Roberts County, South Dakota Demographics

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

Roberts 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.

  • C
    Health Below average
    Less healthy than 87% of counties in South Dakota
  • C
    Income Below average
    Less wealthy than 78% of counties in South Dakota
  • D
    Education Well below average
    Less educated than 77% of counties in South Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Roberts County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Roberts County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 10,221 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 9.0 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.09% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 36.3 35.5 37.3
Households 3,625 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Roberts County grew by 2.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 10,221 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Roberts County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Roberts County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.3% of residents. That is 3.0 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 Roberts County and men 50.8%.

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10,221

100% of everyone living in Roberts County

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Economy

Roberts County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.

Metric Roberts County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $66,327 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.65% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 6.0% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in Roberts County is about 12% lower than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Roberts County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $76,999 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $658 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 71.2% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Roberts County is about 9.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $658 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Roberts County spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 115 hours, about 4.8 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Roberts County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 13.7 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 27.5 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 115 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,551 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 9.0% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 1,496 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 216 353 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 Roberts County is 14 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

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

Metric Roberts County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 16.1% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.76 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

Roberts County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.

Metric Roberts County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 77.6 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 16.8% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 22.9% 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 Roberts County, South Dakota.

How big is Roberts County, South Dakota by population?

About 10,221 people live in Roberts County, South Dakota, in 3,625 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 36.3, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.

Is Roberts County, South Dakota urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Roberts County, South Dakota has 9 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 10% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Roberts County, South Dakota?

The median home costs 1.2 times the median household income ($76,999 against $66,327), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $658 a month takes about 12% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

How common is a college degree in Roberts County, South Dakota?

16.1% of adults in Roberts 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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