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COUNTY

Lawrence County

South Dakota · 29,459 residents (2025 est.) · 800 sq mi
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Part of the Spearfish micropolitan area
The short version

With 27,233 people, Lawrence County is a county in South Dakota. Few US counties rank higher on income. At a median age of 44.8, this is an older place than the country as a whole. 2% of people here were born outside the United States. Growth has run 25% since 2000, or 5,431 more people. Density works out to 34 people per square mile.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 44.8
US median: 38.9
Average education
33% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 131%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
27,233
+25%since 2000
from 21,802 in 2000
29,459 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
34 / sq mi
+18%since 2009
from 29 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
44.8
+20%since 2000
from 37.2 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
800 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
20K22K24K26K28K19902000201020202024Lawrence County
202427K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.9%(1,055)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 94.2%(1,133)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.9%(1,340)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.1%(1,924)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.1%(1,943)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3411.4%(3,113)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.6%(3,166)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.4%(2,828)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.4%(3,918)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7416.1%(4,398)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846.2%(1,683)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.7%(732)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$73,384
+27%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $31,755 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$44,386
+158%since 2000
from $17,195 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
48.5%
+29.3 ptssince 2009
from 19.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.6%
−3.2 ptssince 2000
from 14.8% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.456
Unchangedsince 2010
from 0.455 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information12.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Wholesale trade7.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Retail trade5.8%
US avg: 9.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing4.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Other services4.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance3.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Construction3%
US avg: 1.2%
Professional, scientific, technical2.3%
US avg: 5.1%
Manufacturing1.9%
US avg: 0.4%
Transportation & warehousing1.6%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services1.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Arts, entertainment, food0.8%
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$346,500
+131%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $82,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$938
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $416 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
65.1%
+0.3 ptssince 2000
from 64.8% in 2000
34.9% rent
Vacancy rate
18.8%
+5.9 ptssince 2009
from 12.9% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.18 people
+4%since 2009
from 2.10 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
21.8%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 23.9% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
30.6%
−7.3 ptssince 2009
from 37.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.7
+26%since 2009
from 3.7 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
63
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic94.6%(20,631)
Black0.2%(45)
Hispanic / Latino1.8%(396)
Asian0.3%(70)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic88.8%(24,182)
Black0.3%(69)
Hispanic / Latino3.9%(1,057)
Asian0.4%(122)
Other6.6%(1,803)
Diversity Score
26
+65%since 2009
from 16 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
16
−30%since 2020
from 23 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.8%(770)
Puerto Rican0.3%(69)
Cuban0.2%(66)
Spaniard0.1%(33)
Guatemalan0.1%(21)
Asian origin
Chinese0.2%(57)
Filipino0.1%(27)
Japanese0.1%(20)
Thai0%(12)
Pacific Islander origin
Ancestry
German32%(8,712)
Irish13%(3,551)
English12%(3,255)
Norwegian8.6%(2,343)
American5.6%(1,522)
Swedish4%(1,101)
Dutch2.2%(590)
Russian2.2%(590)
Scottish1.9%(526)
Czech1.9%(525)
French1.9%(507)
Italian1.8%(483)
+ 27 more ancestry groups with data
Polish1.6%(437)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(424)
Danish1.2%(324)
Finnish0.8%(222)
Welsh0.6%(173)
Austrian0.3%(95)
Ukrainian0.3%(86)
Turkish0.2%(59)
Belgian0.2%(46)
Lithuanian0.2%(43)
Greek0.1%(40)
British0.1%(35)
Croatian0.1%(27)
Swiss0.1%(23)
Slovene0.1%(19)
Canadian0.1%(17)
Bulgarian0.1%(16)
Arab0.1%(15)
Hungarian0.1%(15)
Slovak0%(11)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
32.9%
+8.9 ptssince 2000
from 24.0% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.4%
+7.9 ptssince 2000
from 87.5% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
11.9%
+4.7 ptssince 2000
from 7.2% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.1 min
+40%since 2000
from 13.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
76.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 76.0% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
10.8%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.7% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
6.5%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
4.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 5.1% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 0.9% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
4.8%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
1.7%
−2.7 ptssince 2011
from 4.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
63.7%
−3.9 ptssince 2011
from 67.6% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
81.9%
+4.0 ptssince 2020
from 77.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
13.0%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
35.5%
+7.5 ptssince 2009
from 28.0% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.3%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 49.6% in 2009
Female
49.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 50.4% in 2009
Foreign born
2.0%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
10.4%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 13.4% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
16.5%
+3.9 ptssince 2012
from 12.6% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
8.9%
−5.4 ptssince 2013
from 14.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
89.6%
+10.4 ptssince 2017
from 79.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.3%
+2.7 ptssince 2020
from 89.6% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
86.8%
+4.7 ptssince 2020
from 82.1% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
95.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2016
from 96.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.0%
+0.6 ptssince 2016
from 1.4% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.3%(4,191)
Married50.3%(5,976)
Widowed2.4%(285)
Divorced12%(1,429)
Women 15+
Never married29.1%(3,445)
Married49.2%(5,822)
Widowed9.3%(1,098)
Divorced12.3%(1,459)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.9%
−5.4 ptssince 2013
from 14.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
48.5%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 49.8% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
23.8%
−1.3 ptssince 2020
from 25.1% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
26.0%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 23.7% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
10.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 10.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
6.4%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 5.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
73.0%
−1.1 ptssince 2020
from 74.1% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
36.2%
+2.5 ptssince 2020
from 33.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)30.8%(728)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)28.8%(682)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.8%(824)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.7%(64)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 2,366 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Lawrence County

Morgan County
Pop 30,306
Jones County
Pop 29,171
Peach County
Pop 29,877
White County
Pop 29,802
Places similar to Lawrence County
Head to head

Compare Lawrence County to nearby counties

LAWRENCE COUNTY VS
Butte County
Income$75,652+3%
Home value$244,600−29%
Population10,856−63%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAWRENCE COUNTY VS
Crook County
Income$79,637+9%
Home value$285,800−18%
Population7,852−73%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAWRENCE COUNTY VS
Custer County
Income$84,112+15%
Home value$372,100+7%
Population9,431−68%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LAWRENCE COUNTY VS
Weston County
Income$89,509+22%
Home value$221,700−36%
Population6,840−77%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Lawrence County, South Dakota?

Lawrence County, South Dakota has about 27,233 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Lawrence County, South Dakota?

The typical household in Lawrence County, South Dakota earns about $73,384 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Lawrence County, South Dakota expensive?

In Lawrence County, South Dakota, the median home is worth about $346,500, and the typical rent is about $938 a month.

How educated are people in Lawrence County, South Dakota?

About 32.9% of adults age 25 and over in Lawrence County, South Dakota hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Lawrence County, South Dakota?

About 11.6% of people in Lawrence County, South Dakota live below the federal poverty line.

Has Lawrence County, South Dakota grown since 1990?

Yes, Lawrence County, South Dakota has grown since 1990. The population has added about 6,578 residents, a change of about 32 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →