakes. High-burden counties see stronger demand for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (which cap tenant contribution at 30% of adjusted income and cover the gap up to FMR) and for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, both of which rely on HUD's FMR as the foundational input. High burden also correlates with longer waitlists for public housing and greater housing instability, eviction filings, doubling up, and homelessness all rise in counties above the 50% threshold. Pair this page with the cheapest-counties ranking and year-over-year rent growth to see which South Dakota counties are getting more affordable, which are tightening fastest, and where the burden gap between South Dakota and the rest of the country is widening or narrowing.

State Avg Burden
18.5%
National Avg
21.7%
Counties > 30%
4
of 66
Severely Burdened
0
> 50% of income

All Counties by Rent Burden

# County 1 BR Rent 2 BR Rent 1 BR Burden 2 BR Burden
1 Jackson County $826 $929 37.1% 41.8%
2 Oglala Lakota County $708 $929 24.4% 32.1%
3 Bennett County $901 $1,182 24.3% 31.8%
4 Buffalo County $918 $1,204 23.4% 30.7%
5 Todd County $840 $929 25.7% 28.5%
6 Corson County $708 $929 19.4% 25.5%
7 Ziebach County $708 $929 17.9% 23.6%
8 Pennington County $1,018 $1,336 17.3% 22.7%
9 Fall River County $878 $1,152 17.3% 22.6%
10 Mellette County $722 $948 16.9% 22.1%
11 Gregory County $749 $929 17.1% 21.3%
12 Meade County $970 $1,273 15.7% 20.6%
13 Codington County $825 $1,083 15.2% 20%
14 Faulk County $724 $950 15% 19.7%
15 Butte County $838 $1,099 14.9% 19.5%
16 Dewey County $832 $929 17.2% 19.2%
17 Haakon County $722 $948 14.6% 19.2%
18 Clay County $708 $929 14.5% 19%
19 Tripp County $708 $929 14.4% 18.9%
20 Lawrence County $797 $1,046 14.3% 18.8%
21 Walworth County $747 $980 14.3% 18.7%
22 Lyman County $716 $940 14% 18.4%
23 Turner County $986 $1,156 15.7% 18.4%
24 Davison County $713 $936 13.9% 18.3%
25 Beadle County $728 $955 13.8% 18.2%
26 Bon Homme County $762 $929 14.9% 18.2%
27 Minnehaha County $986 $1,156 15.6% 18.2%
28 McPherson County $710 $929 13.7% 18%
29 Day County $751 $929 14.5% 17.9%
30 Potter County $813 $1,067 13.6% 17.9%
31 Clark County $847 $929 16.2% 17.7%
32 Roberts County $799 $929 15.1% 17.5%
33 Campbell County $794 $929 14.7% 17.2%
34 Charles Mix County $807 $929 14.9% 17.2%
35 Custer County $894 $1,173 13.1% 17.2%
36 Jones County $708 $929 13.1% 17.2%
37 McCook County $986 $1,156 14.6% 17.2%
38 Brookings County $781 $953 13.9% 17%
39 Perkins County $722 $929 13.2% 17%
40 Union County $925 $1,154 13.2% 16.5%
41 Kingsbury County $725 $951 12.4% 16.3%
42 Sully County $722 $948 12.3% 16.2%
43 Stanley County $788 $1,034 12.3% 16.1%
44 Sanborn County $766 $929 13.2% 16%
45 Brown County $708 $929 12.1% 15.9%
46 Lake County $739 $970 12% 15.8%
47 Hughes County $832 $1,034 12.6% 15.7%
48 Hand County $788 $929 13.1% 15.5%
49 Marshall County $708 $929 11.7% 15.4%
50 Miner County $708 $929 11.7% 15.4%
51 Hyde County $722 $948 11.7% 15.3%
52 Spink County $777 $929 12.8% 15.3%
53 Harding County $722 $948 11.6% 15.2%
54 Brule County $708 $929 11.5% 15.1%
55 Grant County $708 $929 11.5% 15.1%
56 Jerauld County $722 $948 11.5% 15.1%
57 Yankton County $811 $929 13.2% 15.1%
58 Aurora County $768 $929 12.4% 15%
59 Hutchinson County $708 $929 11.4% 15%
60 Douglas County $722 $948 11.1% 14.6%
61 Edmunds County $708 $929 11% 14.4%
62 Lincoln County $986 $1,156 12.3% 14.4%
63 Moody County $708 $929 11% 14.4%
64 Deuel County $708 $929 10.7% 14%
65 Hamlin County $708 $929 10.2% 13.4%
66 Hanson County $824 $929 11.4% 12.9%
National burden rankings → All South Dakota rents → Cheapest counties →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rent burden in South Dakota? ▼
The average 2-bedroom rent burden in South Dakota is 18.5% of household income. 4 of 66 counties exceed the 30% affordability threshold.
Which counties in South Dakota are most rent burdened? ▼
The most rent-burdened county is Jackson County at 41.8% of income. No counties exceed the 50% severe burden threshold.
How does South Dakota compare to the national average? ▼
South Dakota's average rent burden is 18.5% vs the national average of 21.7%. That's 3.2 percentage points lower than average.

Data sources: HUD FY 2026 Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau median household income. Rent burden = (annual FMR ÷ median income) × 100.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.