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Custer County, South Dakota: crime rate, income and local data
Custer County averaged 1.5 reported violent crimes per 1,000 residents a year in 2021-2025, 56% lower than the South Dakota rate (3.5). Median household income is $84,112 and the unemployment rate was 2.2% in August 2026. It is home to roughly 8,892 residents.
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Custer County?
From 2021 through 2025, Custer County averaged 14 reported violent crimes a year, along with 107 property crimes. That is 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 56% lower than the South Dakota rate (3.5), and 58% lower than the U.S. rate (3.7). For property crime the county rate is 12.1 per 1,000 (South Dakota: 15.8; U.S.: 18.1). With this few incidents, one or two cases move the rate a lot from year to year.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Custer County | Per 1,000 | South Dakota per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 14 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 0 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 3 | 0.33 | 0.53 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 0 | 0.00 | 0.21 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 11 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 107 | 12.1 | 15.8 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 14 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 82 | 9.1 | 11.5 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 10 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (1 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Custer County?
Median household income is $84,112, 12% higher than the statewide figure ($75,081). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $372,100, and the median rent is $1,112 a month. 4.6% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 7.9%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.2% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 100 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Custer County | South Dakota | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 8,892 | 907,428 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $84,112 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $372,100 | $250,000+ | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,112 | $946 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 2.3% | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 9.0% | 11.9% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 4.6% | 7.9% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 31.6% | 31.9% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 85.6% | 68.6% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 57.6 | 38.0 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 87.8% | 89.6% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 10.8% | 9.0% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Custer County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Custer County as “Very Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here. The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists no Superfund site in Custer County, active or completed (October 2026).
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 7 high-hazard dams in Custer County. 1 is rated Poor or Unsatisfactory in condition, 4 Satisfactory or Fair. Tallest on the list: Center Lake Dam (56 ft) and Stockade Lake Dam (53 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Disasters, air and water
Custer County was covered by 1 federal major disaster declaration from 2016 through 2025 (Flood 1), not counting COVID-19. In 2024, 9 of 366 monitored days had an air quality index of “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse (EPA). Of 11 community water systems, 3 had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 2 (moderate).
Is there road construction in Custer County?
South Dakota does not publish an open highway work-zone feed that we can read yet, so road construction in Custer County is not on our map. Check the state's 511 traveler site for current closures.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Custer County?
Custer County has 8 public schools (2024-25) and 0 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 1 nursing home is certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 11 fire or EMS stations and 1 police or sheriff station. Park Service units in the area: Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park. 1 state park or recreation area: Custer State Park.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Custer County
Gun shops
One gun shop with a public storefront is on the map in Custer County, plus 10 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). On the ATF list: Southern Hills Tactical LLC (Custer).
Liquor stores
2 liquor stores are on the map in Custer County: Buffalo Gap Waterhole (Buffalo Gap) and Naked Winery. South Dakota has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
There is no Planned Parenthood health center in Custer County on the map.
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Custer County?
Custer County averaged 14 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 1.5 per 1,000 residents, 56% lower than the South Dakota rate (3.5). The property-crime rate was 12.1 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Custer County?
$84,112 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $75,081 for South Dakota and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Custer County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 2.2% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 100 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Custer County?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall natural-hazard risk for Custer County as “Very Low”. None of the seven hazards on our map (floods, wildfire, tornadoes, heat, earthquakes, hurricanes) is rated above “Relatively Moderate” here.
How many nursing homes are in Custer County?
1 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Custer County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall River County | 7,258 | 2.0 | $67,917 |
| Niobrara County, WY | 2,368 | 4.0 | $64,113 |
| Oglala Lakota County | 13,491 | – | $41,417 |
| Pennington County | 113,512 | 6.3 | $74,517 |
| Weston County, WY | 6,826 | 1.5 | $89,509 |
More: South Dakota statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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