County population data

For those of you who use population data, the Census Bureau has published its 2009 county estimates. Click here to access the tables.

Fun fact for Friday: Of South Dakota’s 66 counties, Jones County is the least populous. I thought 2009 might have been the year Jones County became the state’s only county with fewer than 1,000 residents. But its estimated 2009 population is 1,037, which is actually 22 people higher than 2008. The population at the 2000 Census was 1,193.

Just something to think about the next time you make that pit stop at the Triple H in Murdo...

Have a great weekend!

New poverty data

The Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program released its 2008 poverty figures last week. Nationwide, the rate of poverty increased from 13.0 percent in 2007 to 13.2 percent in 2008. The rate in South Dakota, on the other hand, dropped slightly from 13.2 percent to 12.7 percent.

Ziebach County, part of the Cheyenne River Reservation, is still the most impoverished county in the entire country with a rate of 54.4 percent. South Dakota has three counties among the top 10, with an additional four in the top 50:

• Ziebach County, 54.4 percent, #1
• Shannon County, 46.0 percent, #4
• Todd County, 40.1 percent, #7
• Buffalo County, 37.7 percent, #14
• Corson County, 34.9 percent, #27
• Mellette County, 34.3 percent, #35
• Bennett County, 33.8 percent, #38

The first five counties on this list are part of reservations; Mellette and Bennett counties formerly were a part of the Rosebud and Pine Ridge reservations, respectively. Both still have sizable Native American populations within their respective borders.

The Census Bureau published a thematic map displaying rates of poverty by county. It's interesting to not only look at the distribution of poverty throughout South Dakota, but also its concentration (or lack thereof) in particular areas of the nation.