Demographics of Mellette County, South Dakota

Mellette County, South Dakota had 2,137 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +220 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Mellette County, in four figures

2,137
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; +11.5%
Change since July 2020: +220 people.; 37.5 ±2.8
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $54,076 ±$8,231
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Mellette County, South Dakota's population grew 11.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Mellette County, South Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Mellette County, South Dakota's population grew 11.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Mellette County, South Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	1,917	100.0	100.0
2021	1,897	99.0	100.2
2022	1,866	97.3	100.7
2023	1,914	99.8	101.6
2024	2,049	106.9	102.5
2025	2,137	111.5	103.1

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Population of Mellette County, South Dakota on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From elsewhere in the country
2020	1,917	−1	−4	+4
2021	1,897	−20	−4	−14
2022	1,866	−31	−11	−19
2023	1,914	+48	+66	−19
2024	2,049	+135	+140	−4
2025	2,137	+88	+138	−49

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 37.5 ±2.8: for men 36.4 ±4.4 and for women 38.0 ±4.4. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Mellette County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Under 5	161 ±58	8.3% ±2.9	6.3% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	396 ±84	20.4% ±3.7	17.9% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	122 ±51	6.3% ±2.5	9.3% ±0.4	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	458 ±98	23.6% ±4.3	25.2% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	487 ±88	25.1% ±3.7	23.3% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	319 ±72	16.4% ±3.3	18.0% ±0.3	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $54,076 ±$8,231, and income per person $25,614 ±$5,232, in 2024 dollars. The median is $75,081 ±$888 in South Dakota and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Mellette County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	South Dakota	United States
Under $25,000	129 ±46	20.1% ±6.9	14.0% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	170 ±61	26.5% ±9.1	18.5% ±0.5	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	152 ±60	23.7% ±9.1	17.4% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	26 to 114	4.1% to 17.7%	14.6% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	6 to 56	1.0% to 8.7%	18.9% ±0.5	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	10 to 50	1.6% to 7.8%	8.5% ±0.3	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	21 to 97	3.3% to 15.1%	8.1% ±0.4	13.4% ±0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Mellette County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	South Dakota	United States
All ages	788 ±206	41.7% ±9.9	11.9% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	372 ±99	67.9% ±9.7	14.3% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	379 ±97	39.9% ±8.5	11.8% ±0.5	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	13 to 61	3.6% to 15.3%	9.7% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Mellette County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Mellette County	South Dakota	United States
Housing units	779 ±53	408,584 ±422	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	82.3% ±5.7	89.5% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	17.7% ±5.4	10.5% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	60.4% ±8.5	68.6% ±0.5	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	39.6% ±9.2	31.4% ±0.5	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$84,100 ±$31,762	$257,400 ±$3,051	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$708 ±$163	$946 ±$11	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1969 ±4	1980 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Mellette County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	0 to 38	0% to 2.0%	4.8% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	674 ±83	34.7% ±2.0	79.8% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	0 to 10	0% to 0.5%	2.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0 to 10	0% to 0.5%	1.4% ±0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1,089 ±203	56.0% ±8.5	7.1% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 19	0% to 1.0%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 23	0% to 1.2%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	42 to 250	2.2% to 12.8%	4.4% ±0.2	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Mellette County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Born in the state	1,530 ±201	78.7% ±5.9	62.4% ±0.4	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	413 ±97	21.3% ±4.4	32.9% ±0.4	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	0 to 10	0% to 0.5%	0.7% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	0 to 10	0% to 0.5%	4.0% ±0.2	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	0 to 10	0% to 0.5%	1.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	0 to 10	0% to 0.5%	2.3% ±0.2	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Mellette County among the counties of South Dakota

58th of 66 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the South Dakota page.

Counties of South Dakota near Mellette County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Sanborn County	2,388	+2.5%
Potter County	2,377	−3.8%
McPherson County	2,347	−2.2%
Miner County	2,281	−0.8%
Faulk County	2,178	+2.3%
Mellette County	2,137	+11.5%
Buffalo County	1,802	−6.8%
Haakon County	1,802	−3.6%
Jerauld County	1,654	+0.6%
Sully County	1,479	+1.9%
Campbell County	1,377	−0.1%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026