HomeSouth DakotaBuffalo County
Buffalo County, South Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Buffalo County, South Dakota has a population of 1,808 across 471 square miles, down 6.2 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $95.5 m in 2024, 11 establishments operate here.
58 sourced county values · tier FULL · 7 sections
Buffalo County
How many people live in Buffalo County
- Population1,808
- Households508
- Average household size3.56
- Median household income$47,045
- Median age22.8
- Median gross rent$540 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$117,800
- Home value to household income2.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income13.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher9.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree2.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over848
- Population under 18708
- Share under 1839.2 percent
- Population 65 and over166
- Share 65 and over9.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64934
- Civilian labor force648
- Unemployment rate10.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over58.9 percent
- Rank by population among South Dakota counties59th of 66
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents3135th
Buffalo County is the 59th largest of 66 South Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 2.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 39.2 percent against 9.2 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Buffalo County
Is Buffalo County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-6.17 percent
- Census 2020 base population1,945
- Births, 202432
- Deaths, 202425
- Natural change, 20247
- Net domestic migration, 2024-65
- Net international migration, 20240
- Total net migration, 2024-65
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-100
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents3056th
The county has lost 6.17 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Births exceeded deaths in 2024 but more people left than arrived, so the population is being sustained internally rather than attracting.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Buffalo County
Where people moving to Buffalo County come from
- Adjusted gross income arriving$0
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Largest single originBuffalo County Non-migrants (459 households)
- Largest single destination (459 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo County Non-migrants | 459 | 1,221 | $17.4 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Buffalo County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Buffalo County
What the Buffalo County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$95.5 m
- County GDP, 2023$106.6 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-10.5 percent
- GDP change over five years4.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among South Dakota counties62nd
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents3063rd
- GDP per resident$52,808
Output grew -10.5 percent in the latest year and 4.6 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.
Buffalo County
Who employs people in Buffalo County
- Covered employment, annual average538
- Establishments reporting27
- Average annual pay$50,972
- Average weekly wage$980
Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Buffalo County
What businesses operate in Buffalo County
- Establishments, all industries11
- Employment at those establishments135
- Annual payroll$3.9 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents6.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Buffalo County
How big is Buffalo County
- Land area471 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Dakota counties61st of 66
- Width, east to west32.3 mi
- Height, north to south18.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land4
- 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.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 7(a) approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2020 onward.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- The Building Permits Survey does not carry a 2024 record for this county.
- No NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Buffalo 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 Buffalo County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population1,808
- Households508
- Average household size3.56
- Median household income$47,045
- Median age22.8
Common questions
Buffalo County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Buffalo County, South Dakota?
1,808, in 508 households, ranking 59th of 66 South Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Buffalo County growing?
The population has fallen 6.17 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 32 births against 25 deaths, with net migration of -65. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Buffalo County?
$47,045. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $117,800, which is 2.5 times income, and median gross rent is $540 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Buffalo County?
11 establishments, employing 135 people with an annual payroll of $3.9 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Buffalo County?
Average annual pay is $50,972, or $980 a week, across 538 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
What is the radon zone for Buffalo County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Buffalo County come from?
The largest single origin is Buffalo County Non-migrants, with 459 households. Arriving households report an average income of null against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Buffalo 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 Buffalo County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.