Corson County, SD

County

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2024 Population

3,806

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

44.2%

2.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$46,406

6.07% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$69,800

5.42% 1-year decline

2024 Employed Population

1,143

3.54% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Corson 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 Corson County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Corson County, SD was $69,800, and the homeownership rate was 59.1%.

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

Corson County, SD borders Adams County, ND, Emmons County, ND, Sioux County, ND, Campbell County, SD, Dewey County, SD, Perkins County, SD, Walworth County, SD, and Ziebach County, SD.

About the photo: Community Center (former school), Morristown SD

Photo by Keith Ewing

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Corson County, SD is home to a population of 3.81k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2024, 0% of Corson County, SD residents were born outside of the country (0 people).

In 2024, there were 2.22 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.53k people) in Corson County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.14k White (Non-Hispanic) and 100 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

99.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Corson County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Corson County, SD was 99.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Corson County, SD

American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
2.53k ± 37
White (Non-Hispanic)
1.14k ± 14
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
100 ± 36

0.525%

Hispanic Population

20 people

0.525% of the people in Corson County, SD are hispanic (20 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Corson 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

Vietnam
61 ± 25
Gulf War (2001-)
36 ± 23
Gulf War (1990s)
31 ± 19

Corson County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.69 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Corson County, SD employs 1.14k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Corson County, SD were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (309 people), Educational Services (156 people), and Public Administration (117 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($76,563), Utilities ($70,250), and Health Care & Social Assistance ($65,139).

Employment

Occupations

1.14k

2024 Value

± 104

−3.54%

1 Year decline

± 13%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Corson County, SD declined at a rate of −3.54%, from 1.19k employees to 1.14k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Corson County, SD, are Management Occupations (344 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (120 people), and Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (91 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Corson 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

1.14k

2024 Value

± 104

−3.54%

1 Year decline

± 13%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Corson County, SD declined at a rate of −3.54%, from 1.19k employees to 1.14k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Corson County, SD, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (309 people), Educational Services (156 people), and Public Administration (117 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Corson County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Corson County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$40,202

Median earning men ± $7,761

$42,768

Median earning women ± $3,315

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($60,536), Public Administration ($60,000), and Wholesale Trade ($59,583).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($57,639), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($55,917), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($41,250).

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

5
Other Services (except Public Administration)
5
Finance and Insurance
5
Construction

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

$2.02k
Wholesale Trade
$1.69k
Retail Trade
$542
Finance and Insurance

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Corson County, SD was $69,800 in 2024, which is 0.21 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $73,800 to $69,800, a 5.42% decrease. The homeownership rate in Corson County, SD is 59.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

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

In 2025, 16.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Corson County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.98%.

Housing

Property

$69,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$7,756

$667

Median Property Taxes

±$75

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 Corson 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 Corson County, SD compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

59.1%

Homeownership

2024

62.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 59.1% of the housing units in Corson County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 60.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Corson 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.

$46,406

Median Household Income

± $11,944

1.13k

Number of Households

± 102

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.13k households in Corson County, SD grew to $46,406 from the previous year's value of $43,750.

The following chart displays the households in Corson 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 Corson 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 (65.2%)
Worked At Home (24.2%)
Carpooled (6.34%)

In 2024, 65.2% of workers in Corson County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (24.2%) and those who carpooled to work (6.34%).

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 Corson County, SD have a shorter commute time (21 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.824% of the workforce in Corson County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 16.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Corson County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.98%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

44.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Corson County, SD (1.67k out of 3.78k 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 Females 6 - 11, followed by Males < 5 and then Males 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Corson County, SD is Native American, followed by White 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, 40.4% of the children was living in poverty in Corson County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.3%.

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 11.8 in Corson County, SD. From 2015 to 2022, the indicator grew 2.01 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

83.1% of the population of Corson County, SD has health coverage, with 16.9% on employee plans, 45.4% on Medicaid, 9.33% on Medicare, 9.64% on non-group plans, and 1.76% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Corson 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 1913 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 946 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Corson County, SD

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 37.9% under 18 years, 17.5% between 18 and 34 years, 31.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 13.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.7% were men and 50.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

16.9%

Uninsured

16.9%

Employer Coverage

45.4%

Medicaid

9.33%

Medicare

9.64%

Non-Group

1.76%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Corson County, SD declined by 9.8% from 18.8% to 16.9%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2018, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 172 in Corson County, SD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Corson County, SD.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 46.2% in Corson County, SD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Corson County, SD.