Lincoln County, SD

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

70,638

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

35.9

0.279% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

5.58%

3.31% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$99,166

2.71% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$348,300

7.67% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

40,074

4.11% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Lincoln 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.

97.6% of the residents in Lincoln County, SD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Lincoln County, SD are National American University-Sioux Falls (26 degrees awarded in 2019).

In 2024, the median property value in Lincoln County, SD was $348,300, and the homeownership rate was 71.2%.

Most people in Lincoln County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.3 minutes. The average car ownership in Lincoln County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Lincoln County, SD borders Lyon County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Clay County, SD, Minnehaha County, SD, Turner County, SD, and Union County, SD.

United States South Dakota Sioux Falls, SD

Population & Diversity

Lincoln County, SD is home to a population of 70.6k people, from which 97.6% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.79% of Lincoln County, SD residents were born outside of the country (3.38k people).

In 2024, there were 38.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (62.9k people) in Lincoln County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.62k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.44k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.6%

2024 Citizenship

97.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.6% of Lincoln County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lincoln County, SD was 97.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lincoln County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
62.9k ± 381
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
1.62k ± 314
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.44k ± 340

3.15%

Hispanic Population

2.23k people

3.15% of the people in Lincoln County, SD are hispanic (2.23k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lincoln 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

4.79%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.38k people

4.39%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

3k people

As of 2024, 4.79% of Lincoln County, SD residents (3.38k 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 Lincoln County, SD was 4.39%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
1,157 ± 332
Vietnam
964 ± 217
Gulf War (1990s)
503 ± 175

Lincoln County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.2 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Lincoln County, SD employs 40.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lincoln County, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (8,620 people), Retail Trade (4,829 people), and Finance & Insurance (3,907 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($91,134), Wholesale Trade ($77,740), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($69,129).

Employment

Occupations

40.1k

2024 Value

± 1,638

4.11%

1 Year growth

± 5.65%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lincoln County, SD grew at a rate of 4.11%, from 38.5k employees to 40.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lincoln County, SD, are Management Occupations (4,945 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,348 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (4,140 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lincoln 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

40.1k

2024 Value

± 1,638

4.11%

1 Year growth

± 5.65%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lincoln County, SD grew at a rate of 4.11%, from 38.5k employees to 40.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lincoln County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (8,620 people), Retail Trade (4,829 people), and Finance & Insurance (3,907 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lincoln County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Lincoln County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$64,784

Median earning men ± $4,133

$44,794

Median earning women ± $2,872

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($85,355), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($78,815), and Public Administration ($77,885).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($91,667), Wholesale Trade ($78,369), and Public Administration ($54,375).

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

239
Construction
148
Finance and Insurance
126
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

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

$335k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$334k
Finance and Insurance
$170k
Construction

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

Education

In 2019, universities in Lincoln County, SD awarded 26 degrees. The student population of Lincoln County, SD in 2018 is skewed towards women, with 26 male students and 129 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Lincoln County, SD are White (23 and 88.5%), Black or African American (1 and 3.85%), Two or More Races (1 and 3.85%), and American Indian or Alaska Native (1 and 3.85%).

The largest universities in Lincoln County, SD by number of degrees awarded are National American University-Sioux Falls (26 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Lincoln County, SD are Registered Nursing (13 and 50%), Medical Assistant (5 and 19.2%), and Paralegal (4 and 15.4%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2018 there were 155 students enrolled in Lincoln County, SD, 16.8% men and 83.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 124 records, of which 83.1% were women and 16.9% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
13 degrees awarded
Health Care Administration & Management
2 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
1 degrees awarded

In 2019, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Lincoln County, SD was Registered Nursing with 13 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

National American University-Sioux Falls

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

26 degrees awarded

In 2019, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was National American University-Sioux Falls with 26 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2019, 2 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Lincoln County, SD, which is 0.0833 times less than the 24 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2019, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 23 degrees mean that there were 23 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1 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

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($15,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2019.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,350) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lincoln County, SD was $348,300 in 2024, which is 1.05 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $323,500 to $348,300, a 7.67% increase. The homeownership rate in Lincoln County, SD is 71.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lincoln County, SD have an average commute time of 19.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lincoln County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 8.13% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lincoln County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.369%.

Housing

Property

$348,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$9,955

$19,861

Median Property Taxes

±$920

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

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

Rent vs Own

71.2%

Homeownership

2024

69.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 71.2% of the housing units in Lincoln County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lincoln 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.

$99,166

Median Household Income

± $2,500

27.9k

Number of Households

± 1,300

In 2024, the median household income of the 27.9k households in Lincoln County, SD grew to $99,166 from the previous year's value of $96,552.

The following chart displays the households in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 (80.1%)
Worked At Home (12.3%)
Carpooled (5.65%)

In 2024, 80.1% of workers in Lincoln County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.3%) and those who carpooled to work (5.65%).

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

19.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lincoln County, SD have a shorter commute time (19.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.13% of the workforce in Lincoln County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 8.13% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lincoln County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.369%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

5.58% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lincoln County, SD (3.92k out of 70.3k 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 6 - 11 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lincoln County, SD is White, followed by Black 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, 3.8% of the children was living in poverty in Lincoln County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.8%.

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 288 in Lincoln County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 111 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.9% of the population of Lincoln County, SD has health coverage, with 66.2% on employee plans, 4.82% on Medicaid, 10.7% on Medicare, 12.2% on non-group plans, and 1.88% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lincoln County, SD see 754 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (754 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1109 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 320 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

754 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lincoln County, SD

Primary care physicians in Lincoln County, SD see an average of 754 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (754 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 28% under 18 years, 20.5% between 18 and 34 years, 37% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.4% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.5% were men and 50.5% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.12%

Uninsured

66.2%

Employer Coverage

4.82%

Medicaid

10.7%

Medicare

12.2%

Non-Group

1.88%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lincoln County, SD grew by 9.91% from 3.75% to 4.12%.

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

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 28.9 in Lincoln County, SD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lincoln 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 32.6% in Lincoln County, SD.

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