McCook County, SD

County

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2024 Population

5,751

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.5

1% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

6.81%

8.03% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$83,852

3.72% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$230,100

5.89% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

2,930

1.01% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in McCook 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.

98.7% of the residents in McCook County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in McCook County, SD was $230,100, and the homeownership rate was 79.5%.

Most people in McCook County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.2 minutes. The average car ownership in McCook County, SD was 3 cars per household.

McCook County, SD borders Lake County, SD, Hanson County, SD, Hutchinson County, SD, Miner County, SD, Minnehaha County, SD, and Turner County, SD.

United States South Dakota Sioux Falls, SD

Population & Diversity

McCook County, SD is home to a population of 5.75k people, from which 98.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.56% of McCook County, SD residents were born outside of the country (90 people).

In 2024, there were 38.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (5.33k people) in McCook County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 137 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 69 American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

99.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of McCook County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in McCook County, SD was 99.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in McCook County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
5.33k ± 21
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
137 ± 31
American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic)
69 ± 66

3.58%

Hispanic Population

206 people

3.58% of the people in McCook County, SD are hispanic (206 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in McCook 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

1.56%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

90 people

0.82%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

47 people

As of 2024, 1.56% of McCook County, SD residents (90 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 McCook County, SD was 0.82%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
88 ± 37
Vietnam
78 ± 38
Gulf War (1990s)
66 ± 35

McCook County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.13 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of McCook County, SD employs 2.93k people. In 2024, the largest industries in McCook County, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (468 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (328 people), and Construction (285 people), and the highest paying industries were Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($74,375), Information ($69,531), and Utilities ($67,222).

Employment

Occupations

2.93k

2024 Value

± 206

−1.01%

1 Year decline

± 10.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in McCook County, SD declined at a rate of −1.01%, from 2.96k employees to 2.93k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in McCook County, SD, are Management Occupations (522 people), Sales & Related Occupations (298 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (284 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of McCook 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

2.93k

2024 Value

± 206

−1.01%

1 Year decline

± 10.2%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in McCook County, SD declined at a rate of −1.01%, from 2.96k employees to 2.93k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in McCook County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (468 people), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (328 people), and Construction (285 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of McCook County, SD, though some of these residents may live in McCook County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$55,074

Median earning men ± $6,352

$40,408

Median earning women ± $4,550

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($85,179), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($69,183), and Information ($68,125).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($75,750), Public Administration ($49,375), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($49,323).

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

23
Construction
22
Other Services (except Public Administration)
15
Transportation and Warehousing

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

$11.2k
Wholesale Trade
$7.1k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$5.88k
Construction

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in McCook County, SD was $230,100 in 2024, which is 0.692 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $217,300 to $230,100, a 5.89% increase. The homeownership rate in McCook County, SD is 79.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in McCook County, SD have an average commute time of 25.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in McCook County, SD is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

In 2025, 6.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in McCook County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.9%.

Housing

Property

$230,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,605

$1,765

Median Property Taxes

±$141

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

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

Rent vs Own

79.5%

Homeownership

2024

68.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 79.5% of the housing units in McCook County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 81.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in McCook 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.

$83,852

Median Household Income

± $2,719

2.22k

Number of Households

± 162

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.22k households in McCook County, SD grew to $83,852 from the previous year's value of $80,847.

The following chart displays the households in McCook 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 McCook 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 (77.4%)
Worked At Home (11.2%)
Carpooled (7.69%)

In 2024, 77.4% of workers in McCook County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (11.2%) and those who carpooled to work (7.69%).

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

25.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in McCook County, SD have a shorter commute time (25.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.48% of the workforce in McCook County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in McCook 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 McCook County, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in McCook County, SD have 3 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 6.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in McCook County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.9%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

6.81% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in McCook County, SD (382 out of 5.61k 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 75+, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in McCook County, SD is White, followed by Hispanic 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, 9.3% of the children was living in poverty in McCook County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.3%.

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 26.7 in McCook County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 2.82 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

92.2% of the population of McCook County, SD has health coverage, with 48.4% on employee plans, 9.87% on Medicaid, 13.4% on Medicare, 17.2% on non-group plans, and 3.33% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in McCook County, SD see 5,695 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (5,695 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 5778 patients per year, and mental health providers who see null patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.6% were men and 48.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

5,695 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in McCook County, SD

Primary care physicians in McCook County, SD see an average of 5,695 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (5,695 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.3% under 18 years, 16.7% between 18 and 34 years, 35.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.6% were men and 48.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

7.77%

Uninsured

48.4%

Employer Coverage

9.87%

Medicaid

13.4%

Medicare

17.2%

Non-Group

3.33%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in McCook County, SD declined by 12.8% from 8.91% to 7.77%.

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