County profile

Day County

South Dakota · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
5,437
Median household income
$66,033
People below poverty
14.8%
Median home value
$173,600

Income

The median income of households in Day County, South Dakota was $66,033. An estimated 4.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 8.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.2
$10,000 to $14,999 6.1
$15,000 to $24,999 5.4
$25,000 to $34,999 8.5
$35,000 to $49,999 14.5
$50,000 to $74,999 14.4
$75,000 to $99,999 14
$100,000 to $149,999 17.5
$150,000 to $199,999 6.9
$200,000 or more 8.6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 60778
Female 45688

An estimated 72.4% of households received earnings. An estimated 44.3% of households received Social Security and an estimated 23.2 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $20,055. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 72.4
Social Security 44.3
Retirement income 23.2
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 2.9
Cash public assistance income 0.5

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 14.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 24.5% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 13.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 11.1% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 14.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 24.5
People 65 years old and over below poverty 13.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 11.1

In 2020-2024, 7.1 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 42.9% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 47% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 24.4% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024, 91.5% had health insurance coverage and 8.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 67.8% and public coverage was 38.1%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 6.3%.


In 2020-2024, Day County, South Dakota had a total population of 5,437 - 2,722 (50.1%) females and 2,715 (49.9%) males. The median age was 44.8 years. An estimated 22.4% of the population was under 18 years, 24.9% was 19 to 44 years, 23.3% was 45 to 64 years, and 26.7 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 139 139
5 to 9 94 154
10 to 14 221 234
15 to 19 184 202
20 to 24 102 98
25 to 29 131 93
30 to 34 147 152
35 to 39 144 85
40 to 44 179 225
45 to 49 125 57
50 to 54 139 143
55 to 59 203 160
60 to 64 191 247
65 to 69 226 203
70 to 74 216 183
75 to 79 90 98
80 to 84 97 107
85 and over 87 142

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 84.1% were White; 0% were Black or African American; 4.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.1% were Asian; 0% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 5.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.8% of the people in Day County, South Dakota were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 83% of the people in Day County, South Dakota were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 2,371 households in Day County, South Dakota. The average household size was 2.24 people.

Married-couple households made up 43.9% of the households in Day County, South Dakota while cohabiting couple households made up 10.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 21.9% of all households, while 23.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 17.8% of households were male householders living alone, and 16.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 34.6% of all households.

In Day County, South Dakota, 24.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 44.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 43.9
Cohabiting Couples 10.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
23.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
21.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 50.1% of males and 52.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 31.5 22.7
Now married, except separated 50.1 52.7
Separated 0 0.6
Widowed 4.2 14.9
Divorced 14.2 9

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Day County, South Dakota, 51 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 33.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.3% of the people living in Day County, South Dakota were U.S. natives. 76.7% of the Day County, South Dakota population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.7% of Day County, South Dakota residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 17.9% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 20 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Day County, South Dakota come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Day County, South Dakota.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 62.1
Asia 4.2
Europe 12.6
Africa 17.9
Northern America 3.2
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024, 3.9 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.6% of people at least five years old; 2.1% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.6
Other Indo-European languages 1.6
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0
Other languages 0.7

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 86.2 % of the people at least one year old living in Day County, South Dakota were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 86.2
Different house, same county 4.4
Different county, same state 5
Different state 3.4
Abroad 1

Education

In 2020-2024, 93.4 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 22% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 6.6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Day County, South Dakota was 1,024 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 66 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 835. College or graduate school enrollment was 123.

Educational Attainment of People in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 6.6
High school diploma or equivalency 35.1
Some college, no degree 20.3
Associate's degree 16.1
Bachelor's degree 15.9
Graduate or professional degree 6.1

Disability

In Day County, South Dakota, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 13.2 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2% of people under 18 years old, to 8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 33.8% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Day County, South Dakota, 56.3 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 42.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 71% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 15% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 12.8 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 1,761 71
Federal, state, or local government workers 373 15
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 318 12.8

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Day County, South Dakota worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 16
Construction 6.2
Manufacturing 10.4
Wholesale trade 3.6
Retail trade 12.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.3
Information 0.6
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 7.3
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 16.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.8
Other Services, except public administration 4.4
Public administration 5.3

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 896 36.1
Service occupations 307 12.4
Sales and office occupations 584 23.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 330 13.3
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 363 14.6

Commuting to Work

An estimated 76.3% of Day County, South Dakota workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.4% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 22.3 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 76.3
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.4
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.7
Walked 3.2
Other means 0.5
Worked from home 12

In 2020-2024, Day County, South Dakota had a total of 3,440 housing units. Of these housing units, 86.5% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 9.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 4.3% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 86.5
Apartments in multi-unit structures 9.2
Mobile homes 4.3
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

9.9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 27.7% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Day County, South Dakota was 5.5 rooms, and of these housing units 65.7% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Day County, South Dakota had 2,371 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,069 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 74.6% while renters occupied 25.4%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.31 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.03.

2.8% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 16.2% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 6% and another 38% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Day County, South Dakota:

House Heating Fuel Used in Day County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 54.5
Electricity 39.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 2.9
All other fuels 2.6
No fuel used 0.9

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Day County, South Dakota was $173,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 43.9 % had a mortgage. 56.1% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,247 and for owners without a mortgage it was $588.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Day County, South Dakota was $660. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.