Potter County, SD

County

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2024 Population

2,388

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

49.9

11.1% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

6.18%

19.4% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$72,045

0.445% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$121,300

2024 Employed Population

1,158

1.61% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Potter 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.

99.7% of the residents in Potter County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Potter County, SD was $121,300, and the homeownership rate was 81.5%.

Most people in Potter County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Potter County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Potter County, SD borders Dewey County, SD, Edmunds County, SD, Faulk County, SD, Hyde County, SD, Sully County, SD, and Walworth County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Potter County, SD is home to a population of 2.39k people, from which 99.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.34% of Potter County, SD residents were born outside of the country (32 people).

In 2024, there were 37.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (2.23k people) in Potter County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 59 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 37 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.7%

2024 Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.7% of Potter County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Potter County, SD was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Potter County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
2.23k ± 116
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
59 ± 49
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
37 ± 36

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Potter 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

1.34%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

32 people

1.03%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

25 people

As of 2024, 1.34% of Potter County, SD residents (32 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 Potter County, SD was 1.03%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
55 ± 25
Gulf War (2001-)
10 ± 18
Korea
10 ± 16

Potter County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 5.5 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Potter County, SD employs 1.16k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Potter County, SD were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (310 people), Retail Trade (176 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (139 people), and the highest paying industries were Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation ($65,750), Public Administration ($63,125), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($62,500).

Employment

Occupations

1.16k

2024 Value

± 145

−1.61%

1 Year decline

± 17.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Potter County, SD declined at a rate of −1.61%, from 1.18k employees to 1.16k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Potter County, SD, are Management Occupations (219 people), Sales & Related Occupations (147 people), and Farming, Fishing, & Forestry Occupations (120 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Potter 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

1.16k

2024 Value

± 145

−1.61%

1 Year decline

± 17.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Potter County, SD declined at a rate of −1.61%, from 1.18k employees to 1.16k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Potter County, SD, are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting (310 people), Retail Trade (176 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (139 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Potter County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Potter County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$53,603

Median earning men ± $10,476

$36,528

Median earning women ± $11,958

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($121,250), Public Administration ($66,250), and Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodations & Food Services ($65,550).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($59,500), Wholesale Trade ($58,281), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($42,917).

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

11
Construction
10
Other Services (except Public Administration)
9
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

$7.27k
Wholesale Trade
$5.49k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$3.09k
Retail Trade

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

Housing & Living

People in Potter County, SD have an average commute time of 14.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Potter County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 5.16% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Potter County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.14%.

Housing

Property

$121,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$23,890

$869

Median Property Taxes

±$105

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 Potter County, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

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

Rent vs Own

81.5%

Homeownership

2024

57.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 81.5% of the housing units in Potter County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 78.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Potter 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.

$72,045

Median Household Income

± $16,190

1.07k

Number of Households

± 119

In 2024, the median household income of the 1.07k households in Potter County, SD grew to $72,045 from the previous year's value of $71,726.

The following chart displays the households in Potter 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 Potter 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 (77.1%)
Carpooled (11.2%)
Worked At Home (6%)

In 2024, 77.1% of workers in Potter County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.2%) and those who worked at home (6%).

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

14.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Potter County, SD have a shorter commute time (14.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.844% of the workforce in Potter County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 5.16% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Potter County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.14%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

6.18% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Potter County, SD (143 out of 2.32k 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 55 - 64 and then Males 65 - 74.

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

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% of the children was living in poverty in Potter County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.7%.

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 2018, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 55.7 in Potter County, SD. From 2014 to 2018, the indicator grew 11.3 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.7% of the population of Potter County, SD has health coverage, with 40.7% on employee plans, 5.72% on Medicaid, 25.2% on Medicare, 22.9% on non-group plans, and 1.2% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Potter County, SD see 2,475 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,475 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2438 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2413 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,475 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Potter County, SD

Primary care physicians in Potter County, SD see an average of 2,475 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,475 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.8% under 18 years, 13.4% between 18 and 34 years, 33.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 28.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.26%

Uninsured

40.7%

Employer Coverage

5.72%

Medicaid

25.2%

Medicare

22.9%

Non-Group

1.2%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Potter County, SD declined by 44.2% from 7.62% to 4.26%.

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