• county
  • FIPS 46033
  • Largest town: Custer

Custer County, South Dakota

Custer County had 9,330 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,556.9 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 16th by land area.

Population
9,330
#20 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,465 in US
Area
1,556.9 sq mi
#16 of 66 in South Dakota · #388 in US
Density
6.0 / sq mi
#33 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,728 in US
Median household income
$76,579
#6 of 66 in South Dakota · #598 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Custer County within South Dakota. Pin: Pierre.

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Custer County population, land area and income

Custer County had 9,330 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,556.9 square miles of land. It ranks 20th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 16th by land area. That works out to 6.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Dakota has 5,296 residents; Custer County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $76,579 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

9,330

3144th1st

2465th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,557 sq mi

3144th1st

388th of 3,144 (US)

Density

6.0 / sq mi

3144th1st

2728th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$76,579

3143rd1st

598th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Dakota (66)

Population

9,330

66th1st

20th of 66 (SD)

Land area

1,557 sq mi

66th1st

16th of 66 (SD)

Density

6.0 / sq mi

66th1st

33rd of 66 (SD)

Median household income

$76,579

66th1st

6th of 66 (SD)

How Custer County's population changed since 2020

Custer County gained 988 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 11.8%. That ranks 2nd of 66 in South Dakota for growth. The median South Dakota county changed by +0.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Custer County recorded 314 births and 421 deaths, a natural change of -107. Net international migration added +30 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,081. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,081 people.

8,34220208,64820219,02420229,11720239,3302024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
314
Deaths
421
Net international migration
+30
Net domestic migration
+1,081
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+213

Where Custer County is

The Census internal point of Custer County is at 43.684900, -103.462200. It sits in UTM zone 13N. The map shades South Dakota's 66 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Custer County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Davison County: -0.2%Minnehaha County: +5.5%Bennett County: -3.0%Clark County: +3.2%Hamlin County: +7.1%Jerauld County: +2.8%Brule County: +0.2%Aurora County: +0.4%Turner County: +4.6%Beadle County: +1.5%Hand County: -1.6%Kingsbury County: +1.0%McCook County: +1.7%Miner County: -0.0%Lyman County: +0.5%Codington County: +3.3%Deuel County: +0.8%Sully County: +1.1%Oglala Lakota County: -2.1%Edmunds County: +0.8%Sanborn County: +2.7%Spink County: -3.7%Lake County: -0.1%Hyde County: -3.0%Potter County: -2.9%Perkins County: -0.6%Faulk County: +0.5%Day County: -0.5%Clay County: +1.6%Hanson County: +0.5%Fall River County: +5.5%Brookings County: +5.9%Yankton County: +1.0%Hutchinson County: -0.1%Butte County: +5.8%Custer County: +11.8%Lawrence County: +11.5%Hughes County: -1.2%Grant County: +1.0%Brown County: -1.9%Gregory County: +2.8%Campbell County: -2.8%Bon Homme County: +1.4%McPherson County: -4.0%Lincoln County: +14.6%Stanley County: +1.5%Walworth County: -0.5%Harding County: +1.3%Marshall County: +2.3%Union County: +3.2%Pennington County: +5.8%Buffalo County: -5.8%Moody County: +3.0%Tripp County: +2.0%Roberts County: +0.2%Charles Mix County: -0.3%Meade County: +3.4%Haakon County: -1.8%Jones County: -5.3%Douglas County: +0.5%Dewey County: +1.9%Corson County: -3.6%Mellette County: -4.6%Todd County: -1.6%Jackson County: -2.4%Ziebach County: +1.0%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.8%
  2. < +0.2%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +3.2%
  5. ≥ +3.2%
no data

Orange pin: Custer County internal point. Dark pin: Pierre.

Internal point

Decimal
43.684900, -103.462200
DMS
43°41'5.64"N 103°27'43.92"W
UTM
13N 623943.1E 4838025.3N
Geohash
9xy2t8t4u
Plus code
85MRMGMQ+X4

Towns in Custer County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Custer County, 1,829 people together, or 20% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Custer County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Custer with 1,829.

  1. 01Custer1,829
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Custer County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 5 neighbors for Custer County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Pennington County, SD, with 115,979 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Pierre and the nearest big city

Pierre is 161.8 miles ENE of Custer County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fort Collins, CO (population 170,924), 231.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Rapid City, SD (population 79,894), 29.3 miles away.

Custer County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Custer County is 46033: state code 46 for South Dakota plus county code 033. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $76,579.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Custer County, South Dakota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 9,330. That is up 988 people (11.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 8,342.

What is the FIPS code of Custer County?

46033. The first two digits (46) are South Dakota; the last three (033) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Custer County?

Custer, with 1,829 residents inside Custer County in 2024.

Which counties border Custer County?

5 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Pennington County, SD; Oglala Lakota County, SD; Fall River County, SD; Weston County, WY; Niobrara County, WY.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.