county

Oglala Lakota County, SD

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

AI Overview

Oglala Lakota County has a population of 13,587 with a median age of 28.2 years, and its economy is characterized by very low labor force participation (38.9%), a 12.9% unemployment rate, and a poverty rate of 52.8%, reflecting the structural economic conditions common to reservation-based counties. The workforce is small and largely non-credentialed, with only 9.8% holding a bachelor's degree or higher and median worker earnings of $31,584. Housing costs are among the lowest measurable in the country—median home value of $45,600 and median gross rent of $563/month—while the county's population has contracted 5.2% over five years.

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

Population

13,587

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$41,417

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

28.2 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-5.2% since 2018

Oglala Lakota County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone12,337 (91.4%)
  • White Alone950 (7.0%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race104 (0.8%)
  • Some Other Race Alone66 (0.5%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races25 (0.2%)
  • Black or African American Alone9 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.German or other West Germanic22
  2. 2.Spanish11

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

36.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

56.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

7.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.2%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

311

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$25,109

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$11,650

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

12.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

52.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,356
  2. 2.Public Administration (Group)365
  3. 3.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services281
  4. 4.Construction (Group)182
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services182

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations1,061
  2. 2.Service Occupations610
  3. 3.Sales & Office Occupations363
  4. 4.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations289
  5. 5.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations270

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Public Administration (LQ 3.25×)476
  2. 2.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.85×)141
  3. 3.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.66×)1,205
  4. 4.Construction (LQ 1.19×)256
  5. 5.Arts, Entertainment, Recreation, & Accommodation (LQ 1.00×)273

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$45,600

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$563/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

51.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $50,000 to $59,999222 (14.8%)
  • Less Than $10,000221 (14.7%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999181 (12.0%)
  • $10,000 to $14,999148 (9.8%)
  • $40,000 to $49,999105 (7.0%)
  • $20,000 to $24,99983 (5.5%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

9.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

78.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

38.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$31,584

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

13.5 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

23.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,928 (72.0%)
  • Carpooled389 (14.5%)
  • Walked157 (5.9%)
  • Worked At Home102 (3.8%)
  • Other72 (2.7%)
  • Bicycle28 (1.0%)

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.