Butte County, South Dakota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Butte County, SD Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 72% of counties in South Dakota
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 74% of counties in South Dakota
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 78% of counties in South Dakota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Butte County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,676 | 907,403 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 4.7 | 11.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.49% | 0.80% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.3 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,306 | 365,533 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Butte County grew by 13.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,676 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Butte County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.4% of residents. That is 3.9 points above South Dakota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,021 18.9% -3.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,946 18.2% -2.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,393 22.4% +3.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,028 19.0% +1.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below South Dakota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.6% of the people living in Butte County and men 50.4%.
- Women 49.6% South Dakota 49.6%
- Men 50.4% South Dakota 50.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Butte County
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Economy
Butte County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Butte County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $75,510 | $75,087 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 7.19% | 4.61% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.8% | 2.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Butte County is about 1% higher than in South Dakota.
Housing
| Metric | Butte County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $350,000 | $92,142 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $971 | $946 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.1% | 68.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Butte County is about 30.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $971 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Butte County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 153 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Butte County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.4 | 15.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.8 | 30.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 153 | 128 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,750 | $3,961 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.8% | 9.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,671 | 2,777 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 158 | 353 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
South Dakota:
Jones County (6.7 min), Bennett County (7.5 min), Jackson County (7.8 min).
Slowest:
Custer County (25.5 min), McCook County (25.4 min), Turner County (23.1 min).
The average commute time in Butte County is 18 minutes, longer than the 15 minutes in South Dakota.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Butte County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Butte County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 17.5% | 28.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.44 | 2.40 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
South Dakota:
Clay County (0.4), Lincoln County (0.3), Stanley County (0.3).
Lowest:
Buffalo County (0.1), Mellette County (0.2), Oglala Lakota County (0.2).
Health
Butte County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Butte County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.9 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.1% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.9% | 19.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
South Dakota:
Brookings County (0.8), Lincoln County (0.8), Clay County (0.8).
Lowest:
Todd County (0.7), Buffalo County (0.7), Mellette County (0.7).
Butte County, SD Compared With Nearby Counties
Butte County, SD is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 10,676 residents against a local median of 30,546. Butte County, SD's median home price, at $350,000, runs 56% above the $225,000 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $202,388 on median home price, so Butte County, SD sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Butte County, SD has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte County, SD | 10,676 | $75,510 #1/4 | $350,000 #1/4 | 18.4 min #3/4 |
| Lawrence County, SD | 27,233 | $72,290 | $37,034 | 13.2 min |
| Meade County, SD | 30,546 | $74,726 | $225,000 | 18.7 min |
| Pennington County, SD | 113,512 | $74,480 | $239,422 | 16.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Butte County, South Dakota.
How big is Butte County, South Dakota by population?
About 10,676 people live in Butte County, South Dakota, in 4,306 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Butte County, South Dakota urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Butte County, South Dakota has 5 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 5% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Butte County, South Dakota?
The median home costs 4.6 times the median household income ($350,000 against $75,510), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $971 a month takes about 15% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Butte County, South Dakota?
Unemployment in Butte County, South Dakota is only 1.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
What share of adults in Butte County, South Dakota have a college degree?
17.5% of adults in Butte County, South Dakota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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