Watertown, SD

Census Place

2024 Population

23,044

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

US Representative

Dusty Johnson

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.5

0.254% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

9.03%

Population & Diversity

Watertown, SD is home to a population of 23k people, from which 99.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 1.32% of Watertown, SD residents were born outside of the country (305 people).

In 2024, there were 32.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (20.7k people) in Watertown, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 640 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 530 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.5%

2024 Citizenship

99.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.5% of Watertown, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Watertown, SD was 99.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Watertown, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
20.7k ± 296
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
640 ± 145
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
530 ± 101

2.93%

Hispanic Population

675 people

2.93% of the people in Watertown, SD are hispanic (675 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Watertown, SD as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Dakota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,429 ± 1,435 people
Guatemala
2,883 ± 1,316 people
Ethiopia
2,826 ± 1,303 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,429 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,883 and Ethiopia with 2,826.

Foreign-Born Population

1.32%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

305 people

1.31%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

299 people

As of 2024, 1.32% of Watertown, SD residents (305 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 Watertown, SD was 1.31%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
393 ± 141
Gulf War (2001-)
322 ± 146
Gulf War (1990s)
254 ± 170

Watertown, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.22 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Watertown, SD employs 12.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Watertown, SD were Manufacturing (2,440 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,825 people), and Retail Trade (1,636 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($115,250), Wholesale Trade ($76,042), and Information ($60,895).

Employment

Occupations

12.3k

2024 Value

± 905

1.65%

1 Year growth

± 10.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watertown, SD grew at a rate of 1.65%, from 12.1k employees to 12.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Watertown, SD, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,594 people), Production Occupations (1,429 people), and Management Occupations (1,277 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Watertown, 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

12.3k

2024 Value

± 905

1.65%

1 Year growth

± 10.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watertown, SD grew at a rate of 1.65%, from 12.1k employees to 12.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Watertown, SD, are Manufacturing (2,440 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (1,825 people), and Retail Trade (1,636 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Watertown, SD, though some of these residents may live in Watertown, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$55,665

Median earning men ± $2,735

$39,460

Median earning women ± $2,502

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($99,063), Wholesale Trade ($76,042), and Public Administration ($61,296).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($60,417), Construction ($60,365), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($57,908).

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing the state of South Dakota. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Watertown, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Watertown, SD. Showing the available data for South Dakota.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (63.4%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (34.2%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (1.68%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in South Dakota went to Donald J. Trump with 63.4% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (34.2%), followed by Robert Kennedy (1.68%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in South Dakota for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from South Dakota

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

John Thune

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2005

Mike Rounds

Senator from South Dakota

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

John Thune and Mike Rounds are the senators currently representing South Dakota.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in South Dakota over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Watertown, SD

Dusty Johnson

District at-large Representative

Republican Party

Watertown, SD is currently represented by Dusty Johnson (Republican Party).

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the member for Watertown, SD have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

The student population of Watertown, SD in 2024 is skewed towards men, with 1,185 male students and 1,127 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Watertown, SD are White (783 and 92.6%), Hispanic or Latino (23 and 2.72%), American Indian or Alaska Native (15 and 1.77%), and Unknown (9 and 1.06%).

The largest universities in Watertown, SD by number of degrees awarded are Lake Area Technical College (847 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Watertown, SD are Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (94 and 11.1%), Diesel Mechanics Technology (92 and 10.9%), and General Agriculture Management (87 and 10.3%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 2,312 students enrolled in Watertown, SD, 51.3% men and 48.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,059 records, of which 49% were women and 51% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Diesel Mechanics Technology
92 degrees awarded
General Agriculture Management
87 degrees awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
66 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Watertown, SD was Diesel Mechanics Technology with 92 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Watertown, SD according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Lake Area Technical College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

847 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lake Area Technical College with 847 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 445 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Watertown, SD, which is 1.11 times more than the 402 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 783 degrees mean that there were 34 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 23 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,720) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,998) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Watertown, SD was $229,400 in 2024, which is 0.69 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $212,300 to $229,400, a 8.05% increase. The homeownership rate in Watertown, SD is 65.3%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Watertown, SD have an average commute time of 12.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Watertown, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$229,400

Median Property Value 2024

±$14,753

$6,783

Median Property Taxes

±$648

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

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

Rent vs Own

65.3%

Homeownership

2024

68.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 65.3% of the housing units in Watertown, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 62.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Watertown, 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.

$69,600

Median Household Income

± $6,806

10.4k

Number of Households

± 778

In 2024, the median household income of the 10.4k households in Watertown, SD grew to $69,600 from the previous year's value of $62,721.

The following chart displays the households in Watertown, 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 Watertown, SD is from South Dakota.

0.44

2024 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2024, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.44 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.642% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (83.8%)
Carpooled (9.14%)
Worked At Home (4.76%)

In 2024, 83.8% of workers in Watertown, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.14%) and those who worked at home (4.76%).

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

12.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Watertown, SD have a shorter commute time (12.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.21% of the workforce in Watertown, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Watertown, SD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Watertown, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Watertown, SD have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

9.03% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Watertown, SD (2.05k out of 22.7k 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 Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 45 - 54 and then Females 18 - 24.

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

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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