Part of series
2026
2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
2000
2019
2018
Table Of Contents
Show More
Show Less
Data updates
Updated annually and as new data becomes available
Get email notifications -->
Share this page
White River, SD
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
606
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
37.5
years ∙ half population younger than 37.5, half older
Diversity Index
63.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
0%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
White River is a city within Mellette County, South Dakota, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC43.567068° N, 100.744875° W
DMS43° 34′ 01.44″ N, 100° 44′ 41.55″ W
Population Density & area
1,163/sq mi
(449.2/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
46.5%
male
Male
46.5%
Female
53.5%
males per 100 females
White River
87
Mellette County
96.5
South Dakota
103.1
Nativity
0%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
White River
0%
Mellette County
0%
South Dakota
4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
37.5
years ∙ half population younger than 37.5, half older
Dependency ratio
96.8
dependents per 100 working-age adults
White River
96.8
Mellette County
82.1
South Dakota
73
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 29.4% | 28.7% | 24.2% |
| Working age (18-64) | 50.8% | 54.9% | 57.8% |
| Senior (65+) | 19.8% | 16.4% | 18% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 96.8 | 82.1 | 73 |
| Child dependency ratio | 57.8 | 52.2 | 41.9 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 39 | 29.9 | 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
63.6%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
White River
63.6%
Mellette County
56%
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 White River population
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.7% | 0.9% | 4.8% |
| Mexican | 1.7% | 0.9% | 2.6% |
| Puerto Rican | 0% | 0% | 0.4% |
| Cuban | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 0% | 0% | 1.7% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 98.3% | 99.1% | 95.2% |
| One race | 78.8% | 91.6% | 90.8% |
| White | 31% | 34.7% | 79.8% |
| Black or African American | 0% | 0% | 2.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 47.9% | 56% | 7.1% |
| Asian | 0% | 0% | 1.4% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.4% | 0% |
| Some Other Race | 0% | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 19.5% | 7.5% | 4.4% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
61.2%
family
Family
61.2%
Non family
38.8%
% family households
White River
61.2%
Mellette County
62.4%
South Dakota
61.3%
Average household size
3.15
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of White River population
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 178 | 641 | 365,544 |
| Average houshold size | 3.15 | 2.96 | 2.39 |
| Family households | 109 | 400 | 224,058 |
| Average family size | 4.36 | 3.84 | 3.05 |
| Married couple family | 47 | 248 | 176,597 |
| Other families | 62 | 152 | 47,461 |
| Male householder | 36 | 51 | 17,711 |
| Female householder | 26 | 101 | 29,750 |
| Non-family households | 69 | 241 | 141,486 |
| One-person households | 61 | 220 | 116,755 |
| Male householder | 31 | 133 | 57,880 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 0 | 18 | 17,403 |
| Female householder | 30 | 87 | 58,875 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 25 | 47 | 29,381 |
| Other living arrangements | 8 | 21 | 24,731 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
228
housing units
White River
228
Mellette County
779
South Dakota
408,584
Occupancy status
78.1%
occupied
Occupied
78.1%
Vacant
21.9%
vacancy rate
White River
21.9%
Mellette County
17.7%
South Dakota
10.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
68.9%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1964
Half of houses were built before 1964, 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
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.9 |
| 1–3 rooms | 3.9% | 7.4% | 13.6% |
| 4–6 rooms | 69.3% | 58.6% | 44.6% |
| 7+ rooms | 26.7% | 33.9% | 41.8% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 0% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | 4.4% | 6.4% | 10.1% |
| 2 bedrooms | 27.6% | 35.3% | 26.4% |
| 3 bedrooms | 35.1% | 29.9% | 32% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 32.9% | 26.9% | 29.6% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1964 | 1968 | 1982 |
| Total housing units | 228 | 779 | 408,584 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
51.1%
owners
Renter-occupied
48.9%
Owner-occupied
51.1%
homeownership rate
White River
51.1%
Mellette County
60.4%
South Dakota
68.6%
Average household size
3.59
Owner-occupied
2.68
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
White River
3.59
Mellette County
2.73
South Dakota
2.54
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 178 | 641 | 365,544 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 9.6% | 9.2% | 25.4% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 52.2% | 44% | 39.7% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 24.2% | 25% | 16.2% |
| 1999 or earlier | 14% | 21.8% | 18.7% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 92.7% | 88.6% | 97.7% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 7.3% | 6.4% | 1.6% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 5% | 0.7% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 4.5% | 5.9% | 5.2% |
| 1 vehicle | 41.6% | 38.1% | 28.4% |
| 2 vehicles | 17.4% | 15.9% | 36.3% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 36.5% | 40.1% | 30.1% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 53.4% | 53.1% | 63.1% |
| Electricity | 30.9% | 26.7% | 32.4% |
| Solar | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 12.4% | 7.3% | 1.3% |
| All other fuels | 3.4% | 12.9% | 2.4% |
| No fuel used | 0% | 0% | 0.8% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0% | 4.5% | 0.5% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0% | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| No telephone service available | 0% | 6.1% | 1.1% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$75,000
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
0%
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
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $75,000 | $84,100 | $257,400 |
| Under $100,000 | 67% | 65.7% | 16.1% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 11% | 14% | 19.5% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 22% | 8.5% | 24.4% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 0% | 11.9% | 26% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 0% | 0% | 12.1% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0% | 0% | 1.8% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 17.6% | 17.3% | 54.5% |
| Without a mortgage | 82.4% | 82.7% | 45.5% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $— | $1,023 | $1,680 |
| Without a mortgage | $565 | $556 | $617 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $1,125 | $708 | $946 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
15.3%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
White River
15.3%
Mellette County
19.1%
South Dakota
31.9%
Adults without a high school diploma
21.7%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
White River
21.7%
Mellette County
16.5%
South Dakota
6.8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
179
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
52.4%
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
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 179 | 425 | 216,085 |
| Nursery / preschool | 0% | 7.1% | 6.1% |
| K–12 | 87.7% | 82.4% | 73% |
| Kindergarten | 10.1% | 8% | 5.6% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 21.8% | 21.9% | 22.3% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 48% | 28.9% | 22.8% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 7.8% | 23.5% | 22.3% |
| College or graduate school | 12.3% | 10.6% | 20.9% |
| College, undergraduate | 12.3% | 8.7% | 17.1% |
| Graduate, professional school | 0% | 1.9% | 3.8% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 52.4% | 19.7% | 35.1% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 100% | 97.9% | 86.9% |
| Private school | 0% | 2.1% | 13.1% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
386
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+
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 386 | 1,264 | 603,746 |
| Less than 9th grade | 7.5% | 3.2% | 2.6% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 14.2% | 13.3% | 4.2% |
| High school diploma or GED | 37.8% | 38.1% | 29% |
| Some college, no degree | 10.9% | 17.1% | 19.9% |
| Associate's degree | 14.2% | 9.1% | 12.3% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.3% | 19.1% | 31.9% |
| Bachelor's degree | 13% | 13.8% | 21.9% |
| Graduate or professional | 2.3% | 5.4% | 10% |
| High School or higher | 78.2% | 83.5% | 93.2% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$38,352
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
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+
| White River | Mellette County | South Dakota | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $38,352 | $32,981 | $49,402 |
| Less than high school graduate | $— | $— | $33,790 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $9,762 | $30,865 | $40,544 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $— | $32,788 | $47,061 |
| Bachelor's degree | $46,827 | $45,192 | $58,363 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $— | $52,000 | $72,377 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 71.2% | 80.4% | 28% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 43.2% | 29.9% | 13.2% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 0% | 15.4% | 8.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 0% | 10.3% | 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.
Share
Cite this page
Url to be used as reference
This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or tax advice. We recommend that you consult with a qualified professional such as a lawyer or accountant before making a decision. Many of the products and services featured here are from our affiliate partners. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Read advertiser disclosure.
