Mellette County, SD

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

1,943

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

37.5

21% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

41.7%

9.65% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$54,076

5.28% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$84,100

33.5% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

758

14.3% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Mellette 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.

100% of the residents in Mellette County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Mellette County, SD was $84,100, and the homeownership rate was 60.4%.

Most people in Mellette County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Mellette County, SD was 3 cars per household.

Mellette County, SD borders Bennett County, SD, Jackson County, SD, Jones County, SD, Lyman County, SD, Todd County, SD, and Tripp County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Mellette County, SD is home to a population of 1.94k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of 2024, 0% of Mellette County, SD residents were born outside of the country (0 people).

In 2024, there were 1.62 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.09k people) in Mellette County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 674 White (Non-Hispanic) and 134 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%

2024 Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Mellette County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Mellette County, SD was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Mellette County, SD

American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
1.09k ± 203
White (Non-Hispanic)
674 ± 83
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
134 ± 104

0.875%

Hispanic Population

17 people

0.875% of the people in Mellette County, SD are hispanic (17 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Mellette 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.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
40 ± 34
Gulf War (2001-)
31 ± 29
Gulf War (1990s)
19 ± 19

Mellette County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.29 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Mellette County, SD employs 758 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Mellette County, SD were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (247 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (147 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (105 people), and the highest paying industries were Construction ($97,554), Educational Services ($45,982), and Public Administration ($42,593).

Employment

Occupations

758

2024 Value

± 142

14.3%

1 Year growth

± 23.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mellette County, SD grew at a rate of 14.3%, from 663 employees to 758 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Mellette County, SD, are Management Occupations (228 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (64 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (55 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Mellette 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

758

2024 Value

± 142

14.3%

1 Year growth

± 23.5%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Mellette County, SD grew at a rate of 14.3%, from 663 employees to 758 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Mellette County, SD, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (247 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (147 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (105 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Mellette County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Mellette County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$35,948

Median earning men ± $6,674

$30,313

Median earning women ± $9,643

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Construction ($98,424), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($65,208), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($37,794).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($42,692), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($37,784), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($26,154).

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

3
Accommodation and Food Services
3
Construction

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

$859
Retail Trade
$313
Accommodation and Food Services
$174
Finance and Insurance

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Mellette County, SD was $84,100 in 2024, which is 0.253 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $63,000 to $84,100, a 33.5% increase. The homeownership rate in Mellette County, SD is 60.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Mellette County, SD have an average commute time of 16.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Mellette County, SD is higher than the national average, with an average of 3 cars per household.

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Mellette County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.794%.

Housing

Property

$84,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$31,762

$387

Median Property Taxes

±$87

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 Mellette County, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the None range.

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

Rent vs Own

60.4%

Homeownership

2024

68.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 60.4% of the housing units in Mellette County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Mellette 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.

$54,076

Median Household Income

± $8,231

641

Number of Households

± 118

In 2024, the median household income of the 641 households in Mellette County, SD grew to $54,076 from the previous year's value of $51,364.

The following chart displays the households in Mellette 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Mellette 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 (64%)
Carpooled (18.3%)
Worked At Home (13.9%)

In 2024, 64% of workers in Mellette County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (18.3%) and those who worked at home (13.9%).

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

16.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Mellette County, SD have a shorter commute time (16.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.932% of the workforce in Mellette County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 17.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Mellette County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.794%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

41.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Mellette County, SD (788 out of 1.89k 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 35 - 44, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Females 35 - 44.

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

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, 33% of the children was living in poverty in Mellette County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 11.9%.

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 191 in Mellette County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 173 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

75% of the population of Mellette County, SD has health coverage, with 19.1% on employee plans, 33.5% on Medicaid, 11.2% on Medicare, 8.07% on non-group plans, and 3.11% on military or VA plans.

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

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

0 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Mellette County, SD

Primary care physicians in Mellette County, SD see an average of 0 patients per year. This represents a NaNN% 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 Mellette County, SD in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 30.2% under 18 years, 16.8% between 18 and 34 years, 37.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

25%

Uninsured

19.1%

Employer Coverage

33.5%

Medicaid

11.2%

Medicare

8.07%

Non-Group

3.11%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Mellette County, SD declined by 11.4% from 28.2% to 25%.

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