Stanley County, South Dakota Demographics

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

Stanley 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.

  • A
    Health Above average
    Healthier than 92% of counties in South Dakota
  • A
    Income Above average
    Wealthiest county in South Dakota
  • B
    Education Around average
    Among the top 3 best educated counties in South Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Stanley County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Stanley County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 3,015 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 2.0 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.22% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 43.1 35.5 37.3
Households 1,290 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Stanley County grew by 8.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,015 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Stanley County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Stanley County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.2% of residents. That is 3.7 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 46.6% of the people living in Stanley County and men 53.4%.

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3,015

100% of everyone living in Stanley County

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Economy

Stanley County has a the economy index of A, which means it is very prosperous.

Metric Stanley County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $80,929 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 3.99% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.0% 2.9% 5.2%

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

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Stanley County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $12,500 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $951 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 83.1% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Stanley County is about 1.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $951 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Stanley County spend about 30 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 125 hours, about 5.2 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Stanley County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 15.0 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 30.0 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 125 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $3,876 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 6.6% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 692 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 293 353 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 Stanley County is about the same as 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

Stanley County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.

Metric Stanley County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 24.9% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.34 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

Stanley County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.

Metric Stanley County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 80.9 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 9.2% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 15.4% 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).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Stanley County, South Dakota.

How many people live in Stanley County, South Dakota?

About 3,015 people live in Stanley County, South Dakota, in 1,290 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 43.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.

Is Stanley County, South Dakota mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Stanley County, South Dakota has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 2% of the U.S. average of 86.

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

The median home costs 0.2 times the median household income ($12,500 against $80,929), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $951 a month takes about 14% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

How strong is the job market in Stanley County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in Stanley 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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