Official Federal Data
Sanborn County, South Dakota
FIPS 46111 · Mitchell, SD · Population 2,384
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$78,750 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
1.7% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
1,249
Labor Force
21.3% ▼
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 2,384 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$78,750 ▲
Per Capita
$36,781 ▲
Mean Household
$89,850 ▲
Poverty Rate
8.5% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Sanborn County$78,750
South Dakota$75,081
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 25.9%
18-34 · 17.6%
35-54 · 22.1%
55-64 · 14.1%
65+ · 20.2%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
88.9%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 0.7 pts
21.3%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 14.4 pts
6.7%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 7.4 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
2,384
Population
1,249
Labor Force
Employed
1,231
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
1.7% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
18.6%
Key Takeaways
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 14.4 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Construction employs 68 workers (25.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $66,826.
Source: BLS QCEW.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
171
Cluster Employment
1.88x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Animal Production and Aquaculture
20.27x 22
Crop Production
8.47x 18
1.88x 171
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Animal Production and Aquaculture concentrates at 20.27x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 3 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$135,600 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$725 ▲
Rent/Mo
78.6% ▲
Owner-Occ
19% ▲
Vacancy
1.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio - Affordable
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$641/mo
1 Bedroom
$766/mo
2 Bedroom
$929/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,292/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,438/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,969/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- Affordable market: Home value to income ratio of 1.7x is well below the ~4.1x national average; supports talent attraction and family settlement narratives.
- High home ownership: 78.6% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Elevated vacancy: 19% vacancy rate. In resort, rural, and seasonal markets much of this is recreational/seasonal (second homes), not available supply; confirm the vacancy-by-reason split before treating it as a redevelopment opportunity.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,969/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
1,284 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 5 min below national avg
21.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
18.6%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
92.1%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
21.3% ▼
HS Diploma+
88.9% ▼
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
7,826/yr
2,703/yr
2,132/yr
818/yr
797/yr
793/yr
583/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
26.2%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
39.1%
Service
12.7%
Sales & Office
19.7%
Construction / Maint.
15.5%
Production / Transport
13.1%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 1,231 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 26.2% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Short commutes: 21.2-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 5,653 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Sanborn County shows strong potential for animal production and aquaculture attraction, with a 20.27x concentration and 22 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 26.2% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across animal production and aquaculture, crop production, and creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Sanborn County, South Dakota, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Sanborn County, South Dakota?
2,384 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Sanborn County, South Dakota?
$78,750 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Sanborn County, South Dakota?
1.7% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
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