Walworth County, SD

County

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2024 Population

5,271

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.7

0.24% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

14.9%

2.38% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$65,026

3.67% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$136,600

5.08% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

2,469

1.19% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Walworth 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.

99.8% of the residents in Walworth County, SD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Walworth County, SD was $136,600, and the homeownership rate was 76.2%.

Most people in Walworth County, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 16.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Walworth County, SD was 2 cars per household.

Walworth County, SD borders Campbell County, SD, Corson County, SD, Dewey County, SD, Edmunds County, SD, McPherson County, SD, and Potter County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Walworth County, SD is home to a population of 5.27k people, from which 99.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 0.398% of Walworth County, SD residents were born outside of the country (21 people).

In 2024, there were 7.34 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.12k people) in Walworth County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 561 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) and 492 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.8%

2024 Citizenship

99.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.8% of Walworth County, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Walworth County, SD was 99.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Walworth County, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.12k ± 13
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
561 ± 223
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
492 ± 237

0.55%

Hispanic Population

29 people

0.55% of the people in Walworth County, SD are hispanic (29 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Walworth 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

0.398%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

21 people

0.623%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

33 people

As of 2024, 0.398% of Walworth County, SD residents (21 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 Walworth County, SD was 0.623%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
120 ± 53
Gulf War (2001-)
85 ± 73
Korea
31 ± 34

Walworth County, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.41 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Walworth County, SD employs 2.47k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Walworth County, SD were Health Care & Social Assistance (301 people), Other Services, Except Public Administration (285 people), and Educational Services (265 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($131,000), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($77,552), and Transportation & Warehousing ($75,450).

Employment

Occupations

2.47k

2024 Value

± 320

1.19%

1 Year growth

± 18.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Walworth County, SD grew at a rate of 1.19%, from 2.44k employees to 2.47k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Walworth County, SD, are Management Occupations (365 people), Sales & Related Occupations (247 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (234 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Walworth 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

2.47k

2024 Value

± 320

1.19%

1 Year growth

± 18.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Walworth County, SD grew at a rate of 1.19%, from 2.44k employees to 2.47k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Walworth County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (301 people), Other Services, Except Public Administration (285 people), and Educational Services (265 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Walworth County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Walworth County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$65,864

Median earning men ± $5,042

$40,398

Median earning women ± $2,322

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($77,552), Other Services Except Public Administration ($72,675), and Manufacturing ($71,689).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($64,063), Public Administration ($53,523), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($52,083).

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

22
Retail Trade
19
Construction
18
Other Services (except Public Administration)

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

$17.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$9.66k
Retail Trade
$5.98k
Transportation and Warehousing

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Walworth County, SD was $136,600 in 2024, which is 0.411 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $130,000 to $136,600, a 5.08% increase. The homeownership rate in Walworth County, SD is 76.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Walworth County, SD have an average commute time of 16.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Walworth County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Walworth County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.0268%.

Housing

Property

$136,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$25,815

$1,841

Median Property Taxes

±$230

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

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

Rent vs Own

76.2%

Homeownership

2024

70.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 76.2% of the housing units in Walworth County, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 74.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Walworth 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.

$65,026

Median Household Income

± $10,908

2.42k

Number of Households

± 301

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.42k households in Walworth County, SD grew to $65,026 from the previous year's value of $62,722.

The following chart displays the households in Walworth 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 Walworth 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 (78.2%)
Carpooled (8.85%)
Walked (6.21%)

In 2024, 78.2% of workers in Walworth County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.85%) and those who walked to work (6.21%).

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 Walworth County, SD have a shorter commute time (16.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.33% of the workforce in Walworth County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.2% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Walworth County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.0268%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

14.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Walworth County, SD (768 out of 5.15k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 6 - 11 and then Males < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Walworth 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, 18.8% of the children was living in poverty in Walworth County, SD. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.8%.

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 261 in Walworth County, SD. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 92.2 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

89.4% of the population of Walworth County, SD has health coverage, with 45.9% on employee plans, 10.4% on Medicaid, 17% on Medicare, 13.3% on non-group plans, and 2.8% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Walworth County, SD see 875 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (875 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 2632 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 479 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51% were men and 49% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

875 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Walworth County, SD

Primary care physicians in Walworth County, SD see an average of 875 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (875 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.4% under 18 years, 15.1% between 18 and 34 years, 38.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 22% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51% were men and 49% were women.

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

Uninsured People

10.6%

Uninsured

45.9%

Employer Coverage

10.4%

Medicaid

17%

Medicare

13.3%

Non-Group

2.8%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Walworth County, SD declined by 0.727% from 10.7% to 10.6%.

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