Things have been tough economically all over the country as we grapple with the fallout of COVID.

But even before the pandemic hit, rural America was having a difficult time financially.

Especially in South Dakota.

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24/7 Wall St., using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, looked at the Gross Domestic Product from every county in America and they found 750 economies (of over 3,000 nationwide) shrank over that time.

The Mount Rushmore State had four counties among the top 50 places with the biggest shrinking economies, tying with Montana and North Dakota for second behind only Texas (9). Two South Dakota counties were in the top ten.

Ziebach County (largest city: Eagle Butte) had the fifth-biggest GDP change in America, losing more than 45 percent from 2014 to 2019.

Potter County (largest city: Gettysburg) was tenth in the nation with a loss of more than 41 percent during that five-year span.

Two other South Dakota counties were in the top 50.

Corson County (largest city: McLaughlin) was 25th with a loss of more than 33 percent, while Spink County (largest city: Redfield) was 47th with a loss of more than 28 percent.

During that time, the U.S. economy grew by nearly 22% nationally.

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