County · South Dakota

Beadle County, South Dakota

Beadle County, South Dakota. Beadle County had 19,624 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than South Dakota (+5.5%). It holds 49 places (9 cities, villages and boroughs, 35 towns and townships and 5 census-designated) and 6 census tracts. GEOID 46005.

Beadle County is the county of the Huron, SD micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

19,624

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 19,149 · ACS 2020-2024: 19,309

Median household income

$67,681

±$5,231 (90% margin)
South Dakota: $75,081

Median home value

$175,100

±$12,250 (90% margin)
South Dakota: $257,400

Median gross rent

$879

±$51 (90% margin)
South Dakota: $946

How many people live in Beadle County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 19,149 residents in Beadle County. The Census Bureau estimates 19,624 for July 1, 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than South Dakota (+5.5%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 19,309 over 1,259 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +15 (19,177)
2021→2022 +99 (19,276)
2022→2023 +18 (19,294)
2023→2024 +228 (19,522)
2024→2025 +102 (19,624)

Beadle County in South Dakota. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Beadle County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	19,309	907,428	+963
Households	7,536±234	365,544	no clear change
Average household size	2.48±0.07	2.39	+0.13
Housing units	8,474±44	408,584	no clear change

Beadle County's population since 2000

From 17,023 in 2000 to 19,624 in 2025: up 15.3%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 17,023
2005 (estimate) 16,304
2010 Census 17,398
2015 (estimate) 18,146
2020 Census 19,149
2025 (estimate) 19,624

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Beadle County?

Beadle County holds 49 places: 9 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places), 35 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government) and 5 census-designated places. The largest is Huron with 14,607 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Beadle County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Huron	city	14,263	14,385±34	$61,452	$159,000	16.1%	100%
Wolsey	town	459	692±158	$57,500	$101,200	6.4%	100%
Clyde TownshipGEOID 4600513060	township	431	268±154	$105,703	$267,400	0.0%	100%
Custer Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600515060	township	359	334±129	$117,969	$307,100	0.0%	100%
Theresa TownshipGEOID 4600563300	township	304	200±77	$92,031	$325,000	0.0%	100%
Valley Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600565980	township	235	285±135	$86,406	$282,000	0.0%	100%
Wessington	city	197	192±56	$58,125	$102,100	21.4%	96%
Clifton Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600512900	township	132	249±168	$94,625	$586,500	2.8%	100%
Richland Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600554420	township	130	83±54	$54,226	$279,800	0.0%	100%
Lake Byron TownshipGEOID 4600535140	township	129	163±69	$57,361	$308,300	0.0%	100%
CavourGEOID 4610620	town	128	186±87	$90,000	$97,100	15.1%	100%
Logan Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600538180	township	125	76±72	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Grant Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600525580	township	118	34±45	not published	not published	26.9%	100%
YaleGEOID 4673020	town	112	122±52	$62,917	$151,700	15.6%	100%
HitchcockGEOID 4629500	town	112	91±37	$67,656	$81,000	14.3%	100%
Barrett Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600503700	township	107	100±36	not published	not published	37.3%	100%
Iowa Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600531780	township	106	2±5	not published	not published	100.0%	100%
Cavour TownshipGEOID 4600510660	township	100	152±79	$168,333	$366,700	5.0%	100%
Pearl Creek ColonyGEOID 4648820	CDP	99	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
Fairfield TownshipGEOID 4600520460	township	97	250±129	$88,913	$224,000	0.0%	100%
Dearborn TownshipGEOID 4600515740	township	95	47±31	$88,250	$318,800	0.0%	100%
Shamrock ColonyGEOID 4658310	CDP	88	72±16	not published	not published	59.6%	100%
Altoona TownshipGEOID 4600501300	township	85	103±42	$109,135	$311,500	0.0%	100%
Foster Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600522380	township	84	32±29	$98,750	not published	15.6%	100%
Vernon Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600566860	township	83	88±46	$133,173	$211,100	0.0%	100%
Pearl Creek TownshipGEOID 4600548780	township	82	61±58	$250,000 or more	$285,700	16.4%	100%
Hartland Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600527660	township	82	51±29	$90,417	$320,000	13.7%	100%
Liberty Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600536740	township	77	156±90	$113,571	$213,500	2.6%	100%
Allen TownshipGEOID 4600500860	township	77	108±53	$92,656	$241,700	4.6%	100%
Carlyle TownshipGEOID 4600509980	township	74	46±43	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Riverside ColonyGEOID 4655220	CDP	72	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
MorningsideGEOID 4643780	CDP	70	90±88	$119,028	$230,600	0.0%	100%
Milford TownshipGEOID 4600542340	township	69	60±62	$70,729	$412,500	0.0%	100%
Wolsey TownshipGEOID 4600572580	township	67	75±33	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Iroquois	city	292	389±106	$59,926	$156,300	2.3%	21%
Kellogg TownshipGEOID 4600533500	township	59	85±64	$195,250	$550,000	27.1%	100%
Pleasant View Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600551020	township	59	71±38	not published	not published	18.3%	100%
Bonilla TownshipGEOID 4600506380	township	59	47±37	$131,161	$273,200	0.0%	100%
Broadland TownshipGEOID 4600507460	township	53	53±45	not published	$350,000	43.4%	100%
Wessington TownshipGEOID 4600570180	township	49	51±30	$145,625	$350,000	0.0%	100%
Banner Township, Beadle CountyGEOID 4600503500	township	48	33±20	not published	not published	12.1%	100%
Nance TownshipGEOID 4600544500	township	47	17±12	$2,500 or less	$2,000,000 or more	29.4%	100%
Whiteside TownshipGEOID 4600571460	township	46	49±33	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Belle Prairie TownshipGEOID 4600504460	township	39	35±30	not published	$350,000	11.4%	100%
Burr Oak TownshipGEOID 4600508780	township	34	29±21	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Sand Creek TownshipGEOID 4600557500	township	29	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%
BroadlandGEOID 4607420	town	27	15±11	$87,250	$56,400	0.0%	100%
VirgilGEOID 4667500	town	26	20±16	$38,750	not published	0.0%	100%
Huron ColonyGEOID 4631140	CDP	2	0±10	not published	not published	–	100%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Beadle County?

The median resident of Beadle County is 37.6 years old; 28.0% are under 18 and 18.4% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 68.1%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 14.9%. 12.1% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Beadle County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	37.6±1.0	38.0	no clear change
Under 18 years	28.0%±0.4 pts	24.2%	–
65 years and over	18.4%±0.9 pts	18.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	14.9%	4.8%	+4.8 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	68.1%±0.9 pts	79.8%	−8.8 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.0%±0.5 pts	2.1%	no clear change
Asian alone, not Hispanic	9.8%±1.7 pts	1.4%	no clear change
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1.1%±0.3 pts	7.1%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.7%±2.0 pts	4.4%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.5 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	12.1%±2.2 pts	4.0%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	19.0%±2.9 pts	7.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.2%±1.3 pts	7.9%	–
With a disability	14.3%±2.3 pts	12.5%	–
No health insurance coverage	7.4%±2.2 pts	9.0%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	87.5%±2.2 pts	93.2%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	27.2%±2.8 pts	31.9%	+6.7 pts
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.2%±2.0 pts	10.0%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	4.7%±2.4 pts	3.2%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Beadle County earn?

Half of Beadle County's 7,536 households earn less than $67,681 a year (±$5,231), against $75,081 in South Dakota. In 2015-2019 it was $64,381 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 13.6% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Beadle County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$67,681±$5,231	$75,081	no clear change
Mean household income	$86,374±$7,329	$98,527	–
Per capita income	$33,964±$2,680	$40,550	no clear change
People below the poverty line	13.6%±3.3 pts	11.9%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	14.4%±6.6 pts	14.3%	−10.6 pts
Households receiving SNAP	11.3%±3.0 pts	7.9%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.9%±2.4 pts	89.6%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Beadle County?

Owners occupy 72.9% of Beadle County's occupied homes and renters 27.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $175,100 by its owner (±$12,250). The median renter pays $879 a month including utilities, and 33.6% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Beadle County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$175,100±$12,250	$257,400	+$40,093
Median gross rent	$879±$51	$946	+$117
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	33.6%±8.5 pts	30.4%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,414±$101	$1,680	–
Owner-occupied homes	72.9%±3.5 pts	68.6%	+7.2 pts
Housing units	8,474±44	408,584	no clear change
Homeowner vacancy rate	0.4%±0.7 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	5.0%±4.2 pts	6.0%	–
Single-family detached homes	72.4%±3.5 pts	66.9%	–
Mobile homes	7.3%±2.4 pts	7.2%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.6%±0.5 pts	2.3%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	27.2%±2.8 pts	15.8%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Beadle County building?

Builders took permits for 21 new housing units across Beadle County in 2025 (21 single-family), 1.1 per 1,000 residents.

2019 13 units
2020 11 units
2021 132 units
2022 27 units
2023 22 units
2024 30 units
2025 21 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Beadle County get to work?

75.3% of Beadle County's workers drive alone and 6.2% work from home. The average trip to work takes 13.4 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 1.9%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Beadle County	South Dakota	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	67.6%±2.4 pts	67.2%	–
Unemployment rate	1.9%±1.0 pts	2.9%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	75.3%±3.5 pts	77.0%	–
Carpooled	11.1%±3.1 pts	8.3%	–
Public transportation	0.1%±0.3 pts	0.5%	–
Walked	4.1%±1.5 pts	3.1%	–
Worked from home	6.2%±1.6 pts	9.7%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	13.4 min±0.8	17.8 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Beadle County's census tracts?

Beadle County is divided into 6 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $50,799 (Tract 9570) to $87,404 (Tract 9567).

Census tracts of Beadle County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 956646005956600	Cavour (2%)	1,962	1,973±205	$76,458	$237,800	$681	6.9%
Tract 956746005956700	Wolsey (7%)	1,997	2,200±185	$87,404	$214,800	$707	7.9%
Tract 956846005956800	Huron (64%)	1,867	1,729±251	$54,531	$145,500	$881	16.5%
Tract 956946005956900	Huron	3,165	3,044±373	$66,641	$132,000	$746	19.4%
Tract 957046005957000	Huron (87%)	6,314	6,282±606	$50,799	$179,700	$938	15.0%
Tract 957146005957100	Huron (88%)	3,844	4,081±508	$80,174	$167,200	$939	12.4%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Beadle County compare with South Dakota's other counties?

Beadle County's rank among South Dakota's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	11th of 66
Growth 2020-2025	22nd of 66
Residents per square mile	14th of 66
Median household income	42nd of 66
Median home value	28th of 66
Median gross rent	19th of 65
Poverty rate	21st of 65
Bachelor's degree or higher	28th of 66
Median age	48th of 66

Every county in South Dakota

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Beadle County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.