Aurora County, SD

County

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2024 Population

2,642

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.7

1.65% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

10.6%

25.7% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$72,885

1.68% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$151,900

17.8% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

1,350

2.46% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Aurora 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.

96.3% of the residents in Aurora County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Aurora County, SD was $151,900, and the homeownership rate was 72.7%.

Most people in Aurora County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 21 minutes. The average car ownership in Aurora County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Aurora County, SD borders Brule County, SD, Charles Mix County, SD, Davison County, SD, Douglas County, SD, Jerauld County, SD, and Sanborn County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Aurora County, SD is home to a population of 2.64k people, from which 96.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.66% of Aurora County, SD residents were born outside of the country (123 people).

In 2024, there were 17.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.28k people) in Aurora County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 132 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 84 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.3%

2024 Citizenship

96.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.3% of Aurora County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Aurora County, SD was 96.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Aurora County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.28k ± 173
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
132 ± 28
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
84 ± 56

6.96%

Hispanic Population

184 people

6.96% of the people in Aurora County, SD are hispanic (184 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Aurora County, SD as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,626 ± 1,475 people
Guatemala
2,932 ± 1,327 people
Ethiopia
2,627 ± 1,257 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,626 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,932 and Ethiopia with 2,627.

Foreign-Born Population

4.66%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

123 people

5.01%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

129 people

As of 2024, 4.66% of Aurora County, SD residents (123 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Aurora County, SD was 5.01%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
40 ± 25
Gulf War (2001-)
25 ± 19
Gulf War (1990s)
19 ± 12

Aurora County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.6 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Aurora County, SD.

Economy

The economy of Aurora County, SD employs 1.35k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Aurora County, SD were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (302 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (225 people), and Educational Services (177 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($78,125), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($64,583), and Finance & Insurance ($64,583).

Employment

Occupations

1.35k

2024 Value

± 126

−2.46%

1 Year decline

± 13.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Aurora County, SD declined at a rate of −2.46%, from 1.38k employees to 1.35k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Aurora County, SD, are Management Occupations (310 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (112 people), and Transportation Occupations (107 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Aurora County, SD.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

1.35k

2024 Value

± 126

−2.46%

1 Year decline

± 13.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Aurora County, SD declined at a rate of −2.46%, from 1.38k employees to 1.35k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Aurora County, SD, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (302 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (225 people), and Educational Services (177 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Aurora County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Aurora County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,947

Median earning men ± $2,217

$41,436

Median earning women ± $1,752

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($82,500), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($70,625), and Construction ($68,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($63,125), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($62,500), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,917).

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

9
Construction
8
Health Care and Social Assistance
6
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$5.31k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$2.89k
Finance and Insurance
$2.68k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Aurora County, SD was $151,900 in 2024, which is 0.457 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $129,000 to $151,900, a 17.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Aurora County, SD is 72.7%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Aurora County, SD have an average commute time of 21 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Aurora County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 7.18% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Aurora County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.12%.

Housing

Property

$151,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$21,223

$774

Median Property Taxes

±$78

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 Aurora County, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

72.7%

Homeownership

2024

62.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.7% of the housing units in Aurora County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 76.4%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$72,885

Median Household Income

± $5,520

1.06k

Number of Households

± 106

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.06k households in Aurora County, SD declined from $72,885 from the previous year's value of $74,130.

The following chart displays the households in Aurora 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 Aurora County, SD is from South Dakota.

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.438

2022 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2023, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.14% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.476. 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 2024

Drove Alone (76.2%)
Worked At Home (13.3%)
Carpooled (6.63%)

In 2024, 76.2% of workers in Aurora County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.3%) and those who carpooled to work (6.63%).

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

21 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Aurora County, SD have a shorter commute time (21 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.72% of the workforce in Aurora County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 7.18% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Aurora County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.12%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

10.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Aurora County, SD (272 out of 2.57k 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 45 - 54, followed by Males < 5 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Aurora County, SD is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 15.3% of the children was living in poverty in Aurora County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.8%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children 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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 18.3 in Aurora County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 6.28 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

94.8% of the population of Aurora County, SD has health coverage, with 47.9% on employee plans, 9.58% on Medicaid, 14.6% on Medicare, 20.4% on non-group plans, and 2.31% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Aurora County, SD see 0 patients per year on average, which represents a NaNk% change from the previous year (0 patients). Compare this to dentists who see null patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1391 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Aurora County, SD

Primary care physicians in Aurora County, SD see an average of 0 patients per year. This represents a NaNk% change from the previous year (0 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.3% under 18 years, 17.1% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.2%

Uninsured

47.9%

Employer Coverage

9.58%

Medicaid

14.6%

Medicare

20.4%

Non-Group

2.31%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Aurora County, SD declined by 5.11% from 5.48% to 5.2%.

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