Buffalo County, SD

County

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2024 Population

1,808

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

22.8

13% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

33.9%

4.35% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$47,045

0.0957% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$117,800

9.07% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

578

1.37% 1-year decline

About

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 2024, the median property value in Buffalo County, SD was $117,800, and the homeownership rate was 52.6%.

Most people in Buffalo County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 13.4 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 1.81k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2024, 0% of Buffalo County, SD residents were born outside of the country (0 people).

In 2024, there were 4.47 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.41k people) in Buffalo County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 316 White (Non-Hispanic) and 30 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%

2024 Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Buffalo County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, 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)
1.41k ± 208
White (Non-Hispanic)
316 ± 81
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
30 ± 37

1.71%

Hispanic Population

31 people

1.71% of the people in Buffalo County, SD are hispanic (31 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Buffalo 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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
47 ± 41
Vietnam
35 ± 25
Gulf War (1990s)
4 ± 13

Buffalo County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.34 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Buffalo County, SD employs 578 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Buffalo County, SD were Public Administration (106 people), Educational Services (102 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (98 people), and the highest paying industries were Other Services Except Public Administration ($71,406), Health Care & Social Assistance ($60,192), and Manufacturing ($50,250).

Employment

Occupations

578

2024 Value

± 119

−1.37%

1 Year decline

± 28.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buffalo County, SD declined at a rate of −1.37%, from 586 employees to 578 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Buffalo County, SD, are Personal Care & Service Occupations (62 people), Management Occupations (61 people), and Office & Administrative Support 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 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

578

2024 Value

± 119

−1.37%

1 Year decline

± 28.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Buffalo County, SD declined at a rate of −1.37%, from 586 employees to 578 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Buffalo County, SD, are Public Administration (106 people), Educational Services (102 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (98 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

$38,500

Median earning men ± $5,114

$38,553

Median earning women ± $5,506

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($70,938), Construction ($44,500), and Public Administration ($41,023).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($90,536), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,516), and Public Administration ($36,250).

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.

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

$902
Health Care and Social Assistance
$782
Retail Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Buffalo County, SD was $117,800 in 2024, which is 0.354 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $108,000 to $117,800, a 9.07% increase. The homeownership rate in Buffalo County, SD is 52.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Buffalo County, SD have an average commute time of 13.4 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.

In 2025, 26.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buffalo County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.41%.

Housing

Property

$117,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$38,765

$267

Median Property Taxes

±$68

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

52.6%

Homeownership

2024

68.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 52.6% of the housing units in Buffalo County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 52.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Buffalo 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.

$47,045

Median Household Income

± $11,995

508

Number of Households

± 88

In 2024, the median household income of the 508 households in Buffalo County, SD grew to $47,045 from the previous year's value of $47,000.

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.

0.443

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 (82.2%)
Worked At Home (12.3%)
Walked (3.35%)

In 2024, 82.2% of workers in Buffalo County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.3%) and those who walked to work (3.35%).

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

13.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Buffalo County, SD have a shorter commute time (13.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 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

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 26.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buffalo County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.41%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

33.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Buffalo County, SD (609 out of 1.8k 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 45 - 54, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 6 - 11.

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.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 38.1% of the children was living in poverty in Buffalo County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.6%.

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.

Health

57% of the population of Buffalo County, SD has health coverage, with 16.2% on employee plans, 29.2% on Medicaid, 7.47% on Medicare, 2.71% on non-group plans, and 1.44% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Buffalo 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 372 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 377 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 55.9% were men and 44.1% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Buffalo County, SD

Primary care physicians in Buffalo 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 Buffalo County, SD in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 42.1% under 18 years, 21% between 18 and 34 years, 27.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 9.18% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 55.9% were men and 44.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

43%

Uninsured

16.2%

Employer Coverage

29.2%

Medicaid

7.47%

Medicare

2.71%

Non-Group

1.44%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Buffalo County, SD grew by 0.144% from 42.9% to 43%.

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.