Lyman County, SD

County

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2024 Population

3,724

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.1

0.278% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

23.7%

3.82% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$67,143

9.77% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$165,800

5.94% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

1,532

0.393% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Lyman 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.

99.5% of the residents in Lyman County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Lyman County, SD was $165,800, and the homeownership rate was 69.9%.

Most people in Lyman County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 15.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Lyman County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Lyman County, SD borders Brule County, SD, Buffalo County, SD, Charles Mix County, SD, Gregory County, SD, Hughes County, SD, Hyde County, SD, Jones County, SD, Mellette County, SD, Stanley County, SD, and Tripp County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Lyman County, SD is home to a population of 3.72k people, from which 99.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 0.591% of Lyman County, SD residents were born outside of the country (22 people).

In 2024, there were 1.45 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.13k people) in Lyman County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.46k American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 73 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Lyman County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lyman County, SD was 99.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lyman County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.13k ± 10
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
1.46k ± 58
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
73 ± 35

1.18%

Hispanic Population

44 people

1.18% of the people in Lyman County, SD are hispanic (44 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lyman 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

0.591%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

22 people

0.861%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

32 people

As of 2024, 0.591% of Lyman County, SD residents (22 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 Lyman County, SD was 0.861%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
63 ± 33
Gulf War (2001-)
15 ± 12
Korea
14 ± 16

Lyman County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 4.2 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Lyman County, SD employs 1.53k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lyman County, SD were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (337 people), Educational Services (204 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (157 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($87,500), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($69,063), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($68,281).

Employment

Occupations

1.53k

2024 Value

± 165

0.393%

1 Year growth

± 14.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lyman County, SD grew at a rate of 0.393%, from 1.53k employees to 1.53k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lyman County, SD, are Management Occupations (294 people), Sales & Related Occupations (179 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (139 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lyman 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

1.53k

2024 Value

± 165

0.393%

1 Year growth

± 14.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lyman County, SD grew at a rate of 0.393%, from 1.53k employees to 1.53k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lyman County, SD, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (337 people), Educational Services (204 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (157 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lyman County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Lyman County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,036

Median earning men ± $2,958

$38,431

Median earning women ± $5,105

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($125,313), Wholesale Trade ($73,750), and Manufacturing ($69,583).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($68,047), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($53,646), and Public Administration ($49,375).

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

9
Construction
8
Accommodation and Food Services
6
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

$5.29k
Retail Trade
$4.4k
Accommodation and Food Services
$2.63k
Wholesale Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lyman County, SD was $165,800 in 2024, which is 0.498 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $156,500 to $165,800, a 5.94% increase. The homeownership rate in Lyman County, SD is 69.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lyman County, SD have an average commute time of 15.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lyman County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 14.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lyman County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 6.21%.

Housing

Property

$165,800

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,861

$831

Median Property Taxes

±$116

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

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

Rent vs Own

69.9%

Homeownership

2024

72.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.9% of the housing units in Lyman County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 72.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lyman 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.

$67,143

Median Household Income

± $7,804

1.19k

Number of Households

± 132

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.19k households in Lyman County, SD grew to $67,143 from the previous year's value of $61,169.

The following chart displays the households in Lyman 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 $60k - $75k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lyman 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 (73.4%)
Worked At Home (11.2%)
Carpooled (8.19%)

In 2024, 73.4% of workers in Lyman County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.2%) and those who carpooled to work (8.19%).

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

15.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lyman County, SD have a shorter commute time (15.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.19% of the workforce in Lyman County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 14.8% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lyman County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 6.21%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

23.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lyman County, SD (864 out of 3.65k 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 Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lyman County, SD is Native American, followed by White and Pacific Islander.

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, 26% of the children was living in poverty in Lyman County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 7.5%.

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.

Health

78.7% of the population of Lyman County, SD has health coverage, with 31.2% on employee plans, 13.9% on Medicaid, 12.9% on Medicare, 19.1% on non-group plans, and 1.7% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lyman 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 null patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1852 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.3% were men and 47.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lyman County, SD

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 29% under 18 years, 18.4% between 18 and 34 years, 34.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52.3% were men and 47.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

21.3%

Uninsured

31.2%

Employer Coverage

13.9%

Medicaid

12.9%

Medicare

19.1%

Non-Group

1.7%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lyman County, SD declined by 1.36% from 21.6% to 21.3%.

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