Custer County, South Dakota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Custer 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 average
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B
Income Around average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 78% of counties in South Dakota
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Custer County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,892 | 907,403 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5.7 | 11.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.67% | 0.80% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 58.4 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 4,451 | 365,533 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Custer County grew by 13.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8,892 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Custer County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 33.2% of residents. That is 16.0 points above South Dakota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,099 12.4% -9.6 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,367 15.4% -5.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,090 23.5% +5.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,953 33.2% +16.0 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 50.1% of the people living in Custer County and men 49.9%.
- Women 50.1% South Dakota 49.6%
- Men 49.9% South Dakota 50.4%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Custer County
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Economy
Custer County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Custer County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $83,495 | $75,087 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.13% | 4.61% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.3% | 2.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Custer County is about 11% higher than in South Dakota.
Housing
| Metric | Custer County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $552,324 | $92,142 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,112 | $946 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 85.6% | 68.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Custer County is about 41.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,112 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Custer County spend about 51 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 212 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Custer County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.5 | 15.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 51.0 | 30.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 212 | 128 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,583 | $3,961 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.0% | 9.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,882 | 2,777 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 363 | 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 Custer County is 25 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
Custer County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Custer County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29.0% | 28.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.94 | 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
Custer County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Custer County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.5% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.5% | 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).
Custer County, SD Compared With Nearby Counties
How Custer County, SD compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custer County, SD | 8,892 | $83,495 #1/3 | $552,324 #1/3 | 25.5 min #3/3 |
| Pennington County, SD | 113,512 | $74,480 | $239,422 | 16.7 min |
| Lawrence County, SD | 27,233 | $72,290 | $37,034 | 13.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Custer County, South Dakota.
What is the population of Custer County, South Dakota?
About 8,892 people live in Custer County, South Dakota, in 4,451 households of 1.9 people on average. The median age is 58.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 21 years.
How densely populated is Custer County, South Dakota?
Averaged over its land area, Custer County, South Dakota has 6 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 7% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Custer County, South Dakota an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 6.6 times the median household income ($552,324 against $83,495), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,112 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Custer County, South Dakota?
Unemployment in Custer County, South Dakota is only 2.3%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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