Buffalo County, SD

County

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2022 Population

1,859

5.83% 1-year decline

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

US Representative

Dusty Johnson

Republican Party

2022 Median Age

5.51% 1-year decrease

2022 Poverty Rate

36.5%

2.64% 1-year decrease

2022 Median Household Income

$42,917

11.4% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$103,800

17.6% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Buffalo County, SD had a population of 1.86k people with a median age of 24 and a median household income of $42,917. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Buffalo County, SD declined from 1,974 to 1,859, a −5.83% decrease and its median household income grew from $38,523 to $42,917, a 11.4% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Buffalo County, SD are American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (72.4%), White (Non-Hispanic) (18.5%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic) (6.78%), Two+ (Hispanic) (1.02%), and Other (Non-Hispanic) (0.861%).

None of the households in Buffalo County, SD reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

100% of the residents in Buffalo County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2022, the median property value in Buffalo County, SD was $103,800, and the homeownership rate was 49%.

Most people in Buffalo County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Buffalo County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Buffalo County, SD borders Brule County, SD, Hand County, SD, Hyde County, SD, Jerauld County, SD, and Lyman County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Buffalo County, SD is home to a population of 1.86k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2022, 0% of Buffalo County, SD residents were born outside of the country (0 people).

In 2022, there were 3.92 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.35k people) in Buffalo County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 343 White (Non-Hispanic) and 126 American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

100%

2022 Citizenship

100%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 100% of Buffalo County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Buffalo County, SD was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Buffalo County, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Buffalo County, SD

American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
1.35k ± 177
White (Non-Hispanic)
343 ± 69
American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic)
126 ± 39

8.28%

Hispanic Population

154 people

8.28% of the people in Buffalo County, SD are hispanic (154 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Buffalo County, SD as a share of the total population.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
36 ± 38
Vietnam
27 ± 21
Korea
3 ± 11

Buffalo County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.33 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Buffalo County, SD employs 592 people. The largest industries in Buffalo County, SD are Health Care & Social Assistance (82 people), Educational Services (76 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (71 people), and the highest paying industries are Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($53,355), Other Services Except Public Administration ($52,500), and Finance & Insurance ($46,146).

Employment

Occupations

592

2022 Value

± 104

−1.33%

1 Year decline

± 24.4%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Buffalo County, SD declined at a rate of −1.33%, from 600 employees to 592 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Buffalo County, SD, are Management Occupations (89 people), Construction & Extraction Occupations (62 people), and Personal Care & Service Occupations (56 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Buffalo County, SD.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Dakota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

592

2022 Value

± 104

−1.33%

1 Year decline

± 24.4%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Buffalo County, SD declined at a rate of −1.33%, from 600 employees to 592 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Buffalo County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (82 people), Educational Services (76 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (71 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Buffalo County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Buffalo County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$31,071

Median earning men ± $6,529

$26,750

Median earning women ± $13,213

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($65,500), Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($38,750), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($34,444).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($46,458), Public Administration ($45,000), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($36,125).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Y-Axis

2.37%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 450k people employed in South Dakota. This represents a 2.37% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.96%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Dakota.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

2
Health Care and Social Assistance
2
Health Care and Social Assistance
1
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Civics

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Buffalo County, SD went to Joseph R Biden Jr. with 64.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (33.3%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (2.55%).

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing the state of South Dakota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Buffalo County, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

2020 Election Results

Joseph R Biden Jr. (64.1%)
Democratic Party
Donald J. Trump (33.3%)
Republican Party
Jo Jorgensen (2.55%)
Libertarian Party

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Buffalo County, SD for each registered party from 1976 to 2020.

Senator Elections

US Senators from South Dakota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

John Thune

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2005

Mike Rounds

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing South Dakota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in South Dakota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Buffalo County, SD

Dusty Johnson

South Dakota at-large Representative

Republican Party

Buffalo County, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson (Republican Party).

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Buffalo County, SD have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

Completions

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Measure

In 2022, 0.574% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.482% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (206k), Some college (148k), and Bachelors Degree (133k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Buffalo County, SD was $103,800 in 2022, which is 0.368 times smaller than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $88,300 to $103,800, a 17.6% increase. The homeownership rate in Buffalo County, SD is 49%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Buffalo County, SD have an average commute time of 14.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Buffalo County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Property

$103,800

Median Property Value 2022

±$30,195

$241

Median Property Taxes

±$60

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Buffalo County, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Buffalo County, SD compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

49%

Homeownership

2022

83.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 49% of the housing units in Buffalo County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 48.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Buffalo County, SD compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Census Tract 9402

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

The following map shows all of the tracts in Buffalo County, SD colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$42,917

Median Household Income

± $6,942

492

Number of Households

± 75

In 2022, the median household income of the 492 households in Buffalo County, SD grew to $42,917 from the previous year's value of $38,523.

The following chart displays the households in Buffalo County, SD distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Buffalo County, SD is from South Dakota.

0.438

2022 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.439

2021 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2022, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.438 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.26% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Dakota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Dakota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2022

Drove Alone (74.3%)
Worked At Home (12.2%)
Carpooled (7.72%)

In 2022, 74.3% of workers in Buffalo County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.2%) and those who carpooled to work (7.72%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

14.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Buffalo County, SD have a shorter commute time (14.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Buffalo County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Buffalo County, SD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Buffalo County, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Buffalo County, SD have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

36.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Buffalo County, SD (673 out of 1.84k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Buffalo County, SD is Native American, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

60.4% of the population of Buffalo County, SD has health coverage, with 17.9% on employee plans, 26.7% on Medicaid, 8.02% on Medicare, 6.35% on non-group plans, and 1.34% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53% were men and 47% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 40.9% under 18 years, 21.8% between 18 and 34 years, 29.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 7.53% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 53% were men and 47% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

39.6%

Uninsured

17.9%

Employer Coverage

26.7%

Medicaid

8.02%

Medicare

6.35%

Non-Group

1.34%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Buffalo County, SD declined by 4.68% from 41.6% to 39.6%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Buffalo County, SD changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.