Butte County, SD

County

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2024 Population

10,676

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.2

2.29% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.63%

19.9% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$75,652

11.8% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$244,600

17.8% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

5,687

4.66% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Butte 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.

99.7% of the residents in Butte County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Butte County, SD was $244,600, and the homeownership rate was 76.1%.

Most people in Butte County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Butte County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Butte County, SD borders Carter County, MT, Harding County, SD, Lawrence County, SD, Meade County, SD, Perkins County, SD, and Crook County, WY.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Butte County, SD is home to a population of 10.7k people, from which 99.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.32% of Butte County, SD residents were born outside of the country (141 people).

In 2024, there were 20.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.4k people) in Butte County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 462 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 213 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.7% of Butte County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Butte County, SD was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Butte County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.4k ± 124
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
462 ± 96
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
213 ± 121

4.27%

Hispanic Population

456 people

4.27% of the people in Butte County, SD are hispanic (456 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Butte 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

1.32%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

141 people

1.05%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

111 people

As of 2024, 1.32% of Butte County, SD residents (141 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 Butte County, SD was 1.05%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
172 ± 94
Vietnam
167 ± 74
Gulf War (1990s)
62 ± 45

Butte County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.03 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Butte County, SD employs 5.69k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Butte County, SD were Manufacturing (585 people), Retail Trade (563 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (548 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($67,273), Manufacturing ($65,527), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($63,625).

Employment

Occupations

5.69k

2024 Value

± 517

4.66%

1 Year growth

± 12.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Butte County, SD grew at a rate of 4.66%, from 5.43k employees to 5.69k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Butte County, SD, are Management Occupations (914 people), Sales & Related Occupations (505 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (476 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Butte 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

5.69k

2024 Value

± 517

4.66%

1 Year growth

± 12.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Butte County, SD grew at a rate of 4.66%, from 5.43k employees to 5.69k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Butte County, SD, are Manufacturing (585 people), Retail Trade (563 people), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (548 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Butte County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Butte County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$59,010

Median earning men ± $5,333

$33,804

Median earning women ± $2,361

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($110,156), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($67,917), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($67,188).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($53,800), Manufacturing ($53,723), and Public Administration ($52,879).

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

61
Construction
32
Other Services (except Public Administration)
29
Retail Trade

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

$18.8k
Retail Trade
$10.9k
Manufacturing
$9.91k
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Butte County, SD was $244,600 in 2024, which is 0.735 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $207,700 to $244,600, a 17.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Butte County, SD is 76.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Butte County, SD have an average commute time of 24.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Butte County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Butte County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.67%.

Housing

Property

$244,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$28,863

$3,279

Median Property Taxes

±$368

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

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

Rent vs Own

76.1%

Homeownership

2024

60.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.1% of the housing units in Butte County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 80.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Butte 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.

$75,652

Median Household Income

± $11,248

4.31k

Number of Households

± 465

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.31k households in Butte County, SD grew to $75,652 from the previous year's value of $67,692.

The following chart displays the households in Butte 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 Butte 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 (75.4%)
Carpooled (10.9%)
Worked At Home (7.83%)

In 2024, 75.4% of workers in Butte County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.9%) and those who worked at home (7.83%).

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

24.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Butte County, SD have a shorter commute time (24.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.29% of the workforce in Butte County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Butte County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.67%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.63% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Butte County, SD (913 out of 10.6k 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 18 - 24, followed by Females 65 - 74 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Butte County, SD is White, followed by Two Or More 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, 15.1% of the children was living in poverty in Butte County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5%.

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 155 in Butte County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 51.4 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

88.5% of the population of Butte County, SD has health coverage, with 41.6% on employee plans, 10.6% on Medicaid, 14% on Medicare, 20.2% on non-group plans, and 2.09% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Butte County, SD see 3,485 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,485 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1539 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1810 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

3,485 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Butte County, SD

Primary care physicians in Butte County, SD see an average of 3,485 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (3,485 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.6% under 18 years, 18.6% between 18 and 34 years, 36.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

11.5%

Uninsured

41.6%

Employer Coverage

10.6%

Medicaid

14%

Medicare

20.2%

Non-Group

2.09%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Butte County, SD declined by 26.8% from 15.8% to 11.5%.

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