Lake County, SD

County

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2023 Population

11,052

1.38% 1-year decline

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

43.7

1.35% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

9.36%

3.12% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$73,792

1.46% 1-year decline

2023 Median Property Value

$231,000

17.5% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

5,946

1.06% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Lake County, SD had a population of 11.1k people with a median age of 43.7 and a median household income of $73,792. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Lake County, SD declined from 11,207 to 11,052, a −1.38% decrease and its median household income declined from $74,884 to $73,792, a −1.46% decrease.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Lake County, SD are White (Non-Hispanic) (89.7%), White (Hispanic) (2.35%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (2.34%), Other (Hispanic) (1.84%), and Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (1.51%).

None of the households in Lake 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.

98.2% of the residents in Lake County, SD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Lake County, SD are Dakota State University (663 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2023, the median property value in Lake County, SD was $231,000, and the homeownership rate was 71.4%.

Most people in Lake County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Lake County, SD was 3 cars per household.

Lake County, SD borders Brookings County, SD, Kingsbury County, SD, McCook County, SD, Miner County, SD, Minnehaha County, SD, and Moody County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Lake County, SD is home to a population of 11.1k people, from which 98.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 2.64% of Lake County, SD residents were born outside of the country (292 people).

In 2023, there were 38.1 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (9.92k people) in Lake County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 260 White (Hispanic) and 259 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

98.9%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.2% of Lake County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Lake County, SD was 98.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lake County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
9.92k ± 27
White (Hispanic)
260 ± 113
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
259 ± 124

5.07%

Hispanic Population

560 people

5.07% of the people in Lake County, SD are hispanic (560 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lake County, SD as a share of the total population.

Foreign-Born Population

2.64%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

292 people

1.72%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

193 people

As of 2023, 2.64% of Lake County, SD residents (292 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lake County, SD was 1.72%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
269 ± 105
Gulf War (2001-)
78 ± 49
Korea
59 ± 41

Lake County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 3.45 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Lake County, SD employs 5.95k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Lake County, SD were Educational Services (838 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (805 people), and Retail Trade (709 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($95,714), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($93,598), and Wholesale Trade ($83,077).

Employment

Occupations

5.95k

2023 Value

± 479

−1.06%

1 Year decline

± 11.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lake County, SD declined at a rate of −1.06%, from 6.01k employees to 5.95k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lake County, SD, are Management Occupations (724 people), Sales & Related Occupations (657 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (621 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lake 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

5.95k

2023 Value

± 479

−1.06%

1 Year decline

± 11.3%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Lake County, SD declined at a rate of −1.06%, from 6.01k employees to 5.95k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lake County, SD, are Educational Services (838 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (805 people), and Retail Trade (709 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lake County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Lake County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,791

Median earning men ± $2,915

$36,726

Median earning women ± $1,704

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($94,726), Wholesale Trade ($83,846), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($68,882).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,212), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($46,736), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($45,859).

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

31
Construction
19
Other Services (except Public Administration)
18
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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

$50.1k
Manufacturing
$29.1k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$20.4k
Wholesale Trade

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Lake County, SD awarded 663 degrees. The student population of Lake County, SD in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 2,229 male students and 1,279 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lake County, SD are White (512 and 84.9%), followed by Asian (21 and 3.48%), Hispanic or Latino (20 and 3.32%), and Two or More Races (18 and 2.99%).

The largest universities in Lake County, SD by number of degrees awarded are Dakota State University (663 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Lake County, SD are Computer & Information Systems Security (141 and 21.3%), General Computer & Information Sciences (133 and 20.1%), and Information Science (84 and 12.7%).

The median tuition cost in Lake County, SD for a public four year colleges is $7,616 for in-state students and $10,718 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Lake County, SD, the percentage of applicants admitted was 97.9%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 40.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 3,508 (63.5% men and 36.5% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 3,508 students enrolled in Lake County, SD, 63.5% men and 36.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,618 records, of which 38.7% were women and 61.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer & Information Systems Security
93 degrees awarded
General Computer & Information Sciences
60 degrees awarded
System, Networking, & LAN/WAN Management
26 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Lake County, SD was Computer & Information Systems Security with 93 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Lake County, SD according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Dakota State University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

663 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Dakota State University with 663 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 452 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lake County, SD, which is 2.14 times more than the 211 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 512 degrees mean that there were 24.4 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 21 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($7,616) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($2,017) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Measure

In 2023, 0.64% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.58% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (205k), Some college (147k), and Bachelors Degree (137k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lake County, SD was $231,000 in 2023, which is 0.761 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $196,600 to $231,000, a 17.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Lake County, SD is 71.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65%.

People in Lake County, SD have an average commute time of 15.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lake County, SD is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

In 2024, 9.45% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lake County, SD. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator grew 0.548%.

Housing

Property

$231,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$18,574

$3,309

Median Property Taxes

±$331

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

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

Rent vs Own

71.4%

Homeownership

2023

62.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 71.4% of the housing units in Lake County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 73.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lake County, SD compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 9603, Lake County, SD
Census Tract 9601, Lake County, SD

The following map shows all of the tracts in Lake County, SD colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$73,792

Median Household Income

± $7,113

4.63k

Number of Households

± 411

In 2023, the median household income of the 4.63k households in Lake County, SD declined from $73,792 from the previous year's value of $74,884.

The following chart displays the households in Lake 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 Lake County, SD is from Lake County, SD.

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Lake County, SD across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (78%)
Worked At Home (9.58%)
Carpooled (5.1%)

In 2023, 78% of workers in Lake County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.58%) and those who carpooled to work (5.1%).

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

15.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lake County, SD have a shorter commute time (15.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.408% of the workforce in Lake County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Lake County, SD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

3 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Lake County, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Lake County, SD have 3 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2024, 9.45% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lake County, SD. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator grew 0.548%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

9.36% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lake County, SD (985 out of 10.5k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Males 45 - 54.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lake 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 2024, 10.7% of the children was living in poverty in Lake County, SD. From 2014 to 2024, the indicator declined 1.7%.

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 69.1 in Lake County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 18 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

96.4% of the population of Lake County, SD has health coverage, with 50.4% on employee plans, 10.2% on Medicaid, 17.9% on Medicare, 16.7% on non-group plans, and 1.15% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lake County, SD see 1,550 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.705% decrease from the previous year (1,561 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2194 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 686 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,550 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lake County, SD

Primary care physicians in Lake County, SD see an average of 1,550 patients per year. This represents a 0.705% decrease from the previous year (1,561 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 21.3% under 18 years, 21% between 18 and 34 years, 35.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 22.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.7% were men and 47.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

3.62%

Uninsured

50.4%

Employer Coverage

10.2%

Medicaid

17.9%

Medicare

16.7%

Non-Group

1.15%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lake County, SD declined by 8.89% from 3.97% to 3.62%.

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