HomeSouth DakotaMeade County
Meade County, South Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Meade County, South Dakota has a population of 30,546 across 3,471 square miles, up 3.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.30 bn in 2024, 805 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 31 7(a) approvals worth $8.5 m.
121 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Meade County
How many people live in Meade County
- Population30,546
- Households11,968
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$74,790
- Median age37.3
- Median gross rent$1,264 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$310,900
- Home value to household income4.2 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher27.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over21,019
- Population under 186,476
- Share under 1821.2 percent
- Population 65 and over5,104
- Share 65 and over16.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6418,966
- Civilian labor force15,594
- Unemployment rate3.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over64.8 percent
- Rank by population among South Dakota counties6th of 66
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1463rd
Meade County is the 6th largest of 66 South Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 4.2 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.2 percent against 16.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Meade County
Is Meade County growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.58 percent
- Census 2020 base population29,850
- Births, 2024313
- Deaths, 2024281
- Natural change, 202432
- Net domestic migration, 2024-46
- Net international migration, 20242
- Total net migration, 2024-44
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024877
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents759th
The county has grown 3.58 percent 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.
Meade County
Where people moving to Meade County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving1,666
- People arriving, from those returns3,241
- Adjusted gross income arriving$99.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$59,664
- Largest single originMeade County Non-migrants (10,999 households)
- Largest single destination (10,999 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meade County Non-migrants | 10,999 | 23,180 | $881.4 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 736 | 1,431 | $44.8 m |
| Pennington County | 574 | 1,106 | $33.7 m |
| Other flows - West | 333 | 642 | $20.4 m |
| Other flows - South | 203 | 399 | $11.8 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 155 | 283 | $9.4 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 154 | 314 | $9.7 m |
| Lawrence County | 96 | 170 | $5.9 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Meade 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.
Meade County
What the Meade County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.30 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.25 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20244.8 percent
- GDP change over five years37.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among South Dakota counties12th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1628th
- GDP per resident$42,710
Output grew 4.8 percent in the latest year and 37.2 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.
Meade County
Who employs people in Meade County
- Covered employment, annual average8,600
- Establishments reporting1,056
- Average annual pay$57,255
- Average weekly wage$1,101
- Sector 23, employment1,049
- Sector 23, average annual pay$61,923
- Sector 44-45, employment860
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$41,153
- Sector 72, employment746
- Sector 72, average annual pay$23,868
- Sector 62, employment625
- Sector 62, average annual pay$52,135
- Sector 31-33, employment393
- Sector 54, employment343
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 23 | 1,049 | 176 | $61,923 |
| Sector 44-45 | 860 | 100 | $41,153 |
| Sector 72 | 746 | 69 | $23,868 |
| Sector 62 | 625 | 49 | $52,135 |
| Sector 31-33 | 393 | 32 | $44,922 |
| Sector 54 | 343 | 142 | $85,039 |
| Sector 42 | 285 | 54 | $73,450 |
| Sector 81 | 255 | 72 | $41,124 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,049 jobs, 12.2 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Meade County
What businesses operate in Meade County
- Establishments, all industries805
- Employment at those establishments6,662
- Annual payroll$421.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents26.4
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.
Meade County
What is being built in Meade County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 2024138
- Declared construction value permitted$42.6 m
- Single family units authorised111
- Multifamily units authorised27
- Multifamily share of units19.6 percent
- Average declared value per unit$308,582
- Units authorised per 1,000 households11.5
Multifamily is 19.6 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Meade County
How much SBA lending happens in Meade County
- 7(a) approvals recorded31
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$8.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$273,942
- Median 7(a) approval$153,800
- 10th percentile approval$25,000
- 90th percentile approval$601,600
- Largest single approval$1,239,700
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)197
- Jobs per approval6.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active9
- Distinct industries receiving approvals24
- Median 7(a) term96 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms8
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter23
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals3.2 percent
- Leading industry by approval countWineries (2)
- Most active lenderBlack Hills FCU (10)
- 504 approvals recorded38
- 504 gross approval dollars$29.9 m
- Average 504 approval$786,789
- Median 504 approval$393,000
- Distinct CDCs active3
- 504 jobs per approval8.1
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved10.3
- Most active CDCAlly Dakota Development, Inc. (32)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals44.9 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$38.4 m
The average approval of $273,942 sits well above the median of $153,800, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 25.8 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Meade County
Do SBA loans in Meade County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded5
- Paid in full5
- Charged off0
- Status: Paid in full5
- Status: Exempt from disclosure20
- Status: Cancelled5
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 5 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Meade County
Which parts of Meade County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending8
- Black Hawk, approvals10
- STURGIS, approvals8
- Rapid City, approvals5
- Vale, approvals2
- BOX ELDER, approvals2
- SUMMERSET, approvals2
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hawk | 10 | $1,773,200 |
| STURGIS | 8 | $4,217,600 |
| Rapid City | 5 | $1,419,400 |
| Vale | 2 | $510,000 |
| BOX ELDER | 2 | $116,000 |
| SUMMERSET | 2 | $411,000 |
| PIEDMONT | 1 | $25,000 |
| NEWELL | 1 | $20,000 |
Black Hawk accounts for 10 approvals against 8 in STURGIS. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Meade County
How big is Meade County
- Land area3,471 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Dakota counties1st of 66
- Width, east to west77.6 mi
- Height, north to south62.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land9
- Establishments per square mile0.23
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 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 Meade 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 Meade County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population30,546
- Households11,968
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$74,790
- Median age37.3
Common questions
Meade County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Meade County, South Dakota?
30,546, in 11,968 households, ranking 6th of 66 South Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Meade County growing?
The population has grown 3.58 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 313 births against 281 deaths, with net migration of -44. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Meade County?
$74,790. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $310,900, which is 4.2 times income, and median gross rent is $1,264 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Meade County?
805 establishments, employing 6,662 people with an annual payroll of $421.0 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 Meade County?
Average annual pay is $57,255, or $1,101 a week, across 8,600 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Meade County?
31 7(a) approvals totalling $8.5 m since FY2020, across 9 lenders, with a median approval of $153,800, plus 38 504 approvals worth $29.9 m. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Meade County?
138 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $42.6 m. Multifamily was 19.6 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Meade 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.
Where do people moving to Meade County come from?
The largest single origin is Meade County Non-migrants, with 10,999 households. Arriving households report an average income of $59,664 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 Meade 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 Meade 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.