Moody County, South Dakota Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Moody 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 averageLess healthy than 70% of counties in South Dakota
-
B
Income Around average
-
D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Moody County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,397 | 907,403 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 12.3 | 11.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.09% | 0.80% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.1 | 35.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 2,559 | 365,533 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Moody County declined by 1.0% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 6,397 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Moody County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.0% of residents. That is 2.5 points above South Dakota as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 1,247 19.5% -2.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 1,132 17.7% -2.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,345 21.0% +2.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,174 18.4% +1.1 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 49.4% of the people living in Moody County and men 50.6%.
- Women 49.4% South Dakota 49.6%
- Men 50.6% South Dakota 50.4%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Moody County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Moody County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Moody County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $78,164 | $75,087 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.58% | 4.61% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.8% | 2.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Moody County is about 4% higher than in South Dakota.
Housing
| Metric | Moody County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $77,307 | $92,142 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $758 | $946 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 73.5% | 68.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Moody County is about 8.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $758 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Moody County spend about 24 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 99 hours, about 4.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Moody County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 11.9 | 15.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 23.7 | 30.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 99 | 128 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,062 | $3,961 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 9.5% | 9.7% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,007 | 2,777 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 481 | 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 Moody 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.
Education & Households
Moody County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Moody County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 25.9% | 28.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.46 | 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
Moody County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Moody County | South Dakota Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.2 | 79.9 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.3% | 13.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.4% | 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).
Moody County, SD Compared With Nearby Counties
How Moody County, SD compares with the 2 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moody County, SD | 6,397 | $78,164 #1/3 | $77,307 #3/3 | 11.9 min #1/3 |
| Brookings County, SD | 35,353 | $70,805 | $118,181 | 11.9 min |
| Minnehaha County, SD | 203,266 | $77,010 | $96,546 | 16.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Moody County, South Dakota.
How many people live in Moody County, South Dakota?
About 6,397 people live in Moody County, South Dakota, in 2,559 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 42.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
How densely populated is Moody County, South Dakota?
Averaged over its land area, Moody County, South Dakota has 12 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 14% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Moody County, South Dakota?
The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($77,307 against $78,164), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $758 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Moody County, South Dakota?
Unemployment in Moody County, South Dakota is only 2.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →