Watertown, SD

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population
28,767
US Senator
John Thune
Republican Party
US Senator
Mike Rounds
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
40.4
1.25% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
8.83%
13.3% 1-year decrease
2024 Median Household Income
$72,727
11.8% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$237,700
9.04% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
15,409
0.976% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Watertown, 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.

99.4% of the residents in Watertown, SD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Watertown, SD are Lake Area Technical College (939 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Watertown, SD was $237,700, and the homeownership rate was 69.8%.

Most people in Watertown, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Watertown, SD was 2 cars per household.

United StatesSouth Dakota

Population & Diversity

Watertown, SD is home to a population of 28.8k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.29% of Watertown, SD residents were born outside of the country (372 people).

In 2024, there were 36.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (26k people) in Watertown, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 704 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 536 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%
2024 Citizenship
99.2%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.4% 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 99.2%, 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.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Watertown, SD
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    26k ± 181
  2. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    704 ± 147
  3. American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
    536 ± 100
3.29%
Hispanic Population
946 people

In 2024, there were 36.9 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (26k people) in Watertown, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 704 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 536 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

3.29% of the people in Watertown, SD are hispanic (946 people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for South Dakota.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    3,626 ± 1,475 people
  2. Guatemala
    2,932 ± 1,327 people
  3. 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.29%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
372 people
1.22%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
347 people

As of 2024, 1.29% of Watertown, SD residents (372 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 1.22%, 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.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    463 ± 146
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    365 ± 146
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    320 ± 174

Watertown, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.27 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Watertown, SD employs 15.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Watertown, SD were Manufacturing (2,852 people), Retail Trade (2,269 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (2,037 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($104,773), Wholesale Trade ($75,104), and Information ($60,540).

Employment

Occupations

15.4k
2024 Value
± 949
0.976%
1 Year growth
± 8.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watertown, SD grew at a rate of 0.976%, from 15.3k employees to 15.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Watertown, SD, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,953 people), Management Occupations (1,848 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,799 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Watertown, SD.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

15.4k
2024 Value
± 949
0.976%
1 Year growth
± 8.57%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Watertown, SD grew at a rate of 0.976%, from 15.3k employees to 15.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Watertown, SD, are Manufacturing (2,852 people), Retail Trade (2,269 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (2,037 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.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$56,383
Median earning men ± $2,732
$39,118
Median earning women ± $2,462

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($108,512), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($98,063), and Wholesale Trade ($75,833).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($60,093), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($57,853), and Construction ($57,813).

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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.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 98
    Construction
  2. 77
    Retail Trade
  3. 67
    Real Estate and Rental and Leasing

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.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $178k
    Manufacturing
  2. $113k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  3. $80.1k
    Retail Trade

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

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Education

In 2023, universities in Watertown, SD awarded 939 degrees. The student population of Watertown, SD in 2023 is skewed towards men, with 1,133 male students and 1,046 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Watertown, SD are White (839 and 89.6%), Unknown (27 and 2.88%), American Indian or Alaska Native (25 and 2.67%), and Hispanic or Latino (24 and 2.56%).

The largest universities in Watertown, SD by number of degrees awarded are Lake Area Technical College (939 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Watertown, SD are General Agriculture Management (104 and 11.1%), Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (90 and 9.58%), and Diesel Mechanics Technology (89 and 9.48%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 2,179 students enrolled in Watertown, SD, 52% men and 48% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,988 records, of which 47.2% were women and 52.8% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Agriculture Management
    104 degrees awarded
  2. Diesel Mechanics Technology
    89 degrees awarded
  3. General Marketing & Marketing Management
    62 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Watertown, SD was General Agriculture Management with 104 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Lake Area Technical College
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
939 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lake Area Technical College with 939 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 492 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Watertown, SD, which is 1.1 times more than the 447 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 839 degrees mean that there were 31.1 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 27 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,720) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,998) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,560) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Watertown, SD was $237,700 in 2024, which is 0.714 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $218,000 to $237,700, a 9.04% increase. The homeownership rate in Watertown, SD is 69.8%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Watertown, SD have an average commute time of 14.1 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

$237,700
Median Property Value 2024
±$15,323
$8,747
Median Property Taxes
±$687

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.

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Rent vs Own

69.8%
Homeownership
2024
66.3%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 69.8% of the housing units in Watertown, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Watertown, SD compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$72,727
Median Household Income
± $4,778
12.5k
Number of Households
± 809

In 2024, the median household income of the 12.5k households in Watertown, SD grew to $72,727 from the previous year's value of $65,080.

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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Watertown, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (83.7%)
  2. Carpooled (8.43%)
  3. Worked At Home (5.6%)

In 2024, 83.7% of workers in Watertown, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.43%) and those who worked at home (5.6%).

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.

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Commute Time

14.1 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Watertown, SD have a shorter commute time (14.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.29% 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.

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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.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.83% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Watertown, SD (2.5k out of 28.3k 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 Two Or More.

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.

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Health

93.7% of the population of Watertown, SD has health coverage, with 56% on employee plans, 7.47% on Medicaid, 14% on Medicare, 14.2% on non-group plans, and 2.07% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see 1,252 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,252 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1561 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 409 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.1% were men and 48.9% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.
1,252 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in South Dakota

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see an average of 1,252 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,252 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.4% under 18 years, 19.7% between 18 and 34 years, 37.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.8% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.1% were men and 48.9% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

6.28%
Uninsured
56%
Employer Coverage
7.47%
Medicaid
14%
Medicare
14.2%
Non-Group
2.07%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Watertown, SD declined by 6.1% from 6.68% to 6.28%.

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

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