Meade County, SD

County

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2024 Population

30,546

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

37.3

0.811% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

7.1%

7.18% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$74,790

0.848% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$310,900

13.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

15,095

0.0265% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Meade 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.

99.1% of the residents in Meade County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Meade County, SD was $310,900, and the homeownership rate was 72.9%.

Most people in Meade County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Meade County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Meade County, SD borders Butte County, SD, Haakon County, SD, Lawrence County, SD, Pennington County, SD, Perkins County, SD, and Ziebach County, SD.

United States South Dakota Rapid City, SD

Population & Diversity

Meade County, SD is home to a population of 30.5k people, from which 99.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.67% of Meade County, SD residents were born outside of the country (509 people).

In 2024, there were 17.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (26k people) in Meade County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.45k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 655 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.1%

2024 Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.1% of Meade County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Meade County, SD was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Meade County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
26k ± 301
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.45k ± 265
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
655 ± 412

4.87%

Hispanic Population

1.49k people

4.87% of the people in Meade County, SD are hispanic (1.49k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Meade 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

1.67%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

509 people

1.78%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

540 people

As of 2024, 1.67% of Meade County, SD residents (509 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 Meade County, SD was 1.78%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
1,232 ± 259
Vietnam
565 ± 164
Gulf War (1990s)
328 ± 114

Meade County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.18 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Meade County, SD employs 15.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Meade County, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (2,382 people), Retail Trade (1,938 people), and Construction (1,579 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($106,125), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($66,875), and Public Administration ($65,436).

Employment

Occupations

15.1k

2024 Value

± 1,110

0.0265%

1 Year growth

± 9.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Meade County, SD grew at a rate of 0.0265%, from 15.1k employees to 15.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Meade County, SD, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,981 people), Management Occupations (1,634 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,399 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Meade 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

15.1k

2024 Value

± 1,110

0.0265%

1 Year growth

± 9.86%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Meade County, SD grew at a rate of 0.0265%, from 15.1k employees to 15.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Meade County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,382 people), Retail Trade (1,938 people), and Construction (1,579 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Meade County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Meade County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,772

Median earning men ± $3,283

$35,821

Median earning women ± $1,495

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($89,773), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($82,500), and Manufacturing ($69,306).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($89,018), Wholesale Trade ($80,547), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($50,780).

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

121
Construction
59
Other Services (except Public Administration)
45
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

$184k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$45.7k
Construction
$35.2k
Retail Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Meade County, SD was $310,900 in 2024, which is 0.934 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $274,800 to $310,900, a 13.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Meade County, SD is 72.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Meade County, SD have an average commute time of 19.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Meade County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 6.86% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Meade County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.04%.

Housing

Property

$310,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,105

$8,727

Median Property Taxes

±$700

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

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

Rent vs Own

72.9%

Homeownership

2024

66.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 72.9% of the housing units in Meade County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 72.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Meade 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.

$74,790

Median Household Income

± $7,020

12k

Number of Households

± 829

In 2024, the median household income of the 12k households in Meade County, SD grew to $74,790 from the previous year's value of $74,161.

The following chart displays the households in Meade 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 Meade 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 (76.6%)
Worked At Home (8.13%)
Carpooled (7.47%)

In 2024, 76.6% of workers in Meade County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.13%) and those who carpooled to work (7.47%).

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

19.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Meade County, SD have a shorter commute time (19.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.25% of the workforce in Meade County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 6.86% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Meade County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.04%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

7.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Meade County, SD (2.1k out of 29.6k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Meade County, SD is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

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, 8.5% of the children was living in poverty in Meade County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.2%.

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 124 in Meade County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 60 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

90.6% of the population of Meade County, SD has health coverage, with 43.4% on employee plans, 8.22% on Medicaid, 12.6% on Medicare, 18.5% on non-group plans, and 7.93% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Meade County, SD see 1,676 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,676 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1705 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 279 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,676 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Meade County, SD

Primary care physicians in Meade County, SD see an average of 1,676 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,676 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.3% under 18 years, 21% between 18 and 34 years, 38.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.2% were men and 49.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

9.4%

Uninsured

43.4%

Employer Coverage

8.22%

Medicaid

12.6%

Medicare

18.5%

Non-Group

7.93%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Meade County, SD grew by 0.967% from 9.31% to 9.4%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Meade 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 70.5 in Meade County, SD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Meade 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 33.3% in Meade County, SD.

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