Buffalo County, SD

County

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2023 Population

1,757

5.49% 1-year decline

US Senator

N/AJohn Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

N/AMike Rounds

Republican Party

2023 Employed Population

586

1.01% 1-year decline

About

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Buffalo County, SD are American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (73.4%), White (Non-Hispanic) (21.2%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic) (1.59%), Two+ (Hispanic) (1.2%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.14%).

None of the households in Buffalo 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.

100% of the residents in Buffalo County, SD are U.S. citizens.

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

Buffalo County, SD borders Brule County, SD, Hand County, SD, Hyde County, SD, Jerauld County, SD, and Lyman County, SD.

United States South Dakota

Population & Diversity

Buffalo County, SD is home to a population of 1.76k people, from which 100% are citizens. As of N/A, N/A% of Buffalo County, SD residents were born outside of the country (N/A people).

In 2023, there were 3.47 times more American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents (1.29k people) in Buffalo County, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 372 White (Non-Hispanic) and 28 American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

100%

2022 Citizenship

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Buffalo County, SD

American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
1.29k ± 223
White (Non-Hispanic)
372 ± 68
American Indian & Alaska Native (Hispanic)
28 ± 23

3.3%

Hispanic Population

58 people

3.3% of the people in Buffalo County, SD are hispanic (58 people).

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

Economy

The economy of Buffalo County, SD employs 586 people. The largest industries in Buffalo County, SD are Health Care & Social Assistance (106 people), Public Administration (100 people), and Educational Services (89 people), and the highest paying industries are Other Services Except Public Administration ($68,571), Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services ($55,774), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($55,238).

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 N/A, which is N/A than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

586

2023 Value

± 113

−1.01%

1 Year decline

± 26.3%

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Buffalo County, SD, are Management Occupations (82 people), Personal Care & Service Occupations (56 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (48 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Buffalo County, 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

586

2023 Value

± 113

−1.01%

1 Year decline

± 26.3%

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Buffalo County, SD, are Health Care & Social Assistance (106 people), Public Administration (100 people), and Educational Services (89 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Buffalo County, SD, though some of these residents may live in Buffalo County, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

Y-Axis

N/A%

Year-over-year N/A

Employment change between N/A N/A and N/A N/A

As of N/A N/A, there are N/A people employed in N/A. This represents a N/A% N/A in employment when compared to N/A N/A.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during N/A, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall N/A in employment by N/A%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in N/A.

Establishments by Size

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.

Education

Completions

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

Measure

In N/A, N/A% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while N/A% 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 N/A.

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were N/A.

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

People in Buffalo County, SD have an average commute time of 14.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Buffalo County, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2023, 26.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buffalo County, SD. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 1.75%.

Housing

Rent vs Own

N/A%

Homeownership

N/A

83.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Census Tract 9402

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

The following map shows all of the tracts in Buffalo County, 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.

N/A

Median Household Income

± N/A

N/A

Number of Households

± 0

The following chart displays the households in Buffalo 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Buffalo County, SD is from Buffalo County, SD.

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Buffalo County, SD across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (76.7%)
Worked At Home (12.9%)
Walked (5.22%)

In 2023, 76.7% of workers in Buffalo County, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (12.9%) and those who walked to work (5.22%).

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

14.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Buffalo County, SD have a shorter commute time (14.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0% of the workforce in Buffalo County, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 26.5% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Buffalo County, SD. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator grew 1.75%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

N/A% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Buffalo County, SD (N/A out of N/A people) live below the poverty line, a number that is approximately the same as the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are N/A N/A, followed by N/A N/A and then N/A N/A.

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

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 44.4% of the children was living in poverty in Buffalo County, SD. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 1.3%.

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.

Health

57.1% of the population of Buffalo County, SD has health coverage, with 16.5% on employee plans, 24.9% on Medicaid, 8.54% on Medicare, 5.46% on non-group plans, and 1.71% on military or VA plans.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 54.6% were men and 45.4% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 39.2% under 18 years, 18.8% between 18 and 34 years, 32.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 9.33% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 54.6% were men and 45.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

42.9%

Uninsured

16.5%

Employer Coverage

24.9%

Medicaid

8.54%

Medicare

5.46%

Non-Group

1.71%

Military or VA

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