Union County, SD

County

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2024 Population

17,081

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.5

2.72% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

6.21%

14.8% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$89,636

6.54% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$301,100

11.7% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

8,947

3.39% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Union 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 Union County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Union County, SD was $301,100, and the homeownership rate was 73.1%.

Most people in Union County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Union County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Union County, SD borders Plymouth County, IA, Sioux County, IA, Woodbury County, IA, Dakota County, NE, Dixon County, NE, Clay County, SD, and Lincoln County, SD.

United States South Dakota Sioux City, IA-NE-SD

Population & Diversity

Union County, SD is home to a population of 17.1k people, from which 98.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.96% of Union County, SD residents were born outside of the country (334 people).

In 2024, there were 37.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (15.1k people) in Union County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 398 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) and 392 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.7%

2024 Citizenship

98.6%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.7% of Union County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Union County, SD was 98.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Union County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
15.1k ± 160
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
398 ± 220
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
392 ± 140

4.82%

Hispanic Population

823 people

4.82% of the people in Union County, SD are hispanic (823 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Union 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

1.96%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

334 people

2.31%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

391 people

As of 2024, 1.96% of Union County, SD residents (334 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 Union County, SD was 2.31%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
332 ± 124
Vietnam
269 ± 85
Gulf War (1990s)
191 ± 143

Union County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.23 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Union County, SD employs 8.95k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Union County, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,333 people), Manufacturing (1,219 people), and Retail Trade (875 people), and the highest paying industries were Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($250,001), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($93,125), and Utilities ($88,750).

Employment

Occupations

8.95k

2024 Value

± 651

3.39%

1 Year growth

± 9.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Union County, SD grew at a rate of 3.39%, from 8.65k employees to 8.95k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Union County, SD, are Management Occupations (1,578 people), Sales & Related Occupations (923 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (912 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Union 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

8.95k

2024 Value

± 651

3.39%

1 Year growth

± 9.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Union County, SD grew at a rate of 3.39%, from 8.65k employees to 8.95k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Union County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,333 people), Manufacturing (1,219 people), and Retail Trade (875 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Union County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Union County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$64,873

Median earning men ± $4,087

$43,398

Median earning women ± $3,303

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($121,055), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($107,569), and Information ($84,821).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($83,474), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($75,430), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($50,417).

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

43
Health Care and Social Assistance
42
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
35
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

$163k
Management of Companies and Enterprises
$102k
Manufacturing
$94.1k
Wholesale Trade

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Union County, SD was $301,100 in 2024, which is 0.905 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $269,500 to $301,100, a 11.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Union County, SD is 73.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Union County, SD have an average commute time of 17.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Union County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 9.36% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Union County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.06%.

Housing

Property

$301,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$18,340

$5,343

Median Property Taxes

±$418

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

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

Rent vs Own

73.1%

Homeownership

2024

68.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 73.1% of the housing units in Union County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 71.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Union 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.

$89,636

Median Household Income

± $5,949

7.31k

Number of Households

± 567

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.31k households in Union County, SD grew to $89,636 from the previous year's value of $84,137.

The following chart displays the households in Union 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 Union 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 (82.6%)
Worked At Home (7.94%)
Carpooled (6.78%)

In 2024, 82.6% of workers in Union County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (7.94%) and those who carpooled to work (6.78%).

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

17.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Union County, SD have a shorter commute time (17.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.548% of the workforce in Union County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 9.36% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Union County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 2.06%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

6.21% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Union County, SD (1.05k out of 16.9k 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 65 - 74 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Union County, SD is White, followed by Hispanic and Other.

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, 5.6% of the children was living in poverty in Union County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.9%.

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 146 in Union County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 122 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

94.9% of the population of Union County, SD has health coverage, with 61.6% on employee plans, 5.53% on Medicaid, 15.3% on Medicare, 10.3% on non-group plans, and 2.18% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Union County, SD see 2,109 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,109 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1138 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 2148 patients per year.

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

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,109 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Union County, SD

Primary care physicians in Union County, SD see an average of 2,109 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,109 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.3% under 18 years, 17.6% between 18 and 34 years, 37.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.2% over 64 years.

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

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

Uninsured People

5.13%

Uninsured

61.6%

Employer Coverage

5.53%

Medicaid

15.3%

Medicare

10.3%

Non-Group

2.18%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Union County, SD declined by 0.387% from 5.15% to 5.13%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Union 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 63.6 in Union County, SD.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Union 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 32.6% in Union County, SD.

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