Spearfish, SD

Census Place

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2023 Population

12,551

2.31% 1-year growth

US Senator

John Thune

Republican Party

US Senator

Mike Rounds

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

37.2

3.13% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

15.2%

16% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$59,731

1.7% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$309,200

13.9% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

6,671

3.41% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Spearfish, SD had a population of 12.6k people with a median age of 37.2 and a median household income of $59,731. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Spearfish, SD grew from 12,268 to 12,551, a 2.31% increase and its median household income grew from $58,734 to $59,731, a 1.7% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Spearfish, SD are White (Non-Hispanic) (87.1%), Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) (4.19%), American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) (3.3%), Other (Hispanic) (1.2%), and White (Hispanic) (0.741%).

None of the households in Spearfish, SD reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.2% of the residents in Spearfish, SD are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Spearfish, SD are Black Hills State University (521 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2023, the median property value in Spearfish, SD was $309,200, and the homeownership rate was 48.3%.

Most people in Spearfish, SD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 14.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Spearfish, SD was 2 cars per household.

United States South Dakota Lawrence County, SD Spearfish, SD West South Dakota--Rapid City PUMA, SD

Population & Diversity

Spearfish, SD is home to a population of 12.6k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 1.94% of Spearfish, SD residents were born outside of the country (244 people).

In 2023, there were 20.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.9k people) in Spearfish, SD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 526 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 414 American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%

2023 Citizenship

99.5%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 99.2% of Spearfish, SD residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Spearfish, SD was 99.5%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Spearfish, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Spearfish, SD

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.9k ± 252
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
526 ± 204
American Indian & Alaska Native (Non-Hispanic)
414 ± 167

3.08%

Hispanic Population

386 people

3.08% of the people in Spearfish, SD are hispanic (386 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Spearfish, SD as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for South Dakota.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
3,626 ± 1,475 people
Guatemala
2,932 ± 1,327 people
Ethiopia
2,627 ± 1,257 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of South Dakota was Mexico, the natal country of 3,626 South Dakota residents, followed by Guatemala with 2,932 and Ethiopia with 2,627.

Foreign-Born Population

1.94%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

244 people

1.43%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

176 people

As of 2023, 1.94% of Spearfish, SD residents (244 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Spearfish, SD was 1.43%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Spearfish, SD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (1990s)
317 ± 145
Gulf War (2001-)
238 ± 116
Vietnam
229 ± 103

Spearfish, SD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (1990s), 1.33 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Spearfish, SD employs 6.67k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Spearfish, SD were Accommodation & Food Services (1,227 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (926 people), and Retail Trade (907 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($98,500), Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($93,450), and Wholesale Trade ($73,750).

Employment

Occupations

6.67k

2023 Value

± 675

3.41%

1 Year growth

± 13.6%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Spearfish, SD grew at a rate of 3.41%, from 6.45k employees to 6.67k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Spearfish, SD, are Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (885 people), Management Occupations (852 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (652 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Spearfish, SD.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in South Dakota (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

6.67k

2023 Value

± 675

3.41%

1 Year growth

± 13.6%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Spearfish, SD grew at a rate of 3.41%, from 6.45k employees to 6.67k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Spearfish, SD, are Accommodation & Food Services (1,227 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (926 people), and Retail Trade (907 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Spearfish, SD, though some of these residents may live in Spearfish, SD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,327

Median earning men ± $10,984

$27,030

Median earning women ± $6,866

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($250,001), Wholesale Trade ($73,750), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($70,988).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($73,800), Manufacturing ($69,412), and Information ($51,200).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Y-Axis

2.37%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 450k people employed in South Dakota. This represents a 2.37% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 8.96%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in South Dakota.

Education

In 2023, universities in Spearfish, SD awarded 521 degrees. The student population of Spearfish, SD in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,259 male students and 2,216 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Spearfish, SD are White (446 and 86.4%), followed by Two or More Races (21 and 4.07%), Hispanic or Latino (19 and 3.68%), and American Indian or Alaska Native (15 and 2.91%).

The largest universities in Spearfish, SD by number of degrees awarded are Black Hills State University (521 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Spearfish, SD are General Business Administration & Management (93 and 17.9%), General Biological Sciences (48 and 9.21%), and Elementary Education & Teaching (38 and 7.29%).

The median tuition cost in Spearfish, SD for a public four year colleges is $7,616 for in-state students and $10,718 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Spearfish, SD, the percentage of applicants admitted was 94.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 32%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 3,475 (36.2% men and 63.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 3,475 students enrolled in Spearfish, SD, 36.2% men and 63.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,700 records, of which 64.2% were women and 35.8% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
82 degrees awarded
Elementary Education & Teaching
38 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
27 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Spearfish, SD was General Business Administration & Management with 82 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Spearfish, SD according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Black Hills State University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

521 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Black Hills State University with 521 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 154 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Spearfish, SD, which is 0.42 times less than the 367 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 446 degrees mean that there were 21.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Two or More Races, with 21 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($7,616) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,300) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Measure

In 2023, 0.64% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.58% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for South Dakota.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (205k), Some college (147k), and Bachelors Degree (137k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Spearfish, SD was $309,200 in 2023, which is 1.02 times larger than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $271,400 to $309,200, a 13.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Spearfish, SD is 48.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65%.

People in Spearfish, SD have an average commute time of 14.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Spearfish, SD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$309,200

Median Property Value 2023

±$23,600

$2,791

Median Property Taxes

±$379

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Spearfish, SD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Spearfish, SD compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

48.3%

Homeownership

2023

64.2%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 48.3% of the housing units in Spearfish, SD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 52%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Spearfish, SD compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

The following map shows all of the places in Spearfish, SD colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$59,731

Median Household Income

± $8,414

5.77k

Number of Households

± 626

In 2023, the median household income of the 5.77k households in Spearfish, SD grew to $59,731 from the previous year's value of $58,734.

The following chart displays the households in Spearfish, SD distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Spearfish, SD is from South Dakota.

0.443

2023 Wage GINI in South Dakota

0.438

2022 Wage GINI in South Dakota

In 2023, the income inequality in South Dakota was 0.443 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.14% growth from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for South Dakota was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in South Dakota in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in South Dakota across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (80.6%)
Carpooled (6.44%)
Walked (6%)

In 2023, 80.6% of workers in Spearfish, SD drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (6.44%) and those who walked to work (6%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

14.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Spearfish, SD have a shorter commute time (14.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 0.545% of the workforce in Spearfish, SD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Spearfish, SD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Spearfish, SD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Spearfish, SD have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

15.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Spearfish, SD (1.79k out of 11.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 35 - 44 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Spearfish, SD is White, followed by Two Or More and Native American.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

90.7% of the population of Spearfish, SD has health coverage, with 40.6% on employee plans, 8.45% on Medicaid, 15.8% on Medicare, 23.1% on non-group plans, and 2.77% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in South Dakota see 1,252 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.724% increase from the previous year (1,243 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1561 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 441 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 20.3% under 18 years, 27.4% between 18 and 34 years, 31.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 21% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.7% were men and 51.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.3%

Uninsured

40.6%

Employer Coverage

8.45%

Medicaid

15.8%

Medicare

23.1%

Non-Group

2.77%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Spearfish, SD grew by 20.7% from 7.71% to 9.3%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Spearfish, SD changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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