How many people live in Custer County, SD?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 9,300 people living in Custer County, SD. That makes Custer County the 20th-most populous county in South Dakota. It is home to 1% of people living in the state.
9.33K
population of Custer County, SD (2024)
1%
County share of the South Dakota population (2024)
About 9,300 people lived in Custer County, SD in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Custer County, SD’s age demographics?
About 3,300 Custer County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 35.6% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.9% of South Dakota’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 1,300 Custer County residents, or 14.1% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 24% of South Dakota’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Custer County, SD's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Custer County, SD’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 89.6% of the Custer County, SD population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Custer County, SD also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native (2.6%) than the US overall (0.72%).
In contrast, Custer County’s Hispanic population accounts for 3.5%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 0.93% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Custer County, SD has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than South Dakota as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Custer County, SD is Custer with about 1,800 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Custer County, SD ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Custer | 1,829 |
| 2. | Hermosa (pt.) | 381 |
| 3. | Buffalo Gap | 154 |
| 4. | Pringle | 107 |
| 5. | Fairburn | 68 |
| 6. | Balance of Custer County | 6,791 |
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
