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Wessington Springs, SD

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

727
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

61
years ∙ half population younger than 61, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
13.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.4%
foreign-born population
98.6%Native
1.4% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Wessington Springs is a city within Jerauld County, South Dakota, United States.
Location
City in Jerauld County, SD, US
Co-ordinates
DEC44.080526° N, 98.571223° W
DMS44° 04′ 49.89″ N, 98° 34′ 16.40″ W

Population Density & area

403.9/sq mi (155.7/km²)
Total Area
1.8 sq mi (4.67 km²)
Land Area
1.8 sq mi (4.67 km²) · 100%
Water Area
0 sq mi (0 km²) · 0%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

42.5% male
Male 42.5%
Female 57.5%
males per 100 females
Wessington Springs 73.9
Jerauld County 95.6
South Dakota 103.1

Nativity

1.4%
foreign-born population
98.6%Native
1.4% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Wessington Springs 1.4%
Jerauld County 3.4%
South Dakota 4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

61
years ∙ half population younger than 61, half older
Wessington Springs
61
Jerauld County
46.9
South Dakota
38

Dependency ratio

Low High
174.3
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Wessington Springs 174.3
Jerauld County 115.3
South Dakota 73

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 18% 22.8% 24.2%
Working age (18-64) 36.5% 46.4% 57.8%
Senior (65+) 45.5% 30.8% 18%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 174.3 115.3 73
Child dependency ratio 49.4 49.1 41.9
Old-age dependency ratio 124.9 66.2 31.1
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
92.8%
Black
0%
Asian
0%
Hispanic
1.5%
Other
5.7%
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

Low High
13.5%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Wessington Springs 13.5%
Jerauld County 19.5%
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 Wessington Springs population
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Hispanic or Latino 1.5% 7% 4.8%
Mexican 0% 0.8% 2.6%
Puerto Rican 0% 0% 0.4%
Cuban 0% 0% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 1.5% 6.2% 1.7%
Not Hispanic or Latino 98.5% 93% 95.2%
One race 92.9% 89.6% 90.8%
White 92.8% 89.4% 79.8%
Black or African American 0% 0% 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0% 0% 7.1%
Asian 0% 0% 1.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0% 0.2% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 5.6% 3.4% 4.4%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

39.2% family
Family 39.2%
Non family 60.8%
% family households
Wessington Springs 39.2%
Jerauld County 61.9%
South Dakota 61.3%

Average household size

2
persons per household
Wessington Springs
2
Jerauld County
2.21
South Dakota
2.39

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Wessington Springs population
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Total households 344 785 365,544
Average houshold size 2 2.21 2.39
Family households 135 486 224,058
Average family size 3.05 2.79 3.05
Married couple family 115 427 176,597
Other families 20 59 47,461
Male householder 6 21 17,711
Female householder 14 38 29,750
Non-family households 209 299 141,486
One-person households 189 273 116,755
Male householder 55 100 57,880
Senior (65+) living alone 28 58 17,403
Female householder 134 173 58,875
Senior (65+) living alone 82 111 29,381
Other living arrangements 20 26 24,731

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

424
housing units
Wessington Springs 424
Jerauld County 963
South Dakota 408,584

Occupancy status

81.1% occupied
Occupied 81.1%
Vacant 18.9%
vacancy rate
Wessington Springs 18.9%
Jerauld County 18.5%
South Dakota 10.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

80.4%
Single family houses
Single family houses
80.4%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
18.4%
Mobile homes
1.2%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1962
Half of houses were built before 1962, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
37.5%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
23.1%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
31.8%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
7.5%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 5.4 6.1 5.9
1–3 rooms 18.4% 9.6% 13.6%
4–6 rooms 46.9% 45.9% 44.6%
7+ rooms 34.6% 44.5% 41.8%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 1.7% 0.7% 1.9%
1 bedroom 17.2% 9.9% 10.1%
2 bedrooms 35.1% 30.8% 26.4%
3 bedrooms 27.1% 27.2% 32%
4+ bedrooms 18.9% 31.3% 29.6%
At a glance
Median year built 1962 1962 1982
Total housing units 424 963 408,584
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

76.7% owners
Renter-occupied 23.3%
Owner-occupied 76.7%
homeownership rate
Wessington Springs 76.7%
Jerauld County 84.1%
South Dakota 68.6%

Average household size

2.09
Owner-occupied
1.7
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Wessington Springs 2.09
Jerauld County 2.2
South Dakota 2.54

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Total occupied units 344 785 365,544
Year moved in
2020 or later 27.4% 17.4% 25.4%
2010 to 2019 32% 39.9% 39.7%
2000 to 2009 14% 20.8% 16.2%
1999 or earlier 26.8% 21.9% 18.7%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 99.4% 94.5% 97.7%
1.01 to 1.50 0% 5.2% 1.6%
1.51 or more 0.6% 0.3% 0.7%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 6.7% 5.4% 5.2%
1 vehicle 39.8% 23.7% 28.4%
2 vehicles 25% 29.8% 36.3%
3 or more vehicles 28.5% 41.1% 30.1%
House heating fuel used
Gas 59% 59.5% 63.1%
Electricity 33.7% 34.3% 32.4%
Solar 0% 0% 0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 5.8% 3.4% 1.3%
All other fuels 1.5% 2.8% 2.4%
No fuel used 0% 0% 0.8%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0.6% 0.3% 0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen 0.6% 0.3% 0.9%
No telephone service available 0.3% 0.1% 1.1%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$111,300
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Wessington Springs
$111,300
Jerauld County
$150,800
South Dakota
$257,400

Housing Cost Burden

21.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
21.5%
Owners without a mortgage
22.8%
Renters
18.6%
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
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Property value
Median Value $111,300 $150,800 $257,400
Under $100,000 46.6% 38.7% 16.1%
$100,000 - $200,000 25.8% 24.5% 19.5%
$200,000 - $300,000 22% 11.8% 24.4%
$300,000 - $500,000 4.9% 13.3% 26%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 0.8% 11.7% 12.1%
$1,000,000 and more 0% 0% 1.8%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 35.2% 40.8% 54.5%
Without a mortgage 64.8% 59.2% 45.5%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,642 $1,622 $1,680
Without a mortgage $539 $552 $617
Gross rent
Median rent $560 $632 $946

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

23.6%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Wessington Springs 23.6%
Jerauld County 21.3%
South Dakota 31.9%

Adults without a high school diploma

8.9%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Wessington Springs 8.9%
Jerauld County 6.4%
South Dakota 6.8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

93
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
11.8%
K–12
78.5%
College / Undergraduate
9.7%
Graduate / Professional
0%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

0%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Wessington Springs
0%
Jerauld County
17%
South Dakota
35.1%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Total enrolled (age 3+) 93 331 216,085
Nursery / preschool 11.8% 11.8% 6.1%
K–12 78.5% 82.2% 73%
Kindergarten 11.8% 5.7% 5.6%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 22.6% 25.4% 22.3%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 28% 34.4% 22.8%
High School: Grades 9–12 16.1% 16.6% 22.3%
College or graduate school 9.7% 6% 20.9%
College, undergraduate 9.7% 6% 17.1%
Graduate, professional school 0% 0% 3.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 0% 17% 35.1%
School type
Public school 93.5% 90% 86.9%
Private school 6.5% 10% 13.1%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

580
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.6%
9th-12th, no diploma
5.3%
HS graduate
45.9%
Some college no degree
16%
Associates degree
5.5%
Bachelors degree
21.2%
Graduate or professional degree
2.4%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
14.3% · 85.7%
9th-12th, no diploma
41.9% · 58.1%
HS graduate
51.1% · 48.9%
Some college no degree
29% · 71%
Associates degree
43.8% · 56.3%
Bachelors degree
47.2% · 52.8%
Graduate or professional degree
21.4% · 78.6%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Population (25+) 580 1,321 603,746
Less than 9th grade 3.6% 2.8% 2.6%
9th–12th, no diploma 5.3% 3.6% 4.2%
High school diploma or GED 45.9% 47.5% 29%
Some college, no degree 16% 14.1% 19.9%
Associate's degree 5.5% 10.7% 12.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher 23.6% 21.3% 31.9%
Bachelor's degree 21.2% 18.3% 21.9%
Graduate or professional 2.4% 3% 10%
High School or higher 91% 93.6% 93.2%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$40,345
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$—
HS graduate
$38,750
Some college or associates
$35,893
Bachelors degree
$46,776
Graduate or professional degree
$88,036

Poverty Rate

2.3%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
23.8%
HS graduate
13.6%
Some college or associates
7%
Bachelors degree or higher
2.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Wessington Springs Jerauld County South Dakota
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $40,345 $46,674 $49,402
Less than high school graduate $— $56,429 $33,790
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $38,750 $46,354 $40,544
Some college or associate's degree $35,893 $37,969 $47,061
Bachelor's degree $46,776 $48,750 $58,363
Graduate or professional degree $88,036 $83,750 $72,377
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 23.8% 20.3% 28%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 13.6% 7.5% 13.2%
Some college or associate's degree 7% 7.5% 8.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher 2.3% 4% 4.2%
Insights for Wessington Springs, by topic

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