county

Lawrence County, SD

Demographic and economic profile of Lawrence County, SD, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Lawrence County's economy centers on the Black Hills region of western South Dakota, with a labor force of roughly 17,200 drawn from a population of 26,574 that grew 5.3% over five years. About 34.1% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher, unemployment sits at just 2.3%, and median worker earnings of $34,802 reflect a relatively modest wage base against a GDP per capita of $52,963. Housing costs are notable for a rural county—median home values reach $310,800—while median gross rent of $923/month and a 19.1-minute average commute keep day-to-day costs comparatively contained.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

26,574

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$73,384

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

44.8 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+5.3% since 2018

Lawrence County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone24,620 (90.4%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races870 (3.2%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone683 (2.5%)
  • Some Other Race Alone408 (1.5%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race401 (1.5%)
  • Asian Alone122 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish575
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic207
  3. 3.Other Asian and Pacific Island98
  4. 4.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)53
  5. 5.Other Indo-European46

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

16.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

59.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

24.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

2.0%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

2,366

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$52,963

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$42,663

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

2.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

11.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services3,052
  2. 2.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance2,997
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)1,883
  4. 4.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services1,131
  5. 5.Construction (Group)1,041

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations5,211
  2. 2.Service Occupations3,342
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations2,998
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,637
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations1,487

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 3.51×)807
  2. 2.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 2.56×)3,242
  3. 3.Other Services (LQ 1.24×)845
  4. 4.Retail Trade (LQ 1.01×)1,590
  5. 5.Construction (LQ 0.93×)933

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$310,800

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$923/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

65.1%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,9991,622 (20.7%)
  • $500,000 to $749,9991,275 (16.3%)
  • $400,000 to $499,9991,087 (13.9%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999693 (8.8%)
  • $250,000 to $299,999538 (6.9%)
  • $750,000 to $999,999442 (5.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

34.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

95.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

64.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$34,802

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

19.1 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

4.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone11,016 (76.3%)
  • Carpooled1,563 (10.8%)
  • Worked At Home931 (6.5%)
  • Walked622 (4.3%)
  • Public Transit130 (0.9%)
  • Motorcycle88 (0.6%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.