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Buffalo Gap, SD
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
131
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
66.3
years ∙ half population younger than 66.3, half older
Diversity Index
3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
1.5%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
Buffalo Gap is a town within Custer County, South Dakota, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC43.492162° N, 103.315292° W
DMS43° 29′ 31.78″ N, 103° 18′ 55.05″ W
Population Density & area
428.1/sq mi
(165.4/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
53.4%
male
Male
53.4%
Female
46.6%
males per 100 females
Buffalo Gap
114.8
Custer County
96.7
South Dakota
103.1
Nativity
1.5%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
Buffalo Gap
1.5%
Custer County
2.7%
South Dakota
4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
66.3
years ∙ half population younger than 66.3, half older
Dependency ratio
197.7
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Buffalo Gap
197.7
Custer County
90.4
South Dakota
73
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 15.3% | 13.8% | 24.2% |
| Working age (18-64) | 33.6% | 52.5% | 57.8% |
| Senior (65+) | 51.1% | 33.7% | 18% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 197.7 | 90.4 | 73 |
| Child dependency ratio | 45.5 | 26.2 | 41.9 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 152.3 | 64.2 | 31.1 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
3%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Buffalo Gap
3%
Custer County
22.7%
South Dakota
35.3%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Buffalo Gap population
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 0% | 3.1% | 4.8% |
| Mexican | 0% | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| Puerto Rican | 0% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Cuban | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 0% | 0.8% | 1.7% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 100% | 96.9% | 95.2% |
| One race | 98.5% | 91.9% | 90.8% |
| White | 98.5% | 87.7% | 79.8% |
| Black or African American | 0% | 0.3% | 2.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0% | 2% | 7.1% |
| Asian | 0% | 0.4% | 1.4% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Some Other Race | 0% | 1.4% | 0.3% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 1.5% | 5% | 4.4% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
49.3%
family
Family
49.3%
Non family
50.7%
% family households
Buffalo Gap
49.3%
Custer County
70%
South Dakota
61.3%
Average household size
1.75
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of Buffalo Gap population
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 75 | 4,451 | 365,544 |
| Average houshold size | 1.75 | 1.95 | 2.39 |
| Family households | 37 | 3,115 | 224,058 |
| Average family size | 2.49 | 2.28 | 3.05 |
| Married couple family | 32 | 2,726 | 176,597 |
| Other families | 5 | 389 | 47,461 |
| Male householder | 0 | 194 | 17,711 |
| Female householder | 5 | 195 | 29,750 |
| Non-family households | 38 | 1,336 | 141,486 |
| One-person households | 35 | 1,194 | 116,755 |
| Male householder | 26 | 573 | 57,880 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 25 | 333 | 17,403 |
| Female householder | 9 | 621 | 58,875 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 3 | 484 | 29,381 |
| Other living arrangements | 3 | 142 | 24,731 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
95
housing units
Buffalo Gap
95
Custer County
5,291
South Dakota
408,584
Occupancy status
78.9%
occupied
Occupied
78.9%
Vacant
21.1%
vacancy rate
Buffalo Gap
21.1%
Custer County
15.9%
South Dakota
10.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
66.3%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1959
Half of houses were built before 1959, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.9 |
| 1–3 rooms | 2.1% | 9.4% | 13.6% |
| 4–6 rooms | 63.1% | 52% | 44.6% |
| 7+ rooms | 34.7% | 38.6% | 41.8% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 0% | 0.8% | 1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | 8.4% | 10.3% | 10.1% |
| 2 bedrooms | 54.7% | 25% | 26.4% |
| 3 bedrooms | 24.2% | 39.7% | 32% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 12.6% | 24.1% | 29.6% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1959 | 1994 | 1982 |
| Total housing units | 95 | 5,291 | 408,584 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
96%
owners
Renter-occupied
4%
Owner-occupied
96%
homeownership rate
Buffalo Gap
96%
Custer County
85.6%
South Dakota
68.6%
Average household size
1.78
Owner-occupied
1
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Buffalo Gap
1.78
Custer County
1.97
South Dakota
2.54
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 75 | 4,451 | 365,544 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 5.3% | 20.7% | 25.4% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 32% | 42% | 39.7% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 38.7% | 21% | 16.2% |
| 1999 or earlier | 24% | 16.3% | 18.7% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 100% | 96.6% | 97.7% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 0% | 2.9% | 1.6% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 0% | 0.7% | 5.2% |
| 1 vehicle | 14.7% | 18.1% | 28.4% |
| 2 vehicles | 54.7% | 44.6% | 36.3% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 30.7% | 36.5% | 30.1% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 76% | 44.4% | 63.1% |
| Electricity | 22.7% | 39% | 32.4% |
| Solar | 0% | 0.3% | 0% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0.2% | 1.3% |
| All other fuels | 1.3% | 15.6% | 2.4% |
| No fuel used | 0% | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 1.3% | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| No telephone service available | 0% | 0.7% | 1.1% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$100,000
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
12.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $100,000 | $372,100 | $257,400 |
| Under $100,000 | 50% | 11.6% | 16.1% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 32% | 10.6% | 19.5% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 12.5% | 18.7% | 24.4% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 0% | 26.3% | 26% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 5.6% | 25.6% | 12.1% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0% | 7.2% | 1.8% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 22.2% | 52.6% | 54.5% |
| Without a mortgage | 77.8% | 47.4% | 45.5% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,000 | $1,888 | $1,680 |
| Without a mortgage | $433 | $727 | $617 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $— | $1,112 | $946 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
27.3%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Buffalo Gap
27.3%
Custer County
31.6%
South Dakota
31.9%
Adults without a high school diploma
2.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Buffalo Gap
2.7%
Custer County
5.3%
South Dakota
6.8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
14
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
0%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 14 | 1,126 | 216,085 |
| Nursery / preschool | 0% | 11.3% | 6.1% |
| K–12 | 100% | 76.7% | 73% |
| Kindergarten | 50% | 5% | 5.6% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 35.7% | 21.4% | 22.3% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 14.3% | 23.9% | 22.8% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 0% | 26.5% | 22.3% |
| College or graduate school | 0% | 12% | 20.9% |
| College, undergraduate | 0% | 10% | 17.1% |
| Graduate, professional school | 0% | 2% | 3.8% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 0% | 18% | 35.1% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 100% | 79.9% | 86.9% |
| Private school | 0% | 20.1% | 13.1% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
110
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 110 | 7,323 | 603,746 |
| Less than 9th grade | 1.8% | 1.9% | 2.6% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 0.9% | 3.4% | 4.2% |
| High school diploma or GED | 17.3% | 27.1% | 29% |
| Some college, no degree | 46.4% | 25.2% | 19.9% |
| Associate's degree | 6.4% | 10.9% | 12.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.3% | 31.6% | 31.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 16.4% | 19% | 21.9% |
| Graduate or professional | 10.9% | 12.6% | 10% |
| High School or higher | 97.3% | 94.7% | 93.2% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$—
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
* The Census Bureau did not publish median earnings for Buffalo Gap due to an insufficient number of sample cases to produce reliable estimates.
Poverty Rate
0%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
* The Census Bureau did not publish median earnings and poverty rates for Buffalo Gap due to an insufficient number of sample cases to produce reliable estimates.
| Buffalo Gap | Custer County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $— | $50,621 | $49,402 |
| Less than high school graduate | $— | $30,489 | $33,790 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $— | $49,531 | $40,544 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $10,000 | $48,423 | $47,061 |
| Bachelor's degree | $37,344 | $58,164 | $58,363 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $46,786 | $57,560 | $72,377 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 0% | 30.2% | 28% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 5.3% | 9.7% | 13.2% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 1.7% | 9.1% | 8.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 0% | 4.8% | 4.2% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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