Union County, SD

County

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2022 Population

16,700

1.68% 1-year growth

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

US Representative

Dusty Johnson

Republican Party

2022 Median Age

40.1

1.01% 1-year increase

2022 Poverty Rate

8.25%

8.89% 1-year increase

2022 Median Household Income

$82,036

2.24% 1-year growth

2022 Median Property Value

$254,900

15.2% 1-year growth

About

In 2022, Union County, SD had a population of 16.7k people with a median age of 40.1 and a median household income of $82,036. Between 2021 and 2022 the population of Union County, SD grew from 16,424 to 16,700, a 1.68% increase and its median household income grew from $80,238 to $82,036, a 2.24% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Union County, SD are White (Non-Hispanic) (89.2%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (3.18%), White (Hispanic) (1.83%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (1.7%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (1.44%).

None of the households in Union 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.

98.6% of the residents in Union County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2022, the median property value in Union County, SD was $254,900, and the homeownership rate was 70%.

Most people in Union County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Union County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Union County, SD borders Plymouth County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Woodbury County, IA, Dakota County, NE, Dixon County, NE, Clay County, SD, and Lincoln County, SD.

United States South Dakota Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

Population & Diversity

Union County, SD is home to a population of 16.7k people, from which 98.6% are citizens. As of 2022, 2.41% of Union County, SD residents were born outside of the country (402 people).

In 2022, there were 28.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (14.9k people) in Union County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 531 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 306 White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Citizenship

98.6%

2022 Citizenship

98.8%

2021 Citizenship

As of 2022, 98.6% of Union County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.5%. In 2021, the percentage of US citizens in Union County, SD was 98.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Union County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
14.9k ± 211
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
531 ± 189
White (Hispanic)
306 ± 149

4.14%

Hispanic Population

691 people

4.14% of the people in Union County, SD are hispanic (691 people).

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

Foreign-Born Population

2.41%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

402 people

2.12%

2021 Foreign-Born Population

349 people

As of 2022, 2.41% of Union County, SD residents (402 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.6%. In 2021, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Union County, SD was 2.12%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Union County, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
393 ± 86
Gulf War (2001-)
252 ± 94
Gulf War (1990s)
199 ± 138

Union County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.56 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Union County, SD employs 8.51k people. The largest industries in Union County, SD are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,386 people), Manufacturing (1,154 people), and Retail Trade (898 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($112,500), Finance & Insurance ($90,143), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($88,333).

Employment

Occupations

8.51k

2022 Value

± 601

1.89%

1 Year growth

± 9.84%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Union County, SD grew at a rate of 1.89%, from 8.35k employees to 8.51k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Union County, SD, are Management Occupations (1,163 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (984 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (818 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Union 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

8.51k

2022 Value

± 601

1.89%

1 Year growth

± 9.84%

From 2021 to 2022, employment in Union County, SD grew at a rate of 1.89%, from 8.35k employees to 8.51k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Union County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,386 people), Manufacturing (1,154 people), and Retail Trade (898 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Union County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Union County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$58,066

Median earning men ± $6,213

$39,795

Median earning women ± $2,511

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2022 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($110,000), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($86,563), and Wholesale Trade ($76,838).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2022 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($63,333), Wholesale Trade ($57,933), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($46,838).

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

43
Health Care and Social Assistance
42
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
35
Construction

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 Union County, SD went to Donald J. Trump with 67.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (30.8%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (2.1%).

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.

Union 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

Donald J. Trump (67.1%)
Republican Party
Joseph R Biden Jr. (30.8%)
Democratic Party
Jo Jorgensen (2.1%)
Libertarian Party

In the 2020 presidential election, the popular vote in Union County, SD went to Donald J. Trump with 67.1% of the vote. The runner-up was Joseph R Biden Jr. (30.8%), followed by Jo Jorgensen (2.1%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Union 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 Union County, SD

Dusty Johnson

South Dakota at-large Representative

Republican Party

Union 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 Union 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 Union County, SD was $254,900 in 2022, which is 0.904 times smaller than the national average of $281,900. Between 2021 and 2022 the median property value increased from $221,300 to $254,900, a 15.2% increase. The homeownership rate in Union County, SD is 70%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 64.8%.

People in Union County, SD have an average commute time of 18.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Union County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Property

$254,900

Median Property Value 2022

±$14,691

$4,880

Median Property Taxes

±$397

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 Union County, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

70%

Homeownership

2022

67.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2022

In 2022, 70% of the housing units in Union County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 69.6%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 202
Census Tract 201

The following map shows all of the tracts in Union 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.

$82,036

Median Household Income

± $6,056

6.97k

Number of Households

± 559

In 2022, the median household income of the 6.97k households in Union County, SD grew to $82,036 from the previous year's value of $80,238.

The following chart displays the households in Union 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Union 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 (83.9%)
Worked At Home (7.48%)
Carpooled (5.9%)

In 2022, 83.9% of workers in Union County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.48%) and those who carpooled to work (5.9%).

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

18.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Union County, SD have a shorter commute time (18.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.7 minutes). Additionally, 0.782% of the workforce in Union County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Union 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 Union County, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Union County, SD have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.25% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Union County, SD (1.36k out of 16.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Females 65 - 74.

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

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

94.9% of the population of Union County, SD has health coverage, with 60.9% on employee plans, 7.12% on Medicaid, 13.8% on Medicare, 11.4% on non-group plans, and 1.68% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Union County, SD see 1472 patients per year on average, which represents a 10.8% increase from the previous year (1328 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1054 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2410 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,472 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Union County, SD

Primary care physicians in Union County, SD see an average of 1,472 patients per year. This represents a 10.8% increase from the previous year (1,328 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Union County, SD in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2022, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.7% under 18 years, 18.6% between 18 and 34 years, 37.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.1% were men and 49.9% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.13%

Uninsured

60.9%

Employer Coverage

7.12%

Medicaid

13.8%

Medicare

11.4%

Non-Group

1.68%

Military or VA

Between 2021 and 2022, the percent of uninsured citizens in Union County, SD declined by 15% from 6.04% to 5.13%.

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