HomeSouth DakotaDewey County
Dewey County, South Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Dewey County, South Dakota had an estimated 5,322 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 5,243, across 2,302 square miles. County output reached $270.6 m in 2024, 103 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Dewey County
How many people live in Dewey County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20245,205
- Households1,692
- Average household size3.08
- Median household income$54,104
- Median age27.7
- Median gross rent$692 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$69,600
- Home value to household income1.3 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher18.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,745
- Population under 181,996
- Share under 1838.3 percent
- Population 65 and over518
- Share 65 and over10.0 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 642,691
- Civilian labor force2,092
- Unemployment rate13.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.2 percent
- Rank by population among South Dakota counties36th of 66
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2882nd of 3,222
Dewey County is the 36th largest of 66 South Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 1.3 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 38.3 percent against 10.0 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Dewey County
Is Dewey County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20245,322
- Census 2020 base population5,243
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.51 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024143
- Births, 2024297
- Deaths, 202485
- Natural change, 2024212
- Net domestic migration, 2024-70
- Net international migration, 20241
- Total net migration, 2024-69
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-132
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1331st of 3,144
The county has grown 1.51 percent since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 by more than net migration took away, so the population grew even though more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Dewey County
Where are people moving to Dewey County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving66
- People arriving, from those returns133
- Tax returns filed by households leaving113
- Net household movement-47
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.1 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-1.5 m
- Average income of an arriving household$31,288
- Average income of a leaving household$31,841
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $553 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Dewey County
What is the Dewey County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$270.6 m
- County GDP, 2023$273.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-1.2 percent
- GDP change over five years13.9 percent
- Rank by GDP among the South Dakota areas BEA publishes40th of 66
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2760th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$51,979
Output grew -1.2 percent in the latest year and 13.9 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Dewey County
Employment by industry in Dewey County
- Covered employment, annual average2,447
- Establishments reporting156
- Average annual pay$51,085
- Average weekly wage$982
- Retail trade, employment212
- Retail trade, average annual pay$23,146
- Accommodation and food services, employment88
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$15,913
- Wholesale trade, employment43
- Wholesale trade, average annual pay$56,694
- Information, employment25
- Information, average annual pay$23,433
- Other services, except public administration, employment14
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 212 | 18 | $23,146 |
| Accommodation and food services | 88 | 11 | $15,913 |
| Wholesale trade | 43 | 5 | $56,694 |
| Information | 25 | 3 | $23,433 |
| Other services, except public administration | 14 | 6 | $45,270 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 212 jobs, 8.7 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Dewey County
How many businesses are in Dewey County?
- Establishments, all industries103
- Employment at those establishments778
- Annual payroll$33.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents19.8
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Dewey County
Building permits in Dewey County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20243
- Declared construction value permitted$247,500
- Single family units authorized1
- Multifamily units authorized2
- Multifamily share of units66.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$82,500
- Units authorized per 1,000 households1.8
Multifamily is 66.7 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Dewey County
SBA loans in Dewey County (7(a) and 504)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$686,000
- Average 504 approval$686,000
- Median 504 approval$686,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval2.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved2.9
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Dewey County
How large is Dewey County?
- Land area2,302 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Dakota counties6th of 66
- Width, east to west60.6 mi
- Height, north to south51.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.04
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Dewey County
Flood risk in Dewey County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Dewey County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 460023
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book4
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Dewey County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Dewey County (community 460023), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Dewey County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Dewey County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Dewey County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20245,205
- Households1,692
- Average household size3.08
- Median household income$54,104
- Median age27.7
Common questions
Dewey County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Dewey County, South Dakota?
The Census Bureau estimates 5,322 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 5,205, in 1,692 households, ranking 36th of 66 South Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Dewey County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.51 percent since the 2020 census base of 5,243, to 5,322 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 297 births against 85 deaths, with net migration of -69. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Dewey County?
$54,104. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $69,600, which is 1.3 times income, and median gross rent is $692 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Dewey County?
103 establishments, employing 778 people with an annual payroll of $33.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Dewey County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 212 jobs, 8.7 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 2,447 jobs at an average annual pay of $51,085, or $982 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Dewey County?
3 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $247,500. Multifamily was 66.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Dewey County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Dewey County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Dewey County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Dewey County
Cities and places in Dewey.
9 Census places lie wholly or partly in Dewey County. All 9 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Eagle Butte | CDP | 1,481 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Eagle Butte | city | 1,458 | None recorded | 42.2 percent here, 57.8 percent Ziebach County |
| Timber Lake | city | 779 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| La Plant | CDP | 240 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Isabel | town | 214 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Whitehorse | CDP | 162 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Green Grass | CDP | 78 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Swift Bird | CDP | 35 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Lantry | CDP | 3 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |