Data / Rankings / Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over / Counties in South Dakota

Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024

Clay County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 66 counties in 2024, at 20.2%. Hyde County had the lowest, at 1.8%. The median was 6.1% and the figure for South Dakota was 10%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

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Highest20.2Clay County
Lowest1.8Hyde County
Median6.166 counties
South Dakota10History

Map of counties, 2024

Aurora County: 3.8 %Beadle County: 8.2 %Bennett County: 3.3 %Bon Homme County: 6.4 %Brookings County: 14.3 %Brown County: 11.1 %Brule County: 8.2 %Buffalo County: 2 %Butte County: 5.2 %Campbell County: 7.2 %Charles Mix County: 7.3 %Clark County: 2.3 %Clay County: 20.2 %Codington County: 5.7 %Corson County: 3.8 %Custer County: 12.6 %Davison County: 5.6 %Day County: 6.1 %Deuel County: 5.5 %Dewey County: 6 %Douglas County: 5.7 %Edmunds County: 5.8 %Fall River County: 9.4 %Faulk County: 6.7 %Grant County: 7.3 %Gregory County: 6.7 %Haakon County: 3.6 %Hamlin County: 6.1 %Hand County: 5.6 %Hanson County: 5.8 %Harding County: 3.7 %Hughes County: 14 %Hutchinson County: 6.4 %Hyde County: 1.8 %Jackson County: 2.2 %Jerauld County: 3 %Jones County: 9.8 %Kingsbury County: 5.4 %Lake County: 9.8 %Lawrence County: 11.9 %Lincoln County: 14.5 %Lyman County: 4.9 %McCook County: 9.7 %McPherson County: 4.4 %Marshall County: 6.1 %Meade County: 6.4 %Mellette County: 5.4 %Miner County: 4.2 %Minnehaha County: 10.5 %Moody County: 9.9 %Oglala Lakota County: 3.4 %Pennington County: 12.7 %Perkins County: 8.8 %Potter County: 4.4 %Roberts County: 5.2 %Sanborn County: 6.7 %Spink County: 5.7 %Stanley County: 8.2 %Sully County: 5.5 %Todd County: 4.9 %Tripp County: 3.9 %Turner County: 7.1 %Union County: 13.3 %Walworth County: 9.6 %Yankton County: 11.5 %Ziebach County: 2.4 %
  • Under 3.8
  • 3.8 to 5.5
  • 5.5 to 6.1
  • 6.1 to 7.3
  • 7.3 to 10
  • 10 and over
%, 2024. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2024

Clay County: 20.2 %Clay County20.2Lincoln County: 14.5 %Lincoln County14.5Brookings County: 14.3 %Brookings County14.3Hughes County: 14 %Hughes County14Union County: 13.3 %Union County13.3Pennington County: 12.7 %Pennington County12.7Custer County: 12.6 %Custer County12.6Lawrence County: 11.9 %Lawrence County11.9Yankton County: 11.5 %Yankton County11.5Brown County: 11.1 %Brown County11.1Minnehaha County: 10.5 %Minnehaha County10.5Moody County: 9.9 %Moody County9.9Lake County: 9.8 %Lake County9.8Jones County: 9.8 %Jones County9.8McCook County: 9.7 %McCook County9.7Walworth County: 9.6 %Walworth County9.6Fall River County: 9.4 %Fall River County9.4Perkins County: 8.8 %Perkins County8.8Stanley County: 8.2 %Stanley County8.2Beadle County: 8.2 %Beadle County8.2Brule County: 8.2 %Brule County8.2Charles Mix County: 7.3 %Charles Mix County7.3Grant County: 7.3 %Grant County7.3Campbell County: 7.2 %Campbell County7.2Turner County: 7.1 %Turner County7.1Gregory County: 6.7 %Gregory County6.7Faulk County: 6.7 %Faulk County6.7Sanborn County: 6.7 %Sanborn County6.7Hutchinson County: 6.4 %Hutchinson County6.4Meade County: 6.4 %Meade County6.4Bon Homme County: 6.4 %Bon Homme County6.4Day County: 6.1 %Day County6.1Hamlin County: 6.1 %Hamlin County6.1Marshall County: 6.1 %Marshall County6.1Dewey County: 6 %Dewey County6Hanson County: 5.8 %Hanson County5.8Edmunds County: 5.8 %Edmunds County5.8Codington County: 5.7 %Codington County5.7Douglas County: 5.7 %Douglas County5.7Spink County: 5.7 %Spink County5.7Clay County: 20.2 %Clay County20.2Lincoln County: 14.5 %Lincoln County14.5Brookings County: 14.3 %Brookings County14.3Hughes County: 14 %Hughes County14Union County: 13.3 %Union County13.3Pennington County: 12.7 %Pennington County12.7Custer County: 12.6 %Custer County12.6Lawrence County: 11.9 %Lawrence County11.9Yankton County: 11.5 %Yankton County11.5Brown County: 11.1 %Brown County11.1Minnehaha County: 10.5 %Minnehaha County10.5Moody County: 9.9 %Moody County9.9Lake County: 9.8 %Lake County9.8Jones County: 9.8 %Jones County9.8McCook County: 9.7 %McCook County9.7Walworth County: 9.6 %Walworth County9.6Fall River County: 9.4 %Fall River County9.4Perkins County: 8.8 %Perkins County8.8Stanley County: 8.2 %Stanley County8.2Beadle County: 8.2 %Beadle County8.2Brule County: 8.2 %Brule County8.2Charles Mix County: 7.3 %Charles Mix County7.3Grant County: 7.3 %Grant County7.3Campbell County: 7.2 %Campbell County7.2Turner County: 7.1 %Turner County7.1Gregory County: 6.7 %Gregory County6.7Faulk County: 6.7 %Faulk County6.7Sanborn County: 6.7 %Sanborn County6.7Hutchinson County: 6.4 %Hutchinson County6.4Meade County: 6.4 %Meade County6.4Bon Homme County: 6.4 %Bon Homme County6.4Day County: 6.1 %Day County6.1Hamlin County: 6.1 %Hamlin County6.1Marshall County: 6.1 %Marshall County6.1Dewey County: 6 %Dewey County6Hanson County: 5.8 %Hanson County5.8Edmunds County: 5.8 %Edmunds County5.8Codington County: 5.7 %Codington County5.7Douglas County: 5.7 %Douglas County5.7Spink County: 5.7 %Spink County5.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Clay County20.2-1.1 pts
2Lincoln County14.5-0.1 pts
3Brookings County14.3-0.5 pts
4Hughes County14+3.3 pts
5Union County13.3-0.4 pts
6Pennington County12.7+0.4 pts
7Custer County12.6+0.7 pts
8Lawrence County11.9+0.9 pts
9Yankton County11.5+1.4 pts
10Brown County11.1+2.3 pts
11Minnehaha County10.5+0.3 pts
12Moody County9.9-1.1 pts
13Lake County9.8+0.9 pts
14Jones County9.8+2.9 pts
15McCook County9.7+0.7 pts
16Walworth County9.6+0.2 pts
17Fall River County9.4+2.1 pts
18Perkins County8.8+3.3 pts
19Stanley County8.2-0.9 pts
20Beadle County8.2+0.4 pts
21Brule County8.2+0.5 pts
22Charles Mix County7.3+0.4 pts
22Grant County7.3-0.2 pts
24Campbell County7.2+2.8 pts
25Turner County7.1+0.8 pts
26Gregory County6.7-0.6 pts
27Faulk County6.7+0.3 pts
27Sanborn County6.7+0.8 pts
29Hutchinson County6.4+0.6 pts
30Meade County6.4+0.4 pts
31Bon Homme County6.4-0.3 pts
32Day County6.1+1.1 pts
33Hamlin County6.10 pts
34Marshall County6.1+2.1 pts
35Dewey County6+0.3 pts
36Hanson County5.8+0.5 pts
37Edmunds County5.8-1 pts
38Codington County5.7-0.3 pts
39Douglas County5.7+0.8 pts
39Spink County5.7+0.8 pts
41Davison County5.6-0.6 pts
42Hand County5.6+0.8 pts
43Deuel County5.5-0 pts
44Sully County5.5+2.4 pts
45Kingsbury County5.4-0.3 pts
46Mellette County5.4+2.2 pts
47Roberts County5.2+0.1 pts
48Butte County5.2-0.9 pts
49Lyman County4.9+0.8 pts
50Todd County4.9+0.2 pts
51McPherson County4.4+0.2 pts
52Potter County4.4-0.1 pts
53Miner County4.2+1.3 pts
54Tripp County3.9-0.3 pts
55Aurora County3.8-0 pts
56Corson County3.80 pts
57Harding County3.7-0.7 pts
58Haakon County3.6+0.1 pts
59Oglala Lakota County3.40 pts
60Bennett County3.3+0.3 pts
61Jerauld County3-1.7 pts
62Ziebach County2.4-0.8 pts
63Clark County2.3-0.1 pts
64Jackson County2.2+0.7 pts
65Buffalo County2-0.5 pts
66Hyde County1.8-1.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People aged 25 and over whose highest degree is a master's, professional school or doctorate degree, as a percentage of all people aged 25 and over. United States: American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.

A subset of bachelors_degree_share, which also counts people whose highest degree is a bachelor's.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

U.S. Census Bureau. (2026). American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs (Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat

MLA 9

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Census Bureau. 2026. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties.

Harvard

U.S. Census Bureau (2026) American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs, Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_dakota_2024,
  author = {{U.S. Census Bureau}},
  title = {{American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties. Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary\_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Census Bureau
TI  - American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs: Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over, 2024
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2024/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2024-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which county has the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

Clay County, with 20.2% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Which county has the lowest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over?

Hyde County, with 1.8% in 2024.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, table B15003: population 25 years and over with a master's, professional school or doctorate degree as a percentage of the population 25 years and over, calculated with stored inputs. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over: other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings