Wessington, SD Demographics

A map of Wessington's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	186	180	96.9%	91.4%
Multiracial	3	6	1.6%	3.0%
Native American/Other	2	0	1.0%	0.0%
Hispanic	1	8	0.5%	4.1%
Black	0	1	0.0%	0.5%
Asian	0	2	0.0%	1.0%

Wessington, South Dakota has an estimated population of 192, a slight decrease from the 197 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 96.9% White, 1.6% Multiracial, 1.0% Native American/Other, 0.5% Hispanic, 0.0% Black, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wessington, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wessington has become considerably less 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 Wessington, that probability was 16.2% in 2020 and 6.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wessington is ranked the 242nd most populous place in South Dakota, out of 485 places. This ranking is based on the Census definition of a place, which includes incorporated places like cities, towns, and villages, as well as unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs). Wessington was ranked the 232nd most populous place in the 2020 Census.

Wessington's White Population

186 residents of Wessington, or 96.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wessington is significantly higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Wessington ranks 207th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 485 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Wessington's White population has grown by an estimated 3.3%. White residents' share of Wessington's population has increased from 91.4% to 96.9%.

Wessington is more White than neighboring Wolsey (79.3% White), St. Lawrence (81.4% White), Miller (96.6% White), and Hitchcock (93.4% White). Wessington is less White than neighboring Virgil (100% White).

Wessington's Black Population

0 residents of Wessington, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wessington is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Wessington ranks 86th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 485 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Wessington's Black population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Black residents' share of Wessington's population has decreased from 0.5% to 0.0%.

Wessington is less Black than neighboring St. Lawrence (2.9% Black).

Wessington's Asian Population

0 residents of Wessington, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wessington is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Wessington ranks 49th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 485 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Wessington's Asian population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Wessington's population has decreased from 1.0% to 0.0%.

Wessington is less Asian than neighboring St. Lawrence (1.7% Asian).

Wessington's Hispanic Population

1 residents of Wessington, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wessington is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Wessington ranks 126th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 485 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Wessington's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 87.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Wessington's population has decreased from 4.1% to 0.5%.

Wessington is more Hispanic than neighboring St. Lawrence (0% Hispanic), Virgil (0% Hispanic), and Hitchcock (0% Hispanic). Wessington is less Hispanic than neighboring Wolsey (18.6% Hispanic), and Miller (1.2% Hispanic).

Wessington's Native American/Other Population

2 residents of Wessington, or 1.0% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Wessington is lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Wessington ranks 345th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 485 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Wessington's Native American/Other population has grown from 0 to an estimated 2. Native American/Other residents' share of Wessington's population has increased from 0.0% to 1.0%.

Wessington is more Native American/Other than neighboring Wolsey (0.1% Native American/Other), Miller (0.4% Native American/Other), and Virgil (0% Native American/Other). Wessington is less Native American/Other than neighboring St. Lawrence (2.3% Native American/Other), and Hitchcock (1.1% Native American/Other).

Wessington's Multiracial Population

3 residents of Wessington, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wessington is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Wessington ranks 217th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 485 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Wessington's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 50.0%. Multiracial residents' share of Wessington's population has decreased from 3.0% to 1.6%.

Wessington is more Multiracial than neighboring Virgil (0% Multiracial). Wessington is less Multiracial than neighboring Wolsey (1.9% Multiracial), St. Lawrence (11.6% Multiracial), Miller (1.8% Multiracial), and Hitchcock (5.5% 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.