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

Clay County had the highest graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over of 66 counties in 2023, at 21.3%. Jackson County had the lowest, at 1.5%. The median was 5.9% and the figure for South Dakota was 9.6%. Source: the U.S. Census Bureau.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest21.3Clay County
Median5.966 counties
South Dakota9.6History

Map of counties, 2023

Aurora County: 3.8 %Beadle County: 7.8 %Bennett County: 3 %Bon Homme County: 6.7 %Brookings County: 14.8 %Brown County: 8.8 %Brule County: 7.7 %Buffalo County: 2.5 %Butte County: 6.1 %Campbell County: 4.4 %Charles Mix County: 6.9 %Clark County: 2.4 %Clay County: 21.3 %Codington County: 6 %Corson County: 3.8 %Custer County: 11.9 %Davison County: 6.3 %Day County: 5.1 %Deuel County: 5.6 %Dewey County: 5.6 %Douglas County: 4.9 %Edmunds County: 6.8 %Fall River County: 7.3 %Faulk County: 6.4 %Grant County: 7.5 %Gregory County: 7.3 %Haakon County: 3.4 %Hamlin County: 6.1 %Hand County: 4.8 %Hanson County: 5.3 %Harding County: 4.4 %Hughes County: 10.7 %Hutchinson County: 5.9 %Hyde County: 2.9 %Jackson County: 1.5 %Jerauld County: 4.7 %Jones County: 7 %Kingsbury County: 5.7 %Lake County: 8.9 %Lawrence County: 11 %Lincoln County: 14.6 %Lyman County: 4.1 %McCook County: 9 %McPherson County: 4.2 %Marshall County: 3.9 %Meade County: 6 %Mellette County: 3.2 %Miner County: 2.9 %Minnehaha County: 10.2 %Moody County: 11 %Oglala Lakota County: 3.4 %Pennington County: 12.3 %Perkins County: 5.6 %Potter County: 4.5 %Roberts County: 5.1 %Sanborn County: 5.9 %Spink County: 4.9 %Stanley County: 9.2 %Sully County: 3.1 %Todd County: 4.7 %Tripp County: 4.3 %Turner County: 6.3 %Union County: 13.7 %Walworth County: 9.4 %Yankton County: 10.1 %Ziebach County: 3.2 %
  • Under 3.7
  • 3.7 to 4.7
  • 4.7 to 5.9
  • 5.9 to 6.9
  • 6.9 to 9.5
  • 9.5 and over
%, 2023. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2023

Clay County: 21.3 %Clay County21.3Brookings County: 14.8 %Brookings County14.8Lincoln County: 14.6 %Lincoln County14.6Union County: 13.7 %Union County13.7Pennington County: 12.3 %Pennington County12.3Custer County: 11.9 %Custer County11.9Lawrence County: 11 %Lawrence County11Moody County: 11 %Moody County11Hughes County: 10.7 %Hughes County10.7Minnehaha County: 10.2 %Minnehaha County10.2Yankton County: 10.1 %Yankton County10.1Walworth County: 9.4 %Walworth County9.4Stanley County: 9.2 %Stanley County9.2McCook County: 9 %McCook County9Lake County: 8.9 %Lake County8.9Brown County: 8.8 %Brown County8.8Beadle County: 7.8 %Beadle County7.8Brule County: 7.7 %Brule County7.7Grant County: 7.5 %Grant County7.5Gregory County: 7.3 %Gregory County7.3Fall River County: 7.3 %Fall River County7.3Jones County: 7 %Jones County7Charles Mix County: 6.9 %Charles Mix County6.9Edmunds County: 6.8 %Edmunds County6.8Bon Homme County: 6.7 %Bon Homme County6.7Faulk County: 6.4 %Faulk County6.4Turner County: 6.3 %Turner County6.3Davison County: 6.3 %Davison County6.3Butte County: 6.1 %Butte County6.1Hamlin County: 6.1 %Hamlin County6.1Codington County: 6 %Codington County6Meade County: 6 %Meade County6Sanborn County: 5.9 %Sanborn County5.9Hutchinson County: 5.9 %Hutchinson County5.9Kingsbury County: 5.7 %Kingsbury County5.7Dewey County: 5.6 %Dewey County5.6Deuel County: 5.6 %Deuel County5.6Perkins County: 5.6 %Perkins County5.6Hanson County: 5.3 %Hanson County5.3Roberts County: 5.1 %Roberts County5.1Clay County: 21.3 %Clay County21.3Brookings County: 14.8 %Brookings County14.8Lincoln County: 14.6 %Lincoln County14.6Union County: 13.7 %Union County13.7Pennington County: 12.3 %Pennington County12.3Custer County: 11.9 %Custer County11.9Lawrence County: 11 %Lawrence County11Moody County: 11 %Moody County11Hughes County: 10.7 %Hughes County10.7Minnehaha County: 10.2 %Minnehaha County10.2Yankton County: 10.1 %Yankton County10.1Walworth County: 9.4 %Walworth County9.4Stanley County: 9.2 %Stanley County9.2McCook County: 9 %McCook County9Lake County: 8.9 %Lake County8.9Brown County: 8.8 %Brown County8.8Beadle County: 7.8 %Beadle County7.8Brule County: 7.7 %Brule County7.7Grant County: 7.5 %Grant County7.5Gregory County: 7.3 %Gregory County7.3Fall River County: 7.3 %Fall River County7.3Jones County: 7 %Jones County7Charles Mix County: 6.9 %Charles Mix County6.9Edmunds County: 6.8 %Edmunds County6.8Bon Homme County: 6.7 %Bon Homme County6.7Faulk County: 6.4 %Faulk County6.4Turner County: 6.3 %Turner County6.3Davison County: 6.3 %Davison County6.3Butte County: 6.1 %Butte County6.1Hamlin County: 6.1 %Hamlin County6.1Codington County: 6 %Codington County6Meade County: 6 %Meade County6Sanborn County: 5.9 %Sanborn County5.9Hutchinson County: 5.9 %Hutchinson County5.9Kingsbury County: 5.7 %Kingsbury County5.7Dewey County: 5.6 %Dewey County5.6Deuel County: 5.6 %Deuel County5.6Perkins County: 5.6 %Perkins County5.6Hanson County: 5.3 %Hanson County5.3Roberts County: 5.1 %Roberts County5.1
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Clay County21.3+2.2 pts
2Brookings County14.8+0.2 pts
3Lincoln County14.6+1.2 pts
4Union County13.7+0.3 pts
5Pennington County12.3+0.1 pts
6Custer County11.9-0.7 pts
7Lawrence County11-0.7 pts
8Moody County11+1.3 pts
9Hughes County10.7+0.2 pts
10Minnehaha County10.2-0.1 pts
11Yankton County10.1+0.2 pts
12Walworth County9.4+1.5 pts
13Stanley County9.2-0.7 pts
14McCook County9+1 pts
15Lake County8.9-0.8 pts
16Brown County8.80 pts
17Beadle County7.8-1.1 pts
18Brule County7.7+1.4 pts
19Grant County7.5-0.5 pts
20Gregory County7.3+0.1 pts
21Fall River County7.3-0.7 pts
22Jones County7-1.1 pts
23Charles Mix County6.9+0.8 pts
24Edmunds County6.8+0.1 pts
25Bon Homme County6.7+0.5 pts
26Faulk County6.4-2 pts
27Turner County6.3-0.2 pts
28Davison County6.3+1.5 pts
29Butte County6.1+0.6 pts
30Hamlin County6.10 pts
31Codington County6-0.1 pts
32Meade County6-0.6 pts
33Sanborn County5.9-0.1 pts
34Hutchinson County5.9-0.6 pts
35Kingsbury County5.7-0.5 pts
36Dewey County5.6+0.1 pts
37Deuel County5.6+1.2 pts
38Perkins County5.6+0.6 pts
39Hanson County5.30 pts
40Roberts County5.1+0.4 pts
41Day County5.1-0.7 pts
42Spink County4.9+0.1 pts
43Douglas County4.9+1.3 pts
44Hand County4.8-0.5 pts
45Todd County4.7-0.9 pts
46Jerauld County4.7-0.2 pts
47Potter County4.5+0.3 pts
48Campbell County4.4+1.1 pts
49Harding County4.4+0.5 pts
50Tripp County4.3+0.8 pts
51McPherson County4.2+0.1 pts
52Lyman County4.1-2.2 pts
53Marshall County3.9+0.7 pts
54Aurora County3.8-0.9 pts
55Corson County3.8+0.6 pts
56Haakon County3.4+2 pts
57Oglala Lakota County3.4+1 pts
58Ziebach County3.2+0.3 pts
59Mellette County3.2+0.4 pts
60Sully County3.1-0 pts
61Bennett County3-0.3 pts
62Hyde County2.9-1 pts
63Miner County2.9-0.1 pts
64Buffalo County2.5+0.9 pts
65Clark County2.4-0.6 pts
66Jackson County1.5-2.6 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023. U.S. Census Bureau, 29 Jan. 2026, https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties?period=2023. 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, 2023. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties?period=2023.

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, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties?period=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{census_counties_in_south_dakota_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties?period=2023. 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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-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, 2023
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/29
PB  - U.S. Census Bureau
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/summary_file/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties?period=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/graduate-or-professional-degree/south-dakota-counties?period=2023.
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/2023/table-based-SF/data/5YRData/acsdt5y2023-b15003.dat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Counties in South Dakota by graduate or professional degree, population 25 and over using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"graduate_degree_share","level":"province","within":"South Dakota","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=graduate_degree_share&level=province&within=South%20Dakota&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

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

Clay County, with 21.3% in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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

Jackson County, with 1.5% in 2023.

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