Tripp County, South Dakota Demographics

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

Tripp 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
    Less healthy than 75% of counties in South Dakota
  • C
    Income Below average
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Tripp County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Tripp County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 5,611 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 3.5 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.31% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 45.0 35.5 37.3
Households 2,258 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Tripp County declined by 2.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 5,611 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Tripp County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Tripp County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.9% of residents. That is 3.4 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 49.8% of the people living in Tripp County and men 50.2%.

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Economy

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

Metric Tripp County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $58,278 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.50% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.8% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in Tripp County is about 22% lower than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Tripp County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $28,103 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $820 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 68.4% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Tripp County is about 2.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $820 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Tripp County spend about 17 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 72 hours, about 3.0 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Tripp County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 8.7 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 17.3 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 72 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,235 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 5.7% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 4,062 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 179 353 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 Tripp County is 9 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

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

Metric Tripp County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 16.1% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.38 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

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

Metric Tripp County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 80.5 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 15.1% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 20.4% 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 Tripp County, South Dakota.

How big is Tripp County, South Dakota by population?

About 5,611 people live in Tripp County, South Dakota, in 2,258 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 45.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 8 years.

How densely populated is Tripp County, South Dakota?

Averaged over its land area, Tripp County, South Dakota has 3 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 4% of the U.S. average of 86.

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

The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($28,103 against $58,278), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $820 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is unemployment high in Tripp County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in Tripp 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.

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

16.1% of adults in Tripp 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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