Harding County, South Dakota Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Harding 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.

  • B
    Health Around average
    Healthier than 90% of counties in South Dakota
  • B
    Income Around average
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Harding County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Harding County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 1,148 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 0.4 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -1.21% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 47.7 35.5 37.3
Households 498 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Harding County declined by 4.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 1,148 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Harding County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Harding County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.9% of residents. That is 5.4 points above South Dakota as a whole.

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 47.5% of the people living in Harding County and men 52.5%.

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Economy

Harding County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.

Metric Harding County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $80,729 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 5.76% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.0% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in Harding County is about 8% higher than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Harding County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $5,555 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $520 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 76.5% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Harding County is about 0.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $520 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Harding County spend about 23 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 96 hours, about 4.0 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Harding County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 11.5 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 23.1 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 96 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,979 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 16.4% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 621 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 41 353 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 Harding County is 12 minutes, shorter 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Harding County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Harding County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 25.3% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.22 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

Harding County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Harding County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 84.1 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 10.8% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 17.3% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Harding County, South Dakota.

How many people live in Harding County, South Dakota?

About 1,148 people live in Harding County, South Dakota, in 498 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.

Is Harding County, South Dakota mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Harding County, South Dakota has 0 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 0% of the U.S. average of 86.

Can a typical household afford a home in Harding County, South Dakota?

The median home costs 0.1 times the median household income ($5,555 against $80,729), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $520 a month takes about 8% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is unemployment high in Harding County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in Harding County, South Dakota is only 1.0%, 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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