HomeSouth DakotaHarding County
Harding County, South Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Harding County, South Dakota had an estimated 1,325 residents on July 1, 2024, up 1.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 1,310, across 2,671 square miles. County output reached $90.7 m in 2024, 43 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Harding County
How many people live in Harding County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20241,148
- Households498
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$80,441
- Median age46.3
- Median gross rent$521 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$166,100
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income7.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher30.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree3.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over816
- Population under 18268
- Share under 1823.3 percent
- Population 65 and over238
- Share 65 and over20.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64642
- Civilian labor force693
- Unemployment rate0.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over78.8 percent
- Rank by population among South Dakota counties65th of 66
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3180th of 3,222
Harding County is the 65th largest of 66 South Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 23.3 percent against 20.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Harding County
Is Harding County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20241,325
- Census 2020 base population1,310
- Population change since the 2020 census base1.15 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202411
- Births, 202417
- Deaths, 20240
- Natural change, 202417
- Net domestic migration, 2024-6
- Net international migration, 20241
- Total net migration, 2024-5
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-21
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1433rd of 3,144
The county has grown 1.15 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.
Harding County
What is the Harding County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$90.7 m
- County GDP, 2023$66.4 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 202436.6 percent
- GDP change over five years80.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the South Dakota areas BEA publishes63rd of 66
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes3067th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$78,992
Output grew 36.6 percent in the latest year and 80.1 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.
Harding County
Employment by industry in Harding County
- Covered employment, annual average444
- Establishments reporting68
- Average annual pay$46,625
- Average weekly wage$897
- Construction, employment91
- Construction, average annual pay$57,648
- Retail trade, employment51
- Retail trade, average annual pay$31,638
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 91 | 9 | $57,648 |
| Retail trade | 51 | 6 | $31,638 |
Construction is the largest private sector at 91 jobs, 20.5 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Harding County
How many businesses are in Harding County?
- Establishments, all industries43
- Employment at those establishments344
- Annual payroll$22.6 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents37.5
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.
Harding County
Building permits in Harding County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorized0
- Multifamily units authorized0
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Harding County
SBA loans in Harding County (7(a) and 504)
- 504 approvals recorded1
- 504 gross approval dollars$133,000
- Average 504 approval$133,000
- Median 504 approval$133,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval1.0
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved7.5
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Harding County
How large is Harding County?
- Land area2,671 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Dakota counties4th of 66
- Width, east to west53.2 mi
- Height, north to south50.6 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land0
- Establishments per square mile0.02
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.
Harding County
Flood risk in Harding County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book1
- Of those, participating in the NFIP0
- NFIP participation rate0.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Harding County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The EPA places Harding 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. 0.0 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 Harding 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 Harding County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20241,148
- Households498
- Average household size2.31
- Median household income$80,441
- Median age46.3
Common questions
Harding County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Harding County, South Dakota?
The Census Bureau estimates 1,325 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 1,148, in 498 households, ranking 65th of 66 South Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Harding County's population growing?
The population has grown 1.15 percent since the 2020 census base of 1,310, to 1,325 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 17 births against 0 deaths, with net migration of -5. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Harding County?
$80,441. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $166,100, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $521 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Harding County?
43 establishments, employing 344 people with an annual payroll of $22.6 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 Harding County?
Construction is the largest private sector at 91 jobs, 20.5 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 444 jobs at an average annual pay of $46,625, or $897 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Harding County?
No residential units were authorized by permit in 2024. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Harding 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 Harding 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 Harding 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.
Harding County
Cities and places in Harding.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Harding County. All 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | town | 278 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Camp Crook | town | 41 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |