Watertown, SD

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2023 Population

28,556

17.5% 1-year decline

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

39.9

3.1% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

10.2%

1.42% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$65,080

4.28% 1-year decline

2023 Median Property Value

$218,000

7.44% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

15,260

17% 1-year decline

About

In 2023, Watertown, SD had a population of 28.6k people with a median age of 39.9 and a median household income of $65,080. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Watertown, SD declined from 34,598 to 28,556, a −17.5% decrease and its median household income declined from $67,993 to $65,080, a −4.28% decrease.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Watertown, SD are White (Non-Hispanic) (90.9%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (2.41%), Two+ (Hispanic) (1.98%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (1.92%), and Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (0.735%).

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.

99.2% of the residents in Watertown, SD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Watertown, SD are Lake Area Technical College (793 degrees awarded in 2022).

In 2023, the median property value in Watertown, SD was $218,000, and the homeownership rate was 67.4%.

Most people in Watertown, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.9 minutes. The average car ownership in Watertown, SD was 2 cars per household.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Watertown, SD is home to a population of 28.6k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.22% of Watertown, SD residents were born outside of the country (347 people).

In 2023, there were 37.7 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (26k people) in Watertown, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 688 Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 565 Two+ (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

98.1%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.2% of Watertown, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Watertown, SD was 98.1%, 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)
26k ± 163
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
688 ± 154
Two+ (Hispanic)
565 ± 234

2.99%

Hispanic Population

854 people

2.99% of the people in Watertown, SD are hispanic (854 people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Watertown, SD as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,032 ± 1,350 people
Guatemala
2,803 ± 1,298 people
Ethiopia
2,418 ± 1,206 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,032 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,803 and Ethiopia with 2,418.

Foreign-Born Population

1.22%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

347 people

2.17%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

752 people

As of 2023, 1.22% of Watertown, SD residents (347 people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Watertown, SD was 2.17%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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
522 ± 113
Gulf War (1990s)
345 ± 178
Gulf War (2001-)
332 ± 135

Watertown, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.51 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Watertown, SD employs 15.3k people. The largest industries in Watertown, SD are Manufacturing (2,909 people), Retail Trade (2,142 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,868 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($70,625), Wholesale Trade ($66,005), and Public Administration ($56,563).

Males in South Dakota have an average income that is 1.29 times higher than the average income of females, which is $52,552. The income inequality in South Dakota (measured using the Gini index) is 0.438, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

15.3k

2023 Value

± 927

−17%

1 Year decline

± 9.57%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Watertown, SD declined at a rate of −17%, from 18.4k employees to 15.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Watertown, SD, are Management Occupations (2,243 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,733 people), and Production Occupations (1,672 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 false.

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

15.3k

2023 Value

± 927

−17%

1 Year decline

± 9.57%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Watertown, SD declined at a rate of −17%, from 18.4k employees to 15.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Watertown, SD, are Manufacturing (2,909 people), Retail Trade (2,142 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,868 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

$51,406

Median earning men ± $3,143

$36,500

Median earning women ± $2,106

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($121,731), Information ($102,596), and Wholesale Trade ($66,833).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($48,059), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($43,401), and Wholesale Trade ($42,969).

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

98
Construction
77
Retail Trade
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.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$178k
Manufacturing
$113k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$80.1k
Retail Trade

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

Education

In 2022, universities in Watertown, SD awarded 793 degrees. The student population of Watertown, SD in 2022 is skewed towards men, with 1,122 male students and 1,116 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Watertown, SD are White (695 and 88.1%), followed by Unknown (44 and 5.58%), American Indian or Alaska Native (21 and 2.66%), and Hispanic or Latino (12 and 1.52%).

The largest universities in Watertown, SD by number of degrees awarded are Lake Area Technical College (793 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Watertown, SD are Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (77 and 9.71%), Diesel Mechanics Technology (66 and 8.32%), and Welding Technology (54 and 6.81%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 2,238 students enrolled in Watertown, SD, 50.1% men and 49.9% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,049 records, of which 49.6% were women and 50.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer Science
30 degrees awarded
Diesel Mechanics Technology
66 degrees awarded
General Marketing & Marketing Management
36 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Watertown, SD was Computer Science with 30 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

793 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Lake Area Technical College with 793 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2022, 416 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Watertown, SD, which is 1.1 times more than the 377 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 695 degrees mean that there were 15.8 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 44 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 2022.

Public, 2-year ($2,998) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($1,490) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Measure

In 2022, 0.574% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.482% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (206k), Some college (148k), and Bachelors Degree (133k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Watertown, SD was $218,000 in 2023, which is 0.719 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $202,900 to $218,000, a 7.44% increase. The homeownership rate in Watertown, SD is 67.4%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Watertown, SD have an average commute time of 14.9 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.

Median household income in Watertown, SD is $65,080. In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income in Watertown, SD was Lincoln County, SD with a value of $96,552, followed by Hanson County, SD and Union County, SD, with respective values of $86,375 and $84,137.

Housing

Property

$218,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$11,928

$8,332

Median Property Taxes

±$673

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 $2k - $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

67.4%

Homeownership

2023

65%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 67.4% of the housing units in Watertown, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 69.2%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

In 2023, the county with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Watertown, SD was Lincoln County, SD with a value of $96,552, followed by Hanson County, SD and Union County, SD, with respective values of $86,375 and $84,137.

The following map shows all of the counties in Watertown, SD colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$65,080

Median Household Income

± $5,327

12.4k

Number of Households

± 837

In 2023, the median household income of the 12.4k households in Watertown, SD declined from $65,080 from the previous year's value of $67,993.

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.

0.438

2022 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.439

2021 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2022, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.438 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.26% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (84.1%)
Carpooled (6.9%)
Worked At Home (6.01%)

In 2023, 84.1% of workers in Watertown, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.9%) and those who worked at home (6.01%).

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

14.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Watertown, SD have a shorter commute time (14.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.04% 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

10.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Watertown, SD (2.87k out of 28.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 45 - 54.

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

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
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.

Health

93.3% of the population of Watertown, SD has health coverage, with 53.6% on employee plans, 8.96% on Medicaid, 13.9% on Medicare, 14.3% on non-group plans, and 2.56% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see 1243 patients per year on average, which represents a 1.11% decrease from the previous year (1257 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1552 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 465 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

1,243 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in South Dakota

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see an average of 1,243 patients per year. This represents a 1.11% decrease from the previous year (1,257 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.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.9% under 18 years, 19.4% between 18 and 34 years, 37.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 18.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 51.4% were men and 48.6% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.68%

Uninsured

53.6%

Employer Coverage

8.96%

Medicaid

13.9%

Medicare

14.3%

Non-Group

2.56%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Watertown, SD declined by 13.1% from 7.69% to 6.68%.

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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