Turner County, South Dakota

County in SD, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

8,882

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

41.2

years ∙ half population younger than 41.2, half older

Diversity Index

13.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

98%Native

2% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Turner County is a county in South Dakota, United States.

Location

County in SD, US

Co-ordinates

DEC43.308670° N, 97.150185° W

DMS43° 18′ 31.21″ N, 97° 09′ 00.67″ W

Population Density & area

14.39/sq mi (5.56/km²)

Total Area

617.7 sq mi (1,599.8 km²)

Land Area

617.1 sq mi (1,598.2 km²) · 99.9%

Water Area

0.6 sq mi (1.6 km²) · 0.1%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

50.2% male

Male 50.2%

Female 49.8%

males per 100 females

Turner County 100.7

South Dakota 103.1

United States 98

Nativity

foreign-born population

98%Native

2% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Turner County 2%

South Dakota 4%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

41.2

years ∙ half population younger than 41.2, half older

Turner County

41.2

South Dakota

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

83.9

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Turner County 83.9

South Dakota 73

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	25.3%	24.2%	22%
Working age (18-64)	54.4%	57.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	20.3%	18%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	83.9	73	64.4
Child dependency ratio	46.5	41.9	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	37.3	31.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

93%

Black

0.4%

Asian

0.3%

Hispanic

3.5%

Other

2.8%

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

13.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Turner County 13.3%

South Dakota 35.3%

United States 61.4%

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 Turner County population

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	3.5%	4.8%	19.3%
Mexican	0.6%	2.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.3%	0.4%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	2.5%	1.7%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	96.5%	95.2%	80.7%
One race	94.5%	90.8%	76.4%
White	93%	79.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	0.4%	2.1%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.5%	7.1%	0.5%
Asian	0.3%	1.4%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0.1%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	2%	4.4%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

63.5% family

Family 63.5%

Non family 36.5%

% family households

Turner County 63.5%

South Dakota 61.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.42

persons per household

Turner County

2.42

South Dakota

2.39

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Turner County population

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Total households	3,568	365,544	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.42	2.39	2.53
Family households	2,264	224,058	82,990,528
Average family size	3.05	3.05	3.14
Married couple family	1,896	176,597	60,637,388
Other families	368	47,461	22,353,140
Male householder	193	17,711	6,572,819
Female householder	175	29,750	15,780,321
Non-family households	1,304	141,486	46,236,968
One-person households	1,086	116,755	37,140,836
Male householder	607	57,880	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	210	17,403	5,225,110
Female householder	479	58,875	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	277	29,381	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	218	24,731	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

3,913

housing units

Turner County 3,913

South Dakota 408,584

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

91.2% occupied

Occupied 91.2%

Vacant 8.8%

vacancy rate

Turner County 8.8%

South Dakota 10.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

86%

Single family houses

86%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

9.9%

Mobile homes

4.1%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1963

Half of houses were built before 1963, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

36.5%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

19.5%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

26.1%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

18%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.5	5.9	5.5
1–3 rooms	7.7%	13.6%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	42.3%	44.6%	51.6%
7+ rooms	49.9%	41.8%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1%	1.9%	2.9%
1 bedroom	7.9%	10.1%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	24.4%	26.4%	25%
3 bedrooms	35%	32%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	31.7%	29.6%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1963	1982	1981
Total housing units	3,913	408,584	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

79% owners

Renter-occupied 21%

Owner-occupied 79%

homeownership rate

Turner County 79%

South Dakota 68.6%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.53

Owner-occupied

2.02

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Turner County 2.53

South Dakota 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Total occupied units	3,568	365,544	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	17.9%	25.4%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	40.6%	39.7%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	19.1%	16.2%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	22.4%	18.7%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99.4%	97.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.5%	1.6%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.1%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	3.9%	5.2%	8.4%
1 vehicle	22.1%	28.4%	33.1%
2 vehicles	32.1%	36.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	41.9%	30.1%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	56.1%	63.1%	51.4%
Electricity	35.6%	32.4%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	3.9%	1.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	3.8%	2.4%	2%
No fuel used	0.6%	0.8%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.4%	0.5%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1%	0.9%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.4%	1.1%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$222,900

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Turner County

$222,900

South Dakota

$257,400

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

23.2%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

23.2%

Owners without a mortgage

9.9%

Renters

31.5%

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

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Property value
Median Value	$222,900	$257,400	$332,700
Under $100,000	22.2%	16.1%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	23.5%	19.5%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	17.6%	24.4%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	25.9%	26%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	9.9%	12.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	0.8%	1.8%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	53.2%	54.5%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	46.8%	45.5%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,553	$1,680	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$573	$617	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$742	$946	$1,413

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

Turner County 27.3%

South Dakota 31.9%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

6.9%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Turner County 6.9%

South Dakota 6.8%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

2,002

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

8.6%

K–12

80.6%

College / Undergraduate

8.2%

Graduate / Professional

2.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

21.5%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Turner County

21.5%

South Dakota

35.1%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	2,002	216,085	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	8.6%	6.1%	5.7%
K–12	80.6%	73%	67.6%
Kindergarten	3.8%	5.6%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	20.8%	22.3%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	32.2%	22.8%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	23.9%	22.3%	21.7%
College or graduate school	10.7%	20.9%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	8.2%	17.1%	21%
Graduate, professional school	2.5%	3.8%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	21.5%	35.1%	40.9%
School type
Public school	87.9%	86.9%	82%
Private school	12.1%	13.1%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

6,048

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

4.4%

HS graduate

31.3%

Some college no degree

20.4%

Associates degree

14.1%

Bachelors degree

20.2%

Graduate or professional degree

7.1%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

66% · 34%

9th-12th, no diploma

66.4% · 33.6%

HS graduate

54.2% · 45.8%

Some college no degree

49.8% · 50.2%

Associates degree

45.3% · 54.7%

Bachelors degree

45.8% · 54.2%

Graduate or professional degree

38.1% · 61.9%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Population (25+)	6,048	603,746	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	2.5%	2.6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	4.4%	4.2%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	31.3%	29%	26%
Some college, no degree	20.4%	19.9%	19.1%
Associate's degree	14.1%	12.3%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.3%	31.9%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	20.2%	21.9%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	7.1%	10%	14.1%
High School or higher	93%	93.2%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$49,509

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$42,105

HS graduate

$46,712

Some college or associates

$48,833

Bachelors degree

$53,421

Graduate or professional degree

$61,523

Poverty Rate

4.5%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

17.6%

HS graduate

9.3%

Some college or associates

9.6%

Bachelors degree or higher

4.5%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Turner County	South Dakota	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$49,509	$49,402	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$42,105	$33,790	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$46,712	$40,544	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$48,833	$47,061	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$53,421	$58,363	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$61,523	$72,377	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	17.6%	28%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	9.3%	13.2%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	9.6%	8.5%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	4.5%	4.2%	4.5%

Insights for Turner County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

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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