Buffalo County, South Dakota (SD)

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County population in July 2007: 2,111 (all rural)
County owner-occupied houses and condos: 227
Renter-occupied apartments: 299

% of renters here:	57%
State:	32%

Land area: 471 sq. mi.
Water area: 16.8 sq. mi.

Population density: 4 people per square mile

(very low).

2008 cost of living index in Buffalo County: 78.4 (low, U.S. average is 100)

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Industries providing employment: Educational,health and social services (32.1%), Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (20.1%), Public administration (12.7%).

Type of workers:

Private wage or salary: 33%
Government: 54%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 11%
Unpaid family work: 2%

Buffalo County, South Dakota business data: stores, dealers, real estate agents, wholesalers, restaurants...

Races in Buffalo County, South Dakota:

American Indian (83.3%)
White Non-Hispanic (16.3%)
Two or more races (1.7%)
Hispanic (0.9%)

(Total can be greater than 100% because Hispanics could be counted in other races)

Median resident age:	23.3 years
South Dakota median age:	35.6 years

Males: 1,043	(51.3%)
Females: 989	(48.7%)

Average wage per job in 2003: $27,167
County population in 2003: 2,044
Jobs in 2003: 606

Recent posts about Buffalo County, South Dakota on our local forum with over 700,000 registered users. Buffalo County is mentioned 12 times on our forum:

	Are You Feeling the Recession? (190 replies)
	Country Schools in South Dakota (60 replies)
	Is This True Pine Ridge Indian Reservation Is The Poorest Place In America? (94 replies)

Total labor force in 2004: 586
Unemployment rate in 2004: 10.2%

Average household size:

Buffalo County:	3.8 people
South Dakota:	2.5 people

Estimated median household income in 2007: $15,620 ($12,692 in 1999)

This county:	$15,620
South Dakota:	$43,424

Median contract rent in 2007 for apartments: $202 (lower quartile is $137, upper quartile is $268)

This county:	$202
State:	$436

Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $52,594 (it was $30,900 in 2000)

Buffalo County:	$52,594
South Dakota:	$118,700

Lower value quartile - upper value quartile: $16,245 - $104,244

Mean price in 2007:

Detached houses: $110,588
Here: $110,588
State: $160,328

In 3-to-4-unit structures: $3,255
Here: $3,255
State: $114,786

Mobile homes: $21,500
Here: $21,500
State: $34,151

Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $886
Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $198

Buffalo County races chart

2004 Presidential Election results in Buffalo County South Dakota:

Kerry/Edwards (Democratic): 71.7%
Bush/Cheney (Republican): 26.5%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: $489 (1.6%)

Buffalo County household income distribution in 2007

Buffalo County contract rent distribution in 2007

Residents with income below the poverty level in 2007:

This county:	56.9%
Whole state:	13.2%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2007:

This county:	39.1%
Whole state:	5.8%

Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Buffalo County is $368 a month.
Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $484 a month.
Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $620 a month.

Cities in this county include: Fort Thompson.

Neighboring counties: Brule County , Hand County , Hyde County , Jerauld County , Lyman County .

Click to draw/clear county borders

Notable locations in this county outside city limits:

Notable location: Knippling Ranch (A). Display/hide its location on the map

Churches in Buffalo County include: Crow Creek Church (A), Christ Church (B), Duncan Church (C), Saint Peters Mission (D), Saint Johns Church (E). Display/hide their locations on the map

Cemeteries: Crow Creek Cemetery (1), Saint Joseph Cemetery (2), Spring Hill Cemetery (3). Display/hide their locations on the map

Reservoirs: Voneye Slough (A), Bedashosha Lake (B). Display/hide their locations on the map

Streams, rivers, and creeks: Smith Creek (A), Elm Creek (B), Dry Run (C), Campbell Creek (D), Crow Creek (E), Wolf Creek (F). Display/hide their locations on the map

Park in Buffalo County: North Shore Recreation Area (1). Display/hide its location on the map

Unemployment in May 2009:

Here:	19.3%
South Dakota:	4.9%

Unemployment by year (%)

County total employment by year

County average yearly wages by year ($)

Current college students: 49
People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 63.9%
People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 5.4%

Number of foreign born residents: 8 (63% naturalized citizens)

Buffalo County:	0.4%
Whole state:	1.8%

Year of entry for the foreign-born population
	1995 to March 2000: 0 1990 to 1994: 3 1985 to 1989: 0 1980 to 1984: 0 1975 to 1979: 0 1970 to 1974: 0 1970 to 1974: 5 1965 to 1969: 0

Mean travel time to work: 16.0 minutes

Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 77.7%

Buffalo County marital status for females

Housing units in structures:

One, detached: 472
One, attached: 13
Two: 16
3 or 4: 13
5 to 9: 8
10 to 19: 19
Mobile homes: 57
Boats, RVs, vans, etc.: 4

Housing units in Buffalo County with a mortgage: 48 (0 second mortgage, 0 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan)
Houses without a mortgage: 77

Here:	38.4% with mortgage
State:	60.6% with mortgage

Religion statistics

Total adherents: 995
Total congregations: 5
Religions in Buffalo County - Fort Thompson

Agriculture in Buffalo County
Average size of farms: 3903 acres
Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $181073
Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $65.02
The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 0.00%
The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 84.70%
Average total farm production expenses per farm: $199327
Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 10.92%
Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 4.97%
Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $146393
The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 78.08%
Average age of principal farm operators: 54 years
Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 7.77
Corn for grain: 2711 harvested acres
All wheat for grain: 3271 harvested acres
Soybeans for beans: 3369 harvested acres

Buffalo County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is slightly below South Dakota state average. It is 1.2 times below overall U.S. average.
Tornadoes in this county have caused 10 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004.
On 6/16/1992, a category 3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado injured 8 people and caused between $5,000,000 and $50,000,000 in damages.

Buffalo County-area historical earthquake activity is above South Dakota state average. It is 88% smaller than the overall U.S. average.

On 3/4/1983 at 06:32:18, a magnitude 4.6 (4.4 MB, 4.6 LG, 4.4 ML, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 13.4 miles away from Buffalo County center
On 11/3/2002 at 20:41:56, a magnitude 4.3 (4.3 MB, 4.3 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 90.5 miles away from the county center
On 10/25/1990 at 06:25:25, a magnitude 3.9 (3.6 MB, 3.9 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 43.5 miles away from the county center
On 11/21/2003 at 01:09:11, a magnitude 3.5 (3.5 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 28.5 miles away from Buffalo County center
On 7/26/2002 at 08:32:17, a magnitude 3.1 (3.1 LG, 3.0 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 56.5 miles away from the county center
On 10/19/2005 at 02:43:46, a magnitude 3.1 (3.1 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 86.1 miles away from Buffalo County center
Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML)

Class of Workers

Most common industries for males (%):

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (30%)
Public administration (13%)
Construction (12%)
Health care (12%)
Educational services (11%)
Arts, entertainment, and recreation (7%)
Real estate and rental and leasing (3%)

Most common industries for females (%):

Educational services (19%)
Health care (16%)
Public administration (13%)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (9%)
Food and beverage stores (7%)
Social assistance (6%)
Arts, entertainment, and recreation (6%)

Most common occupations for males (%)

Farmers and farm managers (17%)
Agricultural workers including supervisors (13%)
Supervisors and other personal care and service workers except personal appearance, transportation, and child care workers (7%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (5%)
Health technologists and technicians (4%)
Construction laborers (4%)
Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations including supervisors (3%)

Most common occupations for females (%)

Other management occupations except farmers and farm managers (9%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (9%)
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (5%)
Retail sales workers except cashiers (5%)
Other office and administrative support workers including supervisors (5%)
Counselors, social workers, and other community and social service specialists (4%)
Cashiers (4%)

Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):

Philippines (38%)
Canada (38%)
Germany (25%)

Most common first ancestries reported in Buffalo County (%):

German (9%)
United States or American (1%)
Irish (1%)
English (1%)
Norwegian (1%)
French (except Basque) (1%)
French Canadian (1%)

Buffalo County mode of transportation to work chart

Means of transportation to work

Drove a car alone: 295 (68%)
Carpooled: 59 (14%)
Bus or trolley bus: 4 (1%)
Walked: 19 (4%)
Other means: 11 (3%)
Worked at home: 47 (11%)

Owners and renters by unit type in %

Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders

15 people in other noninstitutional group quarters

Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $23,742.

7.30% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($21,150 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	7.30%
South Dakota average:	8.40%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
10 or fewer of this county's residents relocated from other counties in South Dakota.
10 or fewer of this county's residents relocated from other states.

Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries

8.14% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($21,556 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	8.14%
South Dakota average:	8.34%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
5.97% relocated to other counties in South Dakota ($15,422 average AGI)
2.17% relocated to other states ($6,133 average AGI)
Buffalo County: 2.17%
South Dakota average: 3.78%

Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries

Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 21.8
Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 24.5

Births per 1000 population in Buffalo County

Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 10.4
Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 9.8

Deaths per 1000 population in Buffalo County

Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 19.6
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2003: 14.6

Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Buffalo County

Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 139 (103 aged, 36 disabled)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 29%
Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 25%

General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 2285.710
Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 952.380

EPA green book nonattainment status in 2004-2006: 1
Crimes per 100,000 population in 1996 : 1

Household type by relationship

Households: 2,017

In family households: 1,898 (206 male householders, 212 female householders)
210 spouses, 835 children (775 natural, 16 adopted, 44 stepchildren), 207 grandchildren, 34 brothers or sisters, 10 parents, 97 other relatives, 87 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 119 (55 male householders (51 living alone)), 47 female householders (38 living alone)), 17 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 15 (0 institutionalized population)

Size of family households: 92 2-persons, 72 3-persons, 76 4-persons, 66 5-persons, 53 6-persons, 59 7-or-more-persons.

Size of nonfamily households: 89 1-person, 11 2-persons, 2 3-persons.

87.4% of residents of Buffalo County speak English at home.
1.2% of residents speak Spanish at home (100% speak English very well).
0.2% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (100% speak English very well).
0.1% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (100% speak English well).
11.2% of residents speak other language at home (87% speak English very well, 9% speak English well, 4% speak English not well).

In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $29,566,000 ($14214 per capita)
Department of Defense expenditure: $1,727,000
Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $2,324,000
Federal other direct payments to individuals: $1,785,000
Federal direct payments not to individuals: $11,101,000
Federal grants: $7,663,000
Federal procurement contracts: $1,287,000 ($671,000 Department of Defense)
Federal salaries and wages: $5,406,000 ($1,042,000 Department of Defense)
Federal Government direct loans: $3,000
Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $0,000
Federal Government insurance: $6,615,000

Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 292

Here:	139 per 1000 residents
State:	72 per 1000 residents

Deaths: 102

Here:	49 per 1000 residents
State:	48 per 1000 residents

Net international migration: 0

Here:	0 per 1000 residents
State:	+5 per 1000 residents

Net internal migration: -117

Here:	-56 per 1000 residents
State:	-1 per 1000 residents

Population growth in Buffalo County

Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 0.00 millions of gallons per day (all from surface)

Median number of rooms in houses and condos:

Here:	5.7
State:	6.3

Median number of rooms in apartments:

Here:	5.1
State:	4.1

Year house built:

1999 to March 2000: 11
1995 to 1998: 59
1990 to 1994: 62
1980 to 1989: 72
1970 to 1979: 124
1960 to 1969: 133
1950 to 1959: 18
1940 to 1949: 24
1939 or earlier: 99

Rooms in owner-occupied houses in Buffalo County, South Dakota:
	1 room: 0 2 rooms: 2 3 rooms: 8 4 rooms: 11 5 rooms: 82 6 rooms: 68 7 rooms: 27 8 rooms: 12 9+ rooms: 17

Rooms in renter-occupied apartments in Buffalo County, South Dakota:
	1 room: 0 2 rooms: 9 3 rooms: 38 4 rooms: 39 5 rooms: 98 6 rooms: 75 7 rooms: 21 8 rooms: 11 9+ rooms: 8

Bedrooms in owner-occupied houses and condos in Buffalo County:
	no bedroom: 0 1 bedroom: 4 2 bedrooms: 28 3 bedrooms: 117 4 bedrooms: 67 5+ bedrooms: 11

Bedrooms in renter-occupied apartments in Buffalo County:
	no bedroom: 0 1 bedroom: 43 2 bedrooms: 44 3 bedrooms: 148 4 bedrooms: 51 5+ bedrooms: 13

Cars and other vehicles available in Buffalo County in owner-occupied houses/condos:
	no vehicle: 19 1 vehicle: 71 2 vehicles: 89 3 vehicles: 24 4 vehicles: 15 5+ vehicles: 9

Cars and other vehicles available in Buffalo County in renter-occupied apartments
	no vehicle: 64 1 vehicle: 129 2 vehicles: 79 3 vehicles: 25 4 vehicles: 0 5+ vehicles: 2

69% of Buffalo County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago.
Out of people who lived in different houses, 49% lived in this county.
Out of people who lived in different counties, 90% lived in South Dakota.

Buffalo County:	68.6%
State average:	56.2%

Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:

This state: 1901
Northeast: 0
Midwest: 54
South: 14
West: 55

Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $37,500

Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 4%

Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 3%

Year Householders Moved Into Unit:

Most commonly used house heating fuel in houses and condos:
	Bottled, tank, or LP gas (88.5%) Electricity (10.1%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (0.9%)

Most commonly used house heating fuel in apartments:
	Bottled, tank, or LP gas (77.9%) Electricity (12.7%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (4.3%) No fuel used (2.7%) Utility gas (1.3%) Wood (1.0%)

Private vs. public school enrollment:
Students in private schools in grades 1 to 8 (elementary and middle school): 46

Here:	11.2%
South Dakota:	8.0%

Students in private schools in grades 9 to 12 (high school): 20

Here:	9.8%
South Dakota:	5.6%

Students in private undergraduate colleges: 4

Here:	8.7%
South Dakota:	17.8%

Educational Attainment

School Enrollment by Level of School

Age and Sex of Sensory-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Physically-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Mentally-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Self-Care Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Go-Outside-Home Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Residents with Employment Disability (Noninst.)

Buffalo County government finances in 2004:

Charges - All Other: $36,000
Current Operations - Regular Highways: $282,000
Financial Administration: $99,000

Central Staff Services: $76,000

General - Other: $54,000

Police Protection: $49,000

Judicial and Legal Services: $43,000

General Public Buildings: $14,000

Health Services - Other: $12,000

Natural Resources - Other: $8,000

Corrections - Other: $5,000
Federal Intergovernmental - General Support: $17,000
General - Interest on Debt: $0
Miscellaneous - Interest Earnings: $5,000
General Revenue, NEC: $3,000
Other Funds - Cash & Deposits: $587,000
State Intergovernmental - Highways: $180,000
General Support: $2,000
Tax - Property: $295,000
Motor Vehicle License: $78,000

NEC: $7,000
Total Salaries & Wages: $197,000

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Total Number Of Recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of aged recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of blind and disabled recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients under 18

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients between 18 and 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients older than 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients also receiving OASDI

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Amount of payments (thousands of dollars)

Buffalo County Fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 2008:

Fatal accident count (per 100,000 population)

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents (per 100,000 population)

Fatal accidents caused by drunken drivers (per 100,000 population)

Fatalities (per 100,000 population)

Persons involved in fatal accidents (per 100,000 population)

Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents (per 100,000 population)

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