McCook County, South Dakota Demographics

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

McCook 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
  • B
    Income Around average
    Wealthier than 74% of counties in South Dakota
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

McCook County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric McCook County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 5,751 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 10.0 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.30% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 38.3 35.5 37.3
Households 2,221 365,533 130,235,071

Population in McCook County grew by 0.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,751 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year McCook County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in McCook County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 19.1% of residents. That is 0.6 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 49.2% of the people living in McCook County and men 50.8%.

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5,751

100% of everyone living in McCook County

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Economy

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

Metric McCook County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $86,121 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 5.11% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.8% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in McCook County is about 15% higher than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric McCook County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $405,263 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $944 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 79.5% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in McCook County is about 35.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $944 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in McCook 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 211 hours, about 8.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric McCook County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 25.4 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 50.7 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 211 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $6,553 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 11.2% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 3,294 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 337 353 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 McCook 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.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

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

Metric McCook County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 26.2% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.51 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

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

Metric McCook County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 77.3 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 11.6% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 16.9% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about McCook County, South Dakota.

How many people live in McCook County, South Dakota?

About 5,751 people live in McCook County, South Dakota, in 2,221 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 38.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.

Is McCook County, South Dakota mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, McCook County, South Dakota has 10 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 12% of the U.S. average of 86.

Is McCook County, South Dakota an affordable place to live?

The median home costs 4.7 times the median household income ($405,263 against $86,121), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $944 a month takes about 13% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is it hard to find a job in McCook County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in McCook 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.

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