County profile

Walworth 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
5,271
Median household income
$65,026
People below poverty
14.9%
Median home value
$136,600

Income

The median income of households in Walworth County, South Dakota was $65,026. An estimated 4.4% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 4.9% had income of $200,000 or more.

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

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.4
$10,000 to $14,999 2.4
$15,000 to $24,999 9.9
$25,000 to $34,999 8.5
$35,000 to $49,999 12.8
$50,000 to $74,999 20.4
$75,000 to $99,999 13.5
$100,000 to $149,999 18.8
$150,000 to $199,999 4.4
$200,000 or more 4.9

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

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Dollars
Male 67155
Female 43194

An estimated 76% of households received earnings. An estimated 33.1% of households received Social Security and an estimated 23.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $21,362. 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 Walworth County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 76
Social Security 33.1
Retirement income 23.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 4.8
Cash public assistance income 0.3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 14.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 25.3% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 9.8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.3% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

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

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Percent
People in poverty 14.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 25.3
People 65 years old and over below poverty 9.8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.3

In 2020-2024, 7.5 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 39.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 41.2% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 47.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Walworth County, South Dakota in 2020-2024, 89.4% had health insurance coverage and 10.6% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 70% and public coverage was 33.5%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 12.9%.


In 2020-2024, Walworth County, South Dakota had a total population of 5,271 - 2,586 (49.1%) females and 2,685 (50.9%) males. The median age was 41.7 years. An estimated 23.7% of the population was under 18 years, 30.2% was 19 to 44 years, 22.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 23 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 225 134
5 to 9 176 160
10 to 14 219 164
15 to 19 76 124
20 to 24 48 146
25 to 29 176 55
30 to 34 131 205
35 to 39 367 124
40 to 44 95 242
45 to 49 136 75
50 to 54 106 97
55 to 59 185 128
60 to 64 170 295
65 to 69 198 179
70 to 74 152 169
75 to 79 108 134
80 to 84 47 48
85 and over 70 107

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 78.6% were White; 0.3% were Black or African American; 2.6% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.6% were Asian; 0.3% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 9.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 0.6% of the people in Walworth County, South Dakota were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 78.2% of the people in Walworth 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 2,415 households in Walworth County, South Dakota. The average household size was 2.12 people.

Married-couple households made up 50.1% of the households in Walworth County, South Dakota while cohabiting couple households made up 6.7% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 23.4% of all households, while 19.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 19.2% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.6% were female householders living alone, for a total of 34.8% of all households.

In Walworth County, South Dakota, 27.2% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 33.2% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 50.1
Cohabiting Couples 6.7
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
23.4

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 59.3% of males and 56.6% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 25 21.3
Now married, except separated 59.3 56.6
Separated 2.7 2.7
Widowed 2.7 8.9
Divorced 10.3 10.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Walworth County, South Dakota, 5 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 0% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 99.6% of the people living in Walworth County, South Dakota were U.S. natives. 65% of the Walworth County, South Dakota population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 0.4% of Walworth County, South Dakota residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 47.6% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 57.1 % entered the country before the year 2010.

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

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

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Percent
Latin America 9.5
Asia 33.3
Europe 33.3
Africa 9.5
Northern America 14.3
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Walworth County, South Dakota in 2020-2024, 3.9 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.2% of people at least five years old; 0.1% 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 Walworth County, South Dakota in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.2
Other Indo-European languages 0.9
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.6
Other languages 0.2

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 83.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Walworth County, South Dakota were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 83.8
Different house, same county 6.1
Different county, same state 5.7
Different state 4.1
Abroad 0.3

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.6 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 29.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.4% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Walworth County, South Dakota was 1,045 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 88 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 846. College or graduate school enrollment was 111.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.4
High school diploma or equivalency 29.6
Some college, no degree 17.1
Associate's degree 15.3
Bachelor's degree 20
Graduate or professional degree 9.6

Disability

In Walworth County, South Dakota, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.7 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 13.2% of people under 18 years old, to 7.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 34.1% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Walworth County, South Dakota, 59.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 38.5% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 68.4% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 13.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 1,689 68.4
Federal, state, or local government workers 445 18
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 335 13.6

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 7.5
Construction 7.2
Manufacturing 5.3
Wholesale trade 6.3
Retail trade 8.7
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.6
Information 0.1
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 3.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 22.9
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.6
Other Services, except public administration 11.5
Public administration 5.8

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 1,044 42.3
Service occupations 339 13.7
Sales and office occupations 481 19.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 378 15.3
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 227 9.2

Commuting to Work

An estimated 78.2% of Walworth County, South Dakota workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.8% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 16.7 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 78.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.8
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.6
Walked 6.2
Other means 0.2
Worked from home 6

In 2020-2024, Walworth County, South Dakota had a total of 2,932 housing units. Of these housing units, 78.7% 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"). 10.7% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 10.5% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 78.7
Apartments in multi-unit structures 10.7
Mobile homes 10.5
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

10.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 20.6% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Walworth County, South Dakota was 5.9 rooms, and of these housing units 59.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Walworth County, South Dakota had 2,415 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 517 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 76.2% while renters occupied 23.8%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.18 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.92.

3.6% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 10.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 2.6% and another 28.7% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 72.7
Electricity 23.9
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 2.9
All other fuels 0.4
No fuel used 0.1

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Walworth County, South Dakota was $136,600.

Of the owner-occupied households, 46.9 % had a mortgage. 53.1% 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 $1,540 and for owners without a mortgage it was $471.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Walworth County, South Dakota was $926. 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.