county

Mellette County, SD

Demographic and economic profile of Mellette County, SD, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Mellette County is a small, rural South Dakota county of 2,043 residents with an economy that reflects deep agricultural roots and limited industrial diversification. The labor market is constrained, with only 52.7% labor force participation, a 14.7% unemployment rate, and median worker earnings of $29,458; just 16.3% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Housing costs are exceptionally low—median home value of $63,000 and median gross rent of $737/month—but a 46.2% poverty rate and slight population decline of 0.6% over five years point to persistent structural economic challenges.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

2,043

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$54,076

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

37.5 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-0.6% since 2018

Mellette County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone1,096 (56.4%)
  • White Alone674 (34.7%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races134 (6.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race22 (1.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone10 (0.5%)
  • Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander Alone7 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

Not yet cached for this geography.

Population Under 18

31.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

53.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

15.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

119

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$24,868

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$18,423

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

14.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

46.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining247
  2. 2.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance224
  3. 3.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services108
  4. 4.Construction (Group)55
  5. 5.Public Administration (Group)54

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations431
  2. 2.Service Occupations167
  3. 3.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations101
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations58
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 13.90×)147
  2. 2.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 2.01×)117
  3. 3.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.55×)241

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$63,000

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$737/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

60.4%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $90,000 to $99,99947 (12.1%)
  • $25,000 to $29,99937 (9.6%)
  • $50,000 to $59,99934 (8.8%)
  • Less Than $10,00031 (8.0%)
  • $400,000 to $499,99929 (7.5%)
  • $80,000 to $89,99923 (5.9%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

16.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

84.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

52.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$29,458

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

16.7 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

6.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone479 (64.0%)
  • Carpooled137 (18.3%)
  • Worked At Home104 (13.9%)
  • Walked16 (2.1%)
  • Other12 (1.6%)
  • Public Transit0 (0.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.