Shannon County Population Highlights

• From the population pyramid, we can tell that Shannon is a very young county

• Shannon County’s median age is 20.6 (the youngest in the state)

• From 1990 to 2000, Shannon County’s population increased by 2564, which is a 25.9% increase in its total population

• Shannon County gained 296 in-migrants which accounts for a 3% change in total population from 1990 to 2000

• Shannon County’s sex ratio is 99.58, which means they almost have an equal number of males and females

• Shannon County’s fertility rate is 132.5 live births for every women aged 15-44, which is much higher than both Bennett and Jackson Counties

• 28.65% of households in Shannon County contain a single parent with children under the age of 18 living within the household (This is much higher than the states average)

• 23.9% of Shannon County’s employees commute in from another county

Race/Ethnicity in Shannon County

• Shannon County has the highest percentage of American Indians living within its boundaries (The Pine Ridge Reservation is located in Shannon County)

Shannon County Agriculture in 2002

• Shannon County had 200 farms in 2002, which is a 8.1% increase from 1997

• Shannon County’s average farm size was 6,333 acres (larger than both Bennett and Jackson counties)

• Shannon County’s average income per farm was $21,797 (lower than Bennett County, higher than Jackson County)

Shannon County Economics in 2000

• The per capita income in Shannon County was $6,286 (This compares with $10,106 for Bennett and $9,981 for Jackson Counties)

• The median household income for Shannon County was $20,916 (lower than both Bennett and Jackson Counties)

• 12.1% of Shannon County’s population had completed a bachelors degree or higher in 2000 (lower than both Bennett and Jackson counties)

• 52.32% of Shannon County’s population was below the official poverty line in 2000 (This compares with 13,18% for the state of South Dakota; 39.23% for Bennett County; and 36.50% for Jackson County)

• 62.86% of Shannon County’s children under the age of 5 are living below the official poverty line (This compares with 19.77% for the state of South Dakota; 39.23% for Bennett County; and 42.57% for Jackson County)

Shannon County Employment by Industry

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)