Custer County Demographics

A map of Custer County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	7,801	7,506	87.7%	90.2%
Multiracial	449	341	5.0%	4.1%
Native American/Other	300	203	3.4%	2.4%
Hispanic	274	211	3.1%	2.5%
Asian	39	25	0.4%	0.3%
Black	29	32	0.3%	0.4%

Custer County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 8,892, an increase from the 8,318 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 87.7% White, 5.0% Multiracial, 3.4% Native American/Other, 3.1% Hispanic, 0.4% Asian, and 0.3% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Custer County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Custer has become more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than South Dakota overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Custer County, that probability was 18.3% in 2020 and 22.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Custer County is ranked the 21st most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Custer County was ranked the 22nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Custer County's White Population

7,801 residents of Custer County, or 87.7% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Custer County is higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Custer County ranks 25th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Custer County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.9%. White residents' share of Custer County's population has decreased from 90.2% to 87.7%.

Custer County is more White than neighboring Fall River County (83.9% White), Pennington County (77.8% White), Oglala Lakota County (7% White), and Dawes County (85.8% White). Custer County is less White than neighboring Lawrence County (88.8% White).

Custer County's Black Population

29 residents of Custer County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Custer County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Custer County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Custer County's Black population has declined by an estimated 9.4%. Black residents' share of Custer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Custer County is more Black than neighboring Fall River County (0% Black), and Oglala Lakota County (0.1% Black). Custer County is less Black than neighboring Pennington County (1.1% Black), and Dawes County (0.5% Black).

Custer County's Asian Population

39 residents of Custer County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Custer County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Custer County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Custer County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 56.0%. Asian residents' share of Custer County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Custer County is more Asian than neighboring Oglala Lakota County (0% Asian). Custer County is less Asian than neighboring Fall River County (1.9% Asian), Pennington County (1.2% Asian), and Dawes County (1.1% Asian).

Custer County's Hispanic Population

274 residents of Custer County, or 3.1% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Custer County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Custer County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Custer County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 29.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Custer County's population has increased from 2.5% to 3.1%.

Custer County is more Hispanic than neighboring Oglala Lakota County (1.9% Hispanic). Custer County is less Hispanic than neighboring Fall River County (3.4% Hispanic), Pennington County (5.7% Hispanic), Lawrence County (3.9% Hispanic), and Dawes County (5% Hispanic).

Custer County's Native American/Other Population

300 residents of Custer County, or 3.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Custer County is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Custer County ranks 37th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Custer County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 47.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Custer County's population has increased from 2.4% to 3.4%.

Custer County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lawrence County (2.8% Native American/Other), and Dawes County (2.8% Native American/Other). Custer County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Fall River County (6% Native American/Other), Pennington County (6.7% Native American/Other), and Oglala Lakota County (90.8% Native American/Other).

Custer County's Multiracial Population

449 residents of Custer County, or 5.0% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Custer County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Custer County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Custer County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 31.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Custer County's population has increased from 4.1% to 5.0%.

Custer County is more Multiracial than neighboring Fall River County (4.7% Multiracial), Lawrence County (3.8% Multiracial), Oglala Lakota County (0.2% Multiracial), and Dawes County (4.8% Multiracial). Custer County is less Multiracial than neighboring Pennington County (7.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.