HomeSouth DakotaMellette County
Mellette County, South Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Mellette County, South Dakota had an estimated 1,834 residents on July 1, 2024, down 4.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 1,921, across 1,307 square miles. County output reached $71.1 m in 2024, 21 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1 7(a) approvals worth $700,000 since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Mellette County
How many people live in Mellette County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20241,943
- Households641
- Average household size3.03
- Median household income$54,076
- Median age37.5
- Median gross rent$708 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$84,100
- Home value to household income1.6 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher19.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over1,264
- Population under 18557
- Share under 1828.7 percent
- Population 65 and over319
- Share 65 and over16.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,067
- Civilian labor force866
- Unemployment rate12.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over62.5 percent
- Rank by population among South Dakota counties58th of 66
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3126th of 3,222
Mellette County is the 58th largest of 66 South Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 1.6 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 28.7 percent against 16.4 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Mellette County
Is Mellette County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20241,834
- Census 2020 base population1,921
- Population change since the 2020 census base-4.53 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-9
- Births, 202428
- Deaths, 202432
- Natural change, 2024-4
- Net domestic migration, 2024-5
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024-5
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-59
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2948th of 3,144
The county has lost 4.53 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Mellette County
Where are people moving to Mellette County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving26
- People arriving, from those returns51
- Tax returns filed by households leaving35
- Net household movement-9
- Adjusted gross income arriving$1.5 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$382,000
- Average income of an arriving household$56,808
- Average income of a leaving household$31,286
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $25,522 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Mellette County
What is the Mellette County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$71.1 m
- County GDP, 2023$65.5 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20248.6 percent
- GDP change over five years108.3 percent
- Rank by GDP among the South Dakota areas BEA publishes65th of 66
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes3079th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$36,593
Output grew 8.6 percent in the latest year and 108.3 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.
Mellette County
Employment by industry in Mellette County
- Covered employment, annual average328
- Establishments reporting44
- Average annual pay$36,865
- Average weekly wage$709
- Retail trade, employment36
- Retail trade, average annual pay$17,988
- Accommodation and food services, employment34
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$10,907
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 36 | 4 | $17,988 |
| Accommodation and food services | 34 | 4 | $10,907 |
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 36 jobs, 11.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Mellette County
How many businesses are in Mellette County?
- Establishments, all industries21
- Employment at those establishments156
- Annual payroll$4.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents10.8
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.
Mellette County
Building permits in Mellette County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20242
- Declared construction value permitted$287,564
- Single family units authorized2
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$143,782
- Units authorized per 1,000 households3.1
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Mellette County
SBA loans in Mellette County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$700,000
- Average 7(a) approval$700,000
- Median 7(a) approval$700,000
- Largest single approval$700,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)4
- Jobs per approval4.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer100.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter0
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Mellette County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Mellette County
Do SBA loans in Mellette County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure1
Only 0 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Mellette County
How large is Mellette County?
- Land area1,307 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Dakota counties21st of 66
- Width, east to west50.7 mi
- Height, north to south32.4 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land1
- Establishments per square mile0.02
- Radon levels in Mellette County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
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. 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 Mellette 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 Mellette County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20241,943
- Households641
- Average household size3.03
- Median household income$54,076
- Median age37.5
Common questions
Mellette County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Mellette County, South Dakota?
The Census Bureau estimates 1,834 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 1,943, in 641 households, ranking 58th of 66 South Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Mellette County's population growing?
The population has fallen 4.53 percent since the 2020 census base of 1,921, to 1,834 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 28 births against 32 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 Mellette County?
$54,076. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $84,100, which is 1.6 times income, and median gross rent is $708 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Mellette County?
21 establishments, employing 156 people with an annual payroll of $4.8 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 Mellette County?
Retail trade is the largest private sector at 36 jobs, 11.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 328 jobs at an average annual pay of $36,865, or $709 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Mellette County?
1 7(a) approvals totaling $700,000 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $700,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Mellette County?
2 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $287,564. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Mellette 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 Mellette 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 Mellette 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.
Mellette County
Cities and places in Mellette.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Mellette County. All 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White River | city | 606 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Horse Creek | CDP | 162 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Norris | CDP | 140 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Corn Creek | CDP | 113 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Wood | town | 40 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |