Custer County, SD

County

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2024 Population

8,892

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

US Representative

Dusty Johnson

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

57.6

0.699% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.97%

36% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$84,112

2.63% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$372,100

13.7% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

4,202

4.42% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Custer 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.

99.3% of the residents in Custer County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Custer County, SD was $372,100, and the homeownership rate was 85.6%.

Most people in Custer County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 29.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Custer County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Custer County, SD borders Fall River County, SD, Oglala Lakota County, SD, Pennington County, SD, Niobrara County, WY, and Weston County, WY.

Photo by Jack Flanagan

United States South Dakota Rapid City, SD

Population & Diversity

Custer County, SD is home to a population of 8.89k people, from which 99.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 2.65% of Custer County, SD residents were born outside of the country (236 people).

In 2024, there were 21.5 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (7.8k people) in Custer County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 362 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 177 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.3%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.3% of Custer County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Custer County, SD was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Custer County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
7.8k ± 144
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
362 ± 97
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
177 ± 93

3.08%

Hispanic Population

274 people

3.08% of the people in Custer County, SD are hispanic (274 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Custer 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
3,429 ± 1,435 people
Guatemala
2,883 ± 1,316 people
Ethiopia
2,826 ± 1,303 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,429 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,883 and Ethiopia with 2,826.

Foreign-Born Population

2.65%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

236 people

2.07%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

180 people

As of 2024, 2.65% of Custer County, SD residents (236 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 Custer County, SD was 2.07%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
473 ± 173
Gulf War (2001-)
267 ± 123
Gulf War (1990s)
121 ± 66

Custer County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.77 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Custer County, SD employs 4.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Custer County, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (699 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (410 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (355 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($90,057), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($85,333), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($80,439).

Employment

Occupations

4.2k

2024 Value

± 449

4.42%

1 Year growth

± 14.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Custer County, SD grew at a rate of 4.42%, from 4.02k employees to 4.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Custer County, SD, are Sales & Related Occupations (565 people), Management Occupations (473 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (344 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Custer 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

4.2k

2024 Value

± 449

4.42%

1 Year growth

± 14.4%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Custer County, SD grew at a rate of 4.42%, from 4.02k employees to 4.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Custer County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (699 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (410 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (355 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Custer County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Custer County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$65,580

Median earning men ± $18,079

$45,846

Median earning women ± $6,296

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($92,619), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($90,625), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($83,885).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($76,579), Manufacturing ($68,750), and Construction ($60,500).

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

47
Accommodation and Food Services
42
Construction
21
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

$15.1k
Accommodation and Food Services
$13.6k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$7.53k
Retail Trade

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

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing the state of South Dakota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Custer County, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Custer County, SD. Showing the available data for South Dakota.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (63.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (34.2%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.68%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in South Dakota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from South Dakota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

John Thune

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2005

Mike Rounds

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing South Dakota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in South Dakota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Custer County, SD

Dusty Johnson

District at-large Representative

Republican Party

Custer County, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson (Republican Party).

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Custer County, SD have changed over time starting in 2008.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Custer County, SD was $372,100 in 2024, which is 1.12 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $327,200 to $372,100, a 13.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Custer County, SD is 85.6%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Custer County, SD have an average commute time of 29.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Custer County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Custer County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 5.32%.

Housing

Property

$372,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$47,295

$3,809

Median Property Taxes

±$424

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

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

Rent vs Own

85.6%

Homeownership

2024

66.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 85.6% of the housing units in Custer County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 85.6%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Custer 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.

$84,112

Median Household Income

± $3,932

4.45k

Number of Households

± 457

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.45k households in Custer County, SD grew to $84,112 from the previous year's value of $81,958.

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

0.44

2024 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2024, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.44 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.642% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (74%)
Worked At Home (12%)
Carpooled (9.17%)

In 2024, 74% of workers in Custer County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12%) and those who carpooled to work (9.17%).

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

29.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Custer County, SD have a longer commute time (29.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.31% of the workforce in Custer County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.6% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Custer County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 5.32%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

8.97% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Custer County, SD (786 out of 8.76k 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 65 - 74, followed by Females 75+ and then Males 75+.

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

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 13.3% of the children was living in poverty in Custer County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.4%.

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 47.1 in Custer County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 22.5 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

89.2% of the population of Custer County, SD has health coverage, with 36.2% on employee plans, 5.52% on Medicaid, 22.3% on Medicare, 21.5% on non-group plans, and 3.65% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Custer County, SD see 2,152 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,152 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4503 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1823 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,152 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Custer County, SD

Primary care physicians in Custer County, SD see an average of 2,152 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,152 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 13.8% under 18 years, 11.2% between 18 and 34 years, 41.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 33.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.1% were men and 50.9% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.8%

Uninsured

36.2%

Employer Coverage

5.52%

Medicaid

22.3%

Medicare

21.5%

Non-Group

3.65%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Custer County, SD grew by 7.11% from 10.1% to 10.8%.

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