AURORA COUNTY

Aurora County Population Trends
1920	1940	1960	1980	1990	2000	2010	2020
7,246	5,387	4,749	3,628	3,135	3,058	2,932	2,864

Where People Live in 2000 (by percent)
	South Dakota	Aurora	Brule	Jerauld
Urban	51.92	0	0	0
Rural-Farm	7.72	26.78	15.34	20.35
Rural-Non farm	40.36	73.22	84.66	79.65

Aurora County Population Highlights

From 1990 to 2000, Aurora County lost 77 residents which was a 2.5% decrease in its total population.

From 1990 to 2000, Aurora County gained 45 residents to in-migration, which is a 1.4% increase in its total population.
From 1990 to 2000, Aurora County had more deaths than births, which is why the population decreased.
27.57% of Aurora County’s population is under the age of 18, while 21.62% of the population is 65+.

Aurora County’s median age is 40.6. This is older than Brule, but younger than Jerauld.
Aurora County’s sex ratio is 104.28 which means that there are about 104 males for every 100 females. This is higher than both Brule and Jerauld counties.
Aurora County’s fertility rate is 56.3. This is lower than both Brule and Jerauld counties.

Race/Ethnicity in Aurora County

From 1990 to 2000, Aurora’s Hispanic population increase was the greatest in the state

Aurora County’s Agriculture in 2002

Aurora County had 401 farms which was a 5.7% decrease from 1997.
Aurora County’s average farm size was 875 acres. This was smaller than both Brule and Jerauld counties.
Aurora County’s average net farm income was $14,283. This was lower than both Brule and Jerauld counties.

Aurora County’s Economics is 2000

Aurora County’s per capita income was $13,887. This was lower than both Brule and Jerauld counties.
Aurora County’s median household income was $29,783. This was lower than both Brule and Jerauld counties.
12.7% for Aurora County’s population aged 25+ had completed a B.S. degree or higher. This is lower than Brule, but higher than Jerauld.
11.44% of Aurora County’s population was living at or below the official poverty line. This compares with 13.18% for the state of South Dakota, 14.30% for Brule County and 20.62% for Jerauld County.
18.34% of Aurora County’s children under the age of 5 are living at or below the poverty line. This compares with 19.77% for the state of South Dakota, 11.50% for Brule County, and 45.0% for Jerauld County.
30.1% of Aurora County’s working age residents commute to work in another county. This is higher than both Brule and Jerauld counties

Top Industries (in terms of numbers)	Percentage	Number
Agriculture	23.98	347
Educational, health, and social services	22.67	328
Retail	9.68	140
Public Administration	7.33	106
Manufacturing	6.08	88
Construction	5.46	79
Total Employed		1,447

Income Distribution

Data compiled by:

W. Trevor Brooks
Rural Life and Census Data Center
South Dakota State University

Sources:

South Dakota Data Center (Vermillion, SD)
South Dakota Labor Market
U.S. Census of Agriculture (2002)
U.S. Census Bureau (2000)