8.95% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Custer School District 16-1, SD (762 out of 8.51k 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 School District 16-1, 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.