Yankton County, South Dakota

County in SD, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

23,414

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

Median Age

42.5

years ∙ half population younger than 42.5, half older

Diversity Index

24%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

2.9%

foreign-born population

97.1%Native

2.9% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

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

Location

County in SD, US

Co-ordinates

DEC43.006603° N, 97.388361° W

DMS43° 00′ 23.77″ N, 97° 23′ 18.10″ W

Population Density & area

44.92/sq mi (17.35/km²)

Total Area

532.3 sq mi (1,378.6 km²)

Land Area

521.2 sq mi (1,349.9 km²) · 97.9%

Water Area

11.1 sq mi (28.7 km²) · 2.1%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

52% male

Male 52%

Female 48%

males per 100 females

Yankton County 108.3

South Dakota 103.1

United States 98

Nativity

2.9%

foreign-born population

97.1%Native

2.9% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Yankton County 2.9%

South Dakota 4%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

42.5

years ∙ half population younger than 42.5, half older

Yankton County

42.5

South Dakota

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

74.3

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Yankton County 74.3

South Dakota 73

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	21.2%	24.2%	22%
Working age (18-64)	57.4%	57.8%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	21.4%	18%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	74.3	73	64.4
Child dependency ratio	37	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

86.9%

Black

1.6%

Asian

0.3%

Hispanic

5.9%

Other

5.3%

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

24%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Yankton County 24%

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 Yankton County population

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	5.9%	4.8%	19.3%
Mexican	2.6%	2.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0.2%	0.4%	1.8%
Cuban	1.5%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.4%	1.7%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	94.1%	95.2%	80.7%
One race	90.8%	90.8%	76.4%
White	86.9%	79.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	1.6%	2.1%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	2.1%	7.1%	0.5%
Asian	0.3%	1.4%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.3%	4.4%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

56.5% family

Family 56.5%

Non family 43.5%

% family households

Yankton County 56.5%

South Dakota 61.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.22

persons per household

Yankton County

2.22

South Dakota

2.39

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Yankton County population

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Total households	9,695	365,544	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.22	2.39	2.53
Family households	5,480	224,058	82,990,528
Average family size	2.93	3.05	3.14
Married couple family	4,405	176,597	60,637,388
Other families	1,075	47,461	22,353,140
Male householder	362	17,711	6,572,819
Female householder	713	29,750	15,780,321
Non-family households	4,215	141,486	46,236,968
One-person households	3,735	116,755	37,140,836
Male householder	1,875	57,880	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	577	17,403	5,225,110
Female householder	1,860	58,875	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	1,100	29,381	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	480	24,731	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

10,616

housing units

Yankton County 10,616

South Dakota 408,584

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

91.3% occupied

Occupied 91.3%

Vacant 8.7%

vacancy rate

Yankton County 8.7%

South Dakota 10.5%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

75.3%

Single family houses

75.3%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

20%

Mobile homes

4.6%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1978

Half of houses were built before 1978, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

14.4%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

23.8%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

39.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

22%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.2	5.9	5.5
1–3 rooms	15.8%	13.6%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	38.6%	44.6%	51.6%
7+ rooms	45.7%	41.8%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	1.9%	1.9%	2.9%
1 bedroom	11%	10.1%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	27.8%	26.4%	25%
3 bedrooms	33%	32%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	26.3%	29.6%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1978	1982	1981
Total housing units	10,616	408,584	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

72.7% owners

Renter-occupied 27.3%

Owner-occupied 72.7%

homeownership rate

Yankton County 72.7%

South Dakota 68.6%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.39

Owner-occupied

1.78

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Yankton County 2.39

South Dakota 2.54

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Total occupied units	9,695	365,544	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	25.2%	25.4%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	38%	39.7%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	16.7%	16.2%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	20%	18.7%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98%	97.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1.3%	1.6%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.8%	0.7%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.2%	5.2%	8.4%
1 vehicle	29.5%	28.4%	33.1%
2 vehicles	35.5%	36.3%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	29.9%	30.1%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	68.4%	63.1%	51.4%
Electricity	28.8%	32.4%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.9%	1.3%	3.9%
All other fuels	0.8%	2.4%	2%
No fuel used	1.1%	0.8%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.2%	0.5%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.9%	0.9%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.9%	1.1%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$225,900

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Yankton County

$225,900

South Dakota

$257,400

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

22%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

22%

Owners without a mortgage

7.5%

Renters

33.9%

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

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Property value
Median Value	$225,900	$257,400	$332,700
Under $100,000	13.4%	16.1%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	28.9%	19.5%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	26.5%	24.4%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	24%	26%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	5.7%	12.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.4%	1.8%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	55.3%	54.5%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	44.7%	45.5%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,479	$1,680	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$558	$617	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$781	$946	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

31.4%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Yankton County 31.4%

South Dakota 31.9%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

6.3%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Yankton County 6.3%

South Dakota 6.8%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

4,919

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

5.2%

K–12

73.9%

College / Undergraduate

17.4%

Graduate / Professional

3.5%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

28.8%

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

Yankton County

28.8%

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

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	4,919	216,085	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	5.2%	6.1%	5.7%
K–12	73.9%	73%	67.6%
Kindergarten	6.3%	5.6%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	17.2%	22.3%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	23%	22.8%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	27.5%	22.3%	21.7%
College or graduate school	20.9%	20.9%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	17.4%	17.1%	21%
Graduate, professional school	3.5%	3.8%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	28.8%	35.1%	40.9%
School type
Public school	84.8%	86.9%	82%
Private school	15.2%	13.1%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

16,359

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

1.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

4.6%

HS graduate

32.6%

Some college no degree

18.2%

Associates degree

11.4%

Bachelors degree

19.9%

Graduate or professional degree

11.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

56.6% · 43.4%

9th-12th, no diploma

45.8% · 54.2%

HS graduate

55.4% · 44.6%

Some college no degree

51.8% · 48.2%

Associates degree

52.6% · 47.4%

Bachelors degree

50.9% · 49.1%

Graduate or professional degree

42.9% · 57.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Population (25+)	16,359	603,746	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	1.7%	2.6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	4.6%	4.2%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	32.6%	29%	26%
Some college, no degree	18.2%	19.9%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.4%	12.3%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.4%	31.9%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	19.9%	21.9%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	11.5%	10%	14.1%
High School or higher	93.6%	93.2%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$48,249

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$31,813

HS graduate

$37,137

Some college or associates

$48,203

Bachelors degree

$53,832

Graduate or professional degree

$60,721

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

26.4%

HS graduate

13.4%

Some college or associates

4.4%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Yankton County	South Dakota	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$48,249	$49,402	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$31,813	$33,790	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$37,137	$40,544	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$48,203	$47,061	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$53,832	$58,363	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$60,721	$72,377	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	26.4%	28%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	13.4%	13.2%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	4.4%	8.5%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	9%	4.2%	4.5%

Insights for Yankton 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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