Watertown, SD

Census Place

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2023 Population

22,859

0.621% 1-year growth

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

39.4

1.29% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

10.7%

12.8% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$62,721

2.28% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$212,300

7.17% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

12,144

0.728% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Watertown, SD had a population of 22.9k people with a median age of 39.4 and a median household income of $62,721. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Watertown, SD grew from 22,718 to 22,859, a 0.621% increase and its median household income grew from $61,320 to $62,721, a 2.28% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Watertown, SD are White (Non-Hispanic) (89.9%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.39%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (2.31%), Two+ (Hispanic) (2.26%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (0.853%).

None of the households in Watertown, 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.

99.1% of the residents in Watertown, SD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Watertown, SD are Lake Area Technical College (939 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2023, the median property value in Watertown, SD was $212,300, and the homeownership rate was 62.7%.

Most people in Watertown, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 13.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Watertown, SD was 2 cars per household.

United States South Dakota Codington County, SD Watertown, SD Northeast South Dakota PUMA, SD

Population & Diversity

Watertown, SD is home to a population of 22.9k people, from which 99.1% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.31% of Watertown, SD residents were born outside of the country (299 people).

In 2023, there were 37.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (20.6k people) in Watertown, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 547 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 528 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

98.2%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.1% of Watertown, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Watertown, SD was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Watertown, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
20.6k ± 221
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
547 ± 134
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
528 ± 101

3.36%

Hispanic Population

769 people

3.36% of the people in Watertown, SD are hispanic (769 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Dakota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,032 ± 1,350 people
Guatemala
2,803 ± 1,298 people
Ethiopia
2,418 ± 1,206 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,032 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,803 and Ethiopia with 2,418.

Foreign-Born Population

1.31%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

299 people

2.12%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

481 people

As of 2023, 1.31% of Watertown, SD residents (299 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Watertown, SD was 2.12%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
436 ± 110
Gulf War (2001-)
282 ± 130
Gulf War (1990s)
274 ± 176

Watertown, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.55 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Watertown, SD employs 12.1k people. The largest industries in Watertown, SD are Manufacturing (2,449 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,643 people), and Retail Trade (1,567 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($110,833), Wholesale Trade ($65,500), and Information ($57,776).

Males in South Dakota have an average income that is 1.29 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,552. The income inequality in South Dakota (measured using the Gini index) is 0.438, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

12.1k

2023 Value

± 873

−0.728%

1 Year decline

± 10.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Watertown, SD declined at a rate of −0.728%, from 12.2k employees to 12.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Watertown, SD, are Management Occupations (1,687 people), Production Occupations (1,448 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,430 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Watertown, 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

12.1k

2023 Value

± 873

−0.728%

1 Year decline

± 10.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Watertown, SD declined at a rate of −0.728%, from 12.2k employees to 12.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Watertown, SD, are Manufacturing (2,449 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,643 people), and Retail Trade (1,567 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Watertown, SD, though some of these residents may live in Watertown, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,459

Median earning men ± $4,112

$36,565

Median earning women ± $2,442

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($122,356), Wholesale Trade ($66,667), and Public Administration ($58,192).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Information ($49,583), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($49,079), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($43,059).

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.

Education

In 2023, universities in Watertown, SD awarded 939 degrees. The student population of Watertown, SD in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 1,133 male students and 1,046 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Watertown, SD are White (839 and 89.6%), followed by Unknown (27 and 2.88%), American Indian or Alaska Native (25 and 2.67%), and Hispanic or Latino (24 and 2.56%).

The largest universities in Watertown, SD by number of degrees awarded are Lake Area Technical College (939 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Watertown, SD are General Agriculture Management (104 and 11.1%), Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (90 and 9.58%), and Diesel Mechanics Technology (89 and 9.48%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 2,179 students enrolled in Watertown, SD, 52% men and 48% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,988 records, of which 47.2% were women and 52.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Agriculture Management
104 degrees awarded
Diesel Mechanics Technology
89 degrees awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
62 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Watertown, SD was General Agriculture Management with 104 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Watertown, SD according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Lake Area Technical College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

939 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lake Area Technical College with 939 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 492 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Watertown, SD, which is 1.1 times more than the 447 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 839 degrees mean that there were 31.1 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 27 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,720) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,998) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,560) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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 Watertown, SD was $212,300 in 2023, which is 0.7 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $198,100 to $212,300, a 7.17% increase. The homeownership rate in Watertown, SD is 62.7%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Watertown, SD have an average commute time of 13.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Watertown, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Watertown, SD is $62,721. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Watertown, SD was Census Tract 9543.02 with a value of $89,333, followed by Census Tract 9545.02 and Census Tract 9545.01, with respective values of $80,563 and $63,409.

Housing

Property

$212,300

Median Property Value 2023

±$11,807

$6,416

Median Property Taxes

±$618

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 Watertown, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

62.7%

Homeownership

2023

68.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 62.7% of the housing units in Watertown, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 62.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Watertown, 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 9543.02
Census Tract 9545.02
Census Tract 9545.01

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Watertown, SD was Census Tract 9543.02 with a value of $89,333, followed by Census Tract 9545.02 and Census Tract 9545.01, with respective values of $80,563 and $63,409.

The following map shows all of the places in Watertown, 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.

$62,721

Median Household Income

± $5,186

10.2k

Number of Households

± 801

In 2023, the median household income of the 10.2k households in Watertown, SD grew to $62,721 from the previous year's value of $61,320.

The following chart displays the households in Watertown, 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 Watertown, 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 2023

Drove Alone (84.2%)
Carpooled (7.21%)
Worked At Home (5.36%)

In 2023, 84.2% of workers in Watertown, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (7.21%) and those who worked at home (5.36%).

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

13.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Watertown, SD have a shorter commute time (13.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.939% of the workforce in Watertown, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

10.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Watertown, SD (2.4k out of 22.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 45 - 54.

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

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

92.7% of the population of Watertown, SD has health coverage, with 53.2% on employee plans, 9.09% on Medicaid, 14.2% on Medicare, 13.7% on non-group plans, and 2.58% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Codington County, SD see 1084 patients per year on average, which represents a 4.53% increase from the previous year (1037 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1137 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 309 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Codington County, SD.

1,084 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Codington County, SD

Primary care physicians in Codington County, SD see an average of 1,084 patients per year. This represents a 4.53% increase from the previous year (1,037 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24% under 18 years, 20.8% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.7% were men and 48.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.28%

Uninsured

53.2%

Employer Coverage

9.09%

Medicaid

14.2%

Medicare

13.7%

Non-Group

2.58%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Watertown, SD declined by 7.04% from 7.83% to 7.28%.

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

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