Buffalo County, South Dakota
Population 1,808
- Overall cost of living: −13.3% vs the US average, lower than 70% of US counties.
- Life expectancy: 52.9 yrs, the lowest in the US.
- Median age: 22.8, lower than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−13.3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of South Dakota outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $117,800 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Median rent | $540 | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $187/mo | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,928/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.4% | lower than 93% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.2% | lower than 82% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $473 | lower than 97% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $47,045 | lower than 92% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 4.4% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +4.6% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 72.6 | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈218 days | higher than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 8°F | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 19 in | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 31 days | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 170 days | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 10% of weeks | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈57°F | lower than 79% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 21.6 in | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $186/yr | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $135/yr | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.83/yr | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $12/yr | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $27/yr | higher than 92% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 4.9 µg/m³ | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 397.2 mi | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈515.7 ft | higher than 57% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 88.1% | lower than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 9.9% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 2% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Student-teacher ratio | N/A | |
| On-time high school graduation | N/A | |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | N/A | |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| Library visits per resident | N/A | |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 1 | lower than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 52.9 yrs | the lowest in the US |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 10.6% | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 274/100k | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 265/100k | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | N/A |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 77 min | higher than 77% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 174 min | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 13 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 68.7% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 12.3% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 323 min | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 0 per sq mi | the lowest in the US |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | N/A | |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | N/A | |
| Population | 1,808 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Median age | 22.8 | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -12 per 1k/yr | lower than 95% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 62.4% Dem | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 35.2% Rep | lower than 95% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.4% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % White | 17.5% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 1.7% | lower than 89% of US counties |
| % Black | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Asian | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 78.2% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 1.7% | lower than 92% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.9% | higher than 92% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 23 parks | lower than 65% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.4% | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 3 km | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data