county

Pennington County, SD

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

AI Overview

Pennington County, home to Rapid City and a population of 115,979, functions as a regional service and government hub in western South Dakota, with a GDP per capita of $53,755 against median worker earnings of $38,551. The labor force of roughly 64.5% participation carries a 3.3% unemployment rate and a 34.1% bachelor's attainment rate, with housing remaining relatively accessible at a $270,400 median home value and $1,066 median monthly rent. The county posted 2.6% population growth over five years, and a 19.4-minute mean commute reflects a compact, low-congestion market with a 69.3% homeownership rate.

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

Population

115,979

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Household Income

$74,517

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

40.1 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+2.6% since 2018

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

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone89,672 (79.0%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races8,389 (7.4%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone7,690 (6.8%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race3,482 (3.1%)
  • Some Other Race Alone1,578 (1.4%)
  • Asian Alone1,401 (1.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish1,160
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic524
  3. 3.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)326
  4. 4.Other Indo-European224
  5. 5.Arabic193

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

22.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

58.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

19.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

2.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

10,727

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$53,755

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$40,527

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

12.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance15,256
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)6,664
  3. 3.Construction (Group)5,542
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services5,308
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services5,152

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations22,028
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations11,594
  3. 3.Service Occupations9,118
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations6,518
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations6,303

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 1.40×)1,225
  2. 2.Construction (LQ 1.38×)5,239
  3. 3.Public Administration (LQ 1.21×)3,130
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.17×)14,983
  5. 5.Retail Trade (LQ 1.13×)6,767

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$270,400

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$1,066/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

69.3%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $300,000 to $399,9996,706 (20.9%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9994,674 (14.5%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9994,081 (12.7%)
  • $500,000 to $749,9993,941 (12.3%)
  • $400,000 to $499,9993,534 (11.0%)
  • $750,000 to $999,9991,267 (3.9%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

34.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

94.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

64.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$38,551

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

19.4 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

5.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone43,396 (77.4%)
  • Worked At Home5,393 (9.6%)
  • Carpooled5,092 (9.1%)
  • Walked1,045 (1.9%)
  • Other443 (0.8%)
  • Bicycle406 (0.7%)

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.