In 2022, Sully County ranked sixth lowest per capita recipient of government transfers in South Dakota, with residents receiving $9,050 per capita from programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and income maintenance, according to information from the Economic Innovation Group.
In total, residents in Sully County received $13.3 million in government transfers, which accounted for 8.9% of total county income.
Comparatively, across all counties in South Dakota, government transfer payments totaled $9.7 billion, making up 15.7% of the state residents’ total income, with an average of $10,713 per resident.
Government transfer payments are non-repayable funds provided by federal, state, or local governments to support individuals in need. These payments aim to stabilize economic conditions and provide financial support during hardships. Key programs include Social Security transfers (retirement benefits), Medicare transfers (healthcare for seniors), Medicaid transfers (healthcare for low-income individuals), and income maintenance transfers (financial assistance for basic needs).
Breaking down the contributions in Sully County at the time, Social Security transfers totaled $7.1 million, amounting to $4,812 per capita, or 53.2% of total government transfers. Medicare transfers accounted for $3.9 million ($2,617 per capita), representing 28.9% of the total. Medicaid contributed $206,000 ($140 per capita), making up 1.5% of total transfers. Income maintenance programs, including assistance such as SNAP or TANF, added another $1.1 million ($755 per capita), or 8.3% of the total.
With 27.1% of the population aged 65 and older, Sully County has a significant demand for programs like Social Security and Medicare. Total per capita income excluding government transfers in Sully County was $92,738, slightly below the county’s total income of $101,788, emphasizing the role of government transfers in overall income.
When comparing 2022 to the previous year, Sully County saw a decrease of 19.5% in per capita government transfers, from $11,247 to $9,050 per capita.
Government transfers have long been a modest financial safety net, historically comprising only a small fraction of Americans’ income. However, since the 1970s—sometimes dubbed the “Great Transfer-mation”—dependency has surged from 8.21% (or $2,022 per capita in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars) in 1970 to 17.63% (or $11,542 per capita) in 2022. In Sully County, reliance on government transfers has similarly increased from 5.53% (or $1,308 per capita) in 1970 to 8.9% (or $9,050 per capita) in 2022, reflecting broader national trends.
According to the Economic Innovation Group’s analysis, these trends are not merely short-term responses to economic pressures but rather reflect a profound, long-term transformation in how government support is integrated into American life. The study illustrates that structural shifts—from rising healthcare expenses and demographic changes to stagnant wages—have significantly increased dependency on government transfers.
| County | State Rank (Per Capita Transfers) | Per Capita Transfers ($) | Dependency on Transfers (%) | % Population 65+ | Social Security Transfers ($) | Medicare Transfers ($) | Medicaid Transfers ($) | Income Maintenance Transfers ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River County | 1 | $18,578 | 34% | 30.92% | $43,286,000 | $30,000,000 | $13,460,000 | $11,635,000 |
| Spink County | 2 | $18,057 | 20.79% | 24.39% | $27,047,000 | $23,783,000 | $45,999,000 | $7,753,000 |
| Jerauld County | 3 | $18,017 | 24.67% | 29.9% | $10,329,000 | $12,154,000 | $2,202,000 | $2,565,000 |
| Oglala Lakota County | 4 | $16,063 | 45% | 7.61% | $19,955,000 | $24,029,000 | $78,481,000 | $69,029,000 |
| Todd County | 5 | $15,184 | 42.36% | 7.9% | $15,094,000 | $17,910,000 | $45,951,000 | $44,290,000 |
| Dewey County | 6 | $15,130 | 27.79% | 10% | $12,261,000 | $12,552,000 | $20,585,000 | $22,085,000 |
| Buffalo County | 7 | $15,128 | 42.77% | 9.92% | $3,681,000 | $3,298,000 | $8,988,000 | $9,086,000 |
| Day County | 8 | $14,712 | 20.56% | 26.87% | $26,493,000 | $24,879,000 | $8,925,000 | $8,432,000 |
| Custer County | 9 | $14,538 | 23.2% | 33.32% | $53,428,000 | $33,638,000 | $7,992,000 | $8,983,000 |
| Mellette County | 10 | $14,481 | 31.9% | 16.12% | $5,121,000 | $4,498,000 | $7,324,000 | $6,979,000 |
| Gregory County | 11 | $14,244 | 23.41% | 26.18% | $18,023,000 | $16,173,000 | $7,041,000 | $7,663,000 |
| Walworth County | 12 | $14,174 | 22.63% | 24.37% | $25,878,000 | $18,918,000 | $11,092,000 | $8,973,000 |
| Bennett County | 13 | $13,953 | 28.73% | 14.28% | $7,842,000 | $7,354,000 | $13,611,000 | $12,085,000 |
| Jackson County | 14 | $13,928 | 31.49% | 13.42% | $6,979,000 | $7,663,000 | $9,459,000 | $9,776,000 |
| Faulk County | 15 | $13,640 | 15.4% | 24% | $8,803,000 | $11,979,000 | $2,803,000 | $2,453,000 |
| Tripp County | 16 | $13,620 | 20.72% | 24% | $22,061,000 | $16,691,000 | $17,268,000 | $10,643,000 |
| Douglas County | 17 | $13,152 | 17.81% | 24.29% | $12,224,000 | $11,851,000 | $4,832,000 | $3,648,000 |
| Hanson County | 18 | $13,071 | 16.64% | 16.24% | $22,825,000 | $14,057,000 | $945,000 | $3,220,000 |
| Hyde County | 19 | $13,052 | 16.31% | 25.69% | $5,368,000 | $4,682,000 | $2,116,000 | $1,646,000 |
| Perkins County | 20 | $13,042 | 24% | 26.49% | $12,484,000 | $10,245,000 | $4,733,000 | $3,976,000 |
| Potter County | 21 | $13,023 | 15.41% | 27.47% | $11,400,000 | $11,614,000 | $3,292,000 | $2,299,000 |
| Pennington County | 22 | $13,016 | 18.83% | 20% | $556,204,000 | $359,792,000 | $158,846,000 | $153,972,000 |
| Corson County | 23 | $12,764 | 30.84% | 13.31% | $7,768,000 | $6,750,000 | $13,038,000 | $15,332,000 |
| Haakon County | 24 | $12,759 | 16.35% | 26.77% | $7,855,000 | $8,274,000 | $1,883,000 | $2,216,000 |
| McPherson County | 25 | $12,757 | 17.59% | 30.3% | $11,104,000 | $10,086,000 | $2,952,000 | $3,493,000 |
| Charles Mix County | 26 | $12,675 | 23.47% | 18.75% | $29,324,000 | $29,245,000 | $22,960,000 | $21,408,000 |
| Miner County | 27 | $12,487 | 17.2% | 23.41% | $10,390,000 | $8,948,000 | $4,079,000 | $2,878,000 |
| Lawrence County | 28 | $12,355 | 18.19% | 24.24% | $134,817,000 | $85,366,000 | $28,324,000 | $30,076,000 |
| Grant County | 29 | $12,264 | 17.35% | 24.17% | $35,283,000 | $26,661,000 | $9,673,000 | $7,723,000 |
| Kingsbury County | 30 | $12,245 | 16.54% | 22.96% | $25,212,000 | $21,188,000 | $4,984,000 | $5,842,000 |
| Roberts County | 31 | $12,054 | 23% | 20.87% | $38,890,000 | $24,903,000 | $20,999,000 | $20,520,000 |
| Campbell County | 32 | $11,838 | 14.54% | 31.66% | $6,118,000 | $5,437,000 | $738,000 | $1,588,000 |
| Butte County | 33 | $11,679 | 24.44% | 20.51% | $43,335,000 | $30,341,000 | $14,631,000 | $16,770,000 |
| Hutchinson County | 34 | $11,636 | 15.9% | 21.49% | $32,341,000 | $23,795,000 | $11,052,000 | $8,451,000 |
| Lyman County | 35 | $11,518 | 19.91% | 18.43% | $12,175,000 | $7,272,000 | $9,036,000 | $8,584,000 |
| Stanley County | 36 | $11,371 | 13.85% | 22.8% | $15,327,000 | $9,127,000 | $1,439,000 | $2,903,000 |
| Jones County | 37 | $11,344 | 14.3% | 27% | $4,223,000 | $2,354,000 | $639,000 | $1,409,000 |
| Ziebach County | 38 | $11,283 | 33.48% | 11% | $2,770,000 | $2,805,000 | $7,229,000 | $11,067,000 |
| Davison County | 39 | $11,263 | 18.1% | 20.61% | $79,517,000 | $56,217,000 | $33,428,000 | $26,867,000 |
| Marshall County | 40 | $11,217 | 15% | 23% | $19,021,000 | $14,372,000 | $5,105,000 | $5,146,000 |
| Sanborn County | 41 | $11,042 | 17.26% | 21.85% | $9,173,000 | $7,739,000 | $2,051,000 | $3,240,000 |
| Lake County | 42 | $10,999 | 14.99% | 24.88% | $47,373,000 | $32,463,000 | $13,283,000 | $12,305,000 |
| Yankton County | 43 | $10,995 | 16.14% | 21.57% | $97,749,000 | $63,918,000 | $38,488,000 | $28,030,000 |
| Deuel County | 44 | $10,917 | 16.62% | 22.17% | $19,057,000 | $14,171,000 | $3,856,000 | $4,606,000 |
| Hand County | 45 | $10,857 | 12.67% | 25.29% | $13,456,000 | $10,985,000 | $3,215,000 | $3,321,000 |
| Aurora County | 46 | $10,730 | 18.2% | 21.25% | $9,837,000 | $8,962,000 | $2,357,000 | $3,549,000 |
| Brule County | 47 | $10,627 | 16.51% | 20.6% | $17,445,000 | $11,334,000 | $13,278,000 | $7,331,000 |
| McCook County | 48 | $10,622 | 14.48% | 18.48% | $22,812,000 | $15,990,000 | $10,175,000 | $6,215,000 |
| Beadle County | 49 | $10,542 | 18% | 17.5% | $66,541,000 | $51,980,000 | $37,682,000 | $30,681,000 |
| Bon Homme County | 50 | $10,466 | 19.23% | 21.39% | $27,294,000 | $21,505,000 | $7,177,000 | $8,023,000 |
| Hughes County | 51 | $10,433 | 16.3% | 18.62% | $67,107,000 | $48,656,000 | $25,312,000 | $20,695,000 |
| Codington County | 52 | $10,402 | 15.39% | 19.63% | $111,906,000 | $81,212,000 | $33,087,000 | $32,986,000 |
| Turner County | 53 | $10,318 | 14.54% | 19.88% | $34,348,000 | $25,707,000 | $11,098,000 | $8,946,000 |
| Edmunds County | 54 | $10,258 | 11.11% | 23.21% | $15,599,000 | $12,562,000 | $4,960,000 | $4,028,000 |
| Brown County | 55 | $10,173 | 14.19% | 18.21% | $144,826,000 | $104,609,000 | $46,854,000 | $42,719,000 |
| Clark County | 56 | $9,922 | 12.92% | 23.63% | $14,958,000 | $9,345,000 | $3,461,000 | $4,842,000 |
| Moody County | 57 | $9,890 | 14.88% | 19.99% | $25,347,000 | $16,990,000 | $4,477,000 | $7,439,000 |
| Meade County | 58 | $9,884 | 18.51% | 17% | $111,771,000 | $66,342,000 | $23,305,000 | $34,046,000 |
| Minnehaha County | 59 | $9,501 | 13.21% | 13.79% | $748,943,000 | $468,051,000 | $268,350,000 | $233,499,000 |
| Hamlin County | 60 | $9,225 | 14.48% | 14.44% | $20,904,000 | $14,548,000 | $7,239,000 | $7,191,000 |
| Sully County | 61 | $9,050 | 8.89% | 27% | $7,079,000 | $3,850,000 | $206,000 | $1,111,000 |
| Union County | 62 | $9,048 | 7.43% | 19.22% | $70,848,000 | $42,303,000 | $9,578,000 | $11,582,000 |
| Clay County | 63 | $8,230 | 16.95% | 12.61% | $41,107,000 | $24,723,000 | $20,120,000 | $19,246,000 |
| Harding County | 64 | $7,762 | 15.1% | 21.73% | $4,235,000 | $2,418,000 | $296,000 | $1,470,000 |
| Brookings County | 65 | $7,422 | 13.24% | 13.72% | $102,328,000 | $58,790,000 | $26,491,000 | $32,759,000 |
| Lincoln County | 66 | $6,016 | 7.22% | 14.72% | $193,699,000 | $122,084,000 | $16,689,000 | $34,395,000 |
