Population
549 residents
Census ACS 2023 - South Dakota
City profile · South Dakota · Census ACS 2023
Porcupine, SD
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Porcupine - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 549
- Residents
- $20,256
- Median income
- $929
- Median rent (state)
Porcupine - the verdict
Nationally, Porcupine sits in the 1st percentile for household income among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS.
- 1st
- percentile, household income
- 8th
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Porcupine, SD
South Dakota's Porcupine is a small town, with 549 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. The typical household in Porcupine brings in $20,256 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 72.0%. The median resident age is 32.5 years. About 7.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 16.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
NOAA puts Porcupine's yearly average temperature at 46.9°F with 19.9 inches of precipitation per year.
Living costs in South Dakota run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts South Dakota at 88.6 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $929 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $200 across South Dakota, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 49.8 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
Median Household Income
$20,256 /yr
Poverty 72.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
88.6 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, South Dakota average
How does Porcupine compare to other US cities?
Porcupine measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income 1% higher than other cities
Median rent 8% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Porcupine's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in South Dakota, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
1st percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 7.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 72.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 16.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
549
Median Income
$20,256
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
32.5
Poverty Rate
72.0%
Labor force participation
16.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
7.0%
Climate
Avg Temperature
46.9°F
Annual Precipitation
19.9"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
11.3%
Carpool
45.2%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
43.5%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 62 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for South Dakota - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$95
avg/month
Natural Gas
$65
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$200
estimated/month
Estimates reflect South Dakota state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a South Dakota state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Porcupine sits in
Cost of Living Index
88.6
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$929/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
49.8 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in South Dakota
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Porcupine's 549 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Porcupine's $20,256 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Porcupine compares to nearby South Dakota cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Porcupine (this city) | 549 | $20,256 |
| Herreid | 549 | $68,611 |
| Lake Preston | 539 | $60,917 |
| New Underwood | 538 | $54,167 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS SD NOAA Normals NCES CCD OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Porcupine, SD?
What is the population of Porcupine, SD? +
Porcupine, SD counts 549 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Porcupine, SD? +
In Porcupine, the typical household earns $20,256 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Porcupine? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Porcupine; the closest available measure is the South Dakota state average, a cost of living index of 88.6 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within South Dakota vary by metro area.
What is the climate like in Porcupine? +
Climate normals put Porcupine's yearly average temperature at 46.9°F, 19.9 inches of precipitation. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.