County profile

Roberts 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
10,221
Median household income
$65,130
People below poverty
15.7%
Median home value
$154,500

Income

The median income of households in Roberts County, South Dakota was $65,130. An estimated 4.8% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 5.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

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

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.8
$10,000 to $14,999 2.9
$15,000 to $24,999 8.6
$25,000 to $34,999 8
$35,000 to $49,999 13.2
$50,000 to $74,999 19.5
$75,000 to $99,999 15
$100,000 to $149,999 14.9
$150,000 to $199,999 7.6
$200,000 or more 5.7

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

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Dollars
Male 58101
Female 47838

An estimated 75.7% of households received earnings. An estimated 40% of households received Social Security and an estimated 18.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $21,802. 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 Roberts County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 75.7
Social Security 40
Retirement income 18.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.6
Cash public assistance income 2.3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 15.7 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 20.7% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 13.8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 13.7% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

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

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Percent
People in poverty 15.7
Children under 18 years below poverty 20.7
People 65 years old and over below poverty 13.8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 13.7

In 2020-2024, 10.6 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 67.1% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 43% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 39.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Roberts County, South Dakota in 2020-2024, 81.8% had health insurance coverage and 18.2% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 54.4% and public coverage was 42%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 16.9%.


In 2020-2024, Roberts County, South Dakota had a total population of 10,221 - 5,003 (48.9%) females and 5,218 (51.1%) males. The median age was 38.5 years. An estimated 28.2% of the population was under 18 years, 25.6% was 19 to 44 years, 23% was 45 to 64 years, and 20.9 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 319 403
5 to 9 470 384
10 to 14 382 426
15 to 19 418 318
20 to 24 303 226
25 to 29 306 280
30 to 34 214 243
35 to 39 336 245
40 to 44 228 235
45 to 49 240 245
50 to 54 280 249
55 to 59 282 297
60 to 64 399 356
65 to 69 349 270
70 to 74 279 331
75 to 79 125 214
80 to 84 174 115
85 and over 114 166

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 57% were White; 0.3% were Black or African American; 4% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.8% were Asian; 0% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 6.5% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.6% of the people in Roberts County, South Dakota were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 56.5% of the people in Roberts 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 3,625 households in Roberts County, South Dakota. The average household size was 2.76 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.8% of the households in Roberts County, South Dakota while cohabiting couple households made up 7.2% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 25.1% of all households, while 19.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 29.7% of all households.

In Roberts County, South Dakota, 29.1% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 39.6% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.8
Cohabiting Couples 7.2
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
25.1

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 48.5% of males and 44.3% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 38 29.5
Now married, except separated 48.5 44.3
Separated 0.4 1.2
Widowed 3.1 9.7
Divorced 10 15.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Roberts County, South Dakota, 325 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 68.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.8% of the people living in Roberts County, South Dakota were U.S. natives. 67.3% of the Roberts County, South Dakota population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.2% of Roberts County, South Dakota residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 40.7% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 39.8 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Roberts 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 Roberts County, South Dakota.

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

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Percent
Latin America 27.1
Asia 53.4
Europe 1.7
Africa 13.6
Northern America 4.2
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Roberts County, South Dakota in 2020-2024, 5.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.9% of people at least five years old; 0.9% 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 Roberts County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.9
Other Indo-European languages 0.3
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.6
Other languages 2.6

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 91.7 % of the people at least one year old living in Roberts County, South Dakota were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 91.7
Different house, same county 3.6
Different county, same state 2.9
Different state 1.4
Abroad 0.3

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.5 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 18.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.5% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Roberts County, South Dakota was 2,505 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 126 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,140. College or graduate school enrollment was 239.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.5
High school diploma or equivalency 36.6
Some college, no degree 20.6
Associate's degree 15.7
Bachelor's degree 13.4
Graduate or professional degree 5.2

Disability

In Roberts County, South Dakota, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 10.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 1.9% of people under 18 years old, to 7.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 28.8% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Roberts County, South Dakota, 56.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 39.8% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 62.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 24% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 13.4 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 2,680 62.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,034 24
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 579 13.4

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 13.3
Construction 5.3
Manufacturing 10.1
Wholesale trade 3
Retail trade 9
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.2
Information 0.4
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4.3
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 24.6
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.5
Other Services, except public administration 4.1
Public administration 8.3

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,648 38.2
Service occupations 662 15.3
Sales and office occupations 889 20.6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 522 12.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 594 13.8

Commuting to Work

An estimated 75.3% of Roberts County, South Dakota workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 16.2 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 75.3
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.1
Walked 4.2
Other means 2.2
Worked from home 9

In 2020-2024, Roberts County, South Dakota had a total of 4,848 housing units. Of these housing units, 80.6% 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"). 7.8% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 11.6% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 80.6
Apartments in multi-unit structures 7.8
Mobile homes 11.6
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

9% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 22.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Roberts County, South Dakota was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 62.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Roberts County, South Dakota had 3,625 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,223 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 71.2% while renters occupied 28.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.71 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.88.

2.4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 13.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 4.6% and another 33.2% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 49.6
Electricity 39.8
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 7.2
All other fuels 2.7
No fuel used 0.7

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Roberts County, South Dakota was $154,500.

Of the owner-occupied households, 34.1 % had a mortgage. 65.9% 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 $1,567 and for owners without a mortgage it was $546.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Roberts County, South Dakota was $658. 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.