Moody County, SD

County

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2024 Population

6,397

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

40.8

0.741% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

11.6%

17.3% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$78,427

1.2% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$226,500

9.79% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

3,130

1.46% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Moody 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.

97.4% of the residents in Moody County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Moody County, SD was $226,500, and the homeownership rate was 73.5%.

Most people in Moody County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Moody County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Moody County, SD borders Lake County, SD, Lincoln County, MN, Pipestone County, MN, Rock County, MN, Brookings County, SD, and Minnehaha County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Moody County, SD is home to a population of 6.4k people, from which 97.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.08% of Moody County, SD residents were born outside of the country (261 people).

In 2024, there were 5.94 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.73k people) in Moody County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 796 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 276 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.4%

2024 Citizenship

97.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.4% of Moody County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Moody County, SD was 97.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Moody County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.73k ± 70
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
796 ± 80
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
276 ± 87

5.8%

Hispanic Population

371 people

5.8% of the people in Moody County, SD are hispanic (371 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Moody 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

4.08%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

261 people

3.78%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

241 people

As of 2024, 4.08% of Moody County, SD residents (261 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 Moody County, SD was 3.78%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
162 ± 44
Gulf War (2001-)
62 ± 31
Gulf War (1990s)
39 ± 19

Moody County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.61 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Moody County, SD employs 3.13k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Moody County, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (439 people), Educational Services (370 people), and Construction (363 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($112,500), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($68,750), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($65,357).

Employment

Occupations

3.13k

2024 Value

± 242

1.46%

1 Year growth

± 10.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Moody County, SD grew at a rate of 1.46%, from 3.09k employees to 3.13k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Moody County, SD, are Management Occupations (479 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (330 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (235 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Moody 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

3.13k

2024 Value

± 242

1.46%

1 Year growth

± 10.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Moody County, SD grew at a rate of 1.46%, from 3.09k employees to 3.13k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Moody County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (439 people), Educational Services (370 people), and Construction (363 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Moody County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Moody County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$54,974

Median earning men ± $7,207

$37,425

Median earning women ± $3,226

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($86,250), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($74,205), and Public Administration ($68,000).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($55,208), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($52,813), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($51,458).

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

18
Other Services (except Public Administration)
15
Construction
10
Health Care and Social Assistance

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

$17.1k
Manufacturing
$13.1k
Construction
$11.2k
Accommodation and Food Services

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Moody County, SD was $226,500 in 2024, which is 0.681 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $206,300 to $226,500, a 9.79% increase. The homeownership rate in Moody County, SD is 73.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Moody County, SD have an average commute time of 19.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Moody County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Moody County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 3.33%.

Housing

Property

$226,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$19,238

$1,880

Median Property Taxes

±$173

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

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

Rent vs Own

73.5%

Homeownership

2024

61.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.5% of the housing units in Moody County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 70.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Moody 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.

$78,427

Median Household Income

± $5,497

2.56k

Number of Households

± 217

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.56k households in Moody County, SD grew to $78,427 from the previous year's value of $77,500.

The following chart displays the households in Moody 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 Moody 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 (75.5%)
Worked At Home (9.55%)
Carpooled (8.57%)

In 2024, 75.5% of workers in Moody County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.55%) and those who carpooled to work (8.57%).

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

19.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Moody County, SD have a shorter commute time (19.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.9% of the workforce in Moody County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12.7% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Moody County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 3.33%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

11.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Moody County, SD (734 out of 6.31k 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 Males 18 - 24 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

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, 11.1% of the children was living in poverty in Moody County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.1%.

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 242 in Moody County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 98.4 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

89% of the population of Moody County, SD has health coverage, with 49% on employee plans, 8.8% on Medicaid, 12.8% on Medicare, 15.7% on non-group plans, and 2.69% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Moody County, SD see 2,105 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,105 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2116 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 806 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

2,105 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Moody County, SD

Primary care physicians in Moody County, SD see an average of 2,105 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,105 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.8% under 18 years, 16.3% between 18 and 34 years, 36.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.5% 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

11%

Uninsured

49%

Employer Coverage

8.8%

Medicaid

12.8%

Medicare

15.7%

Non-Group

2.69%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Moody County, SD grew by 19% from 9.21% to 11%.

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