Watertown, South Dakota Population 2024

23,413

Watertown Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Watertown was:

  • White: 90.28%
  • Two or more races: 4.65%
  • Native American: 2.32%
  • Black or African American: 1.21%
  • Other race: 0.9%
  • Asian: 0.63%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0%
Land Area (mi²)
18.4 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,269.80/sq mi
Growth Since 2020
3.24% (734)
The current population of Watertown, South Dakota is 23,413 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates (released May 2024). The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 22,679.

Population by Race

Race
Population
Percentage (of total)
White20,63890.28%
Two or more races1,0644.65%
Native American5302.32%
Black or African American2771.21%
Other race2050.9%
Asian1450.63%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander00%

White

Two or more races

Native American

Black or African American

Other race

Asian

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Watertown Population by Race

Watertown Population Pyramid 2024

Watertown Median Age

39.4

Total

38.7

Male

40.3

Female

Watertown Adults

There are 17,744 adults, (4,461 of whom are seniors) in Watertown.

Watertown Age Dependency

72.1

Age Dependency Ratio

33.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

38.5

Child Dependency Ratio

Watertown Sex Ratio

Female11,19948.99%
Male11,66051.01%

Watertown Population by Age

Watertown Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

Household Type
Count
Average Size
Owner
Renter
All10,2372.1862.737.3
Non Family4,6621.244852
Married4,0793.0183.816.2
Female8512.9445.154.9
Male6452.7558.641.4

2.88

Average Family Size

2.18

Average Household Size

62.7%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Watertown Households and Families

Male

Female

Education Attained
Count
Percentage
9th to 12th Grade9646.17%
Associates Degree2,34815.03%
Bachelors Degree2,32014.85%
Graduate Degree9966.38%
High School Graduate5,80037.13%
Less Than 9th Grade3812.44%
Some College2,81318.01%

Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Watertown Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Watertown Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

Race
Total
High School
Bachelors
White14,52913,4503,214
2+ Races43342891
Hispanic34431358
Native American3222220
Black169500
Other Race128860
Asian990

The highest rate of high school graduation is among asian people with a rate of 100%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among white people with a rate of 22.12%.

Watertown Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

Name
Average
Male
Female
Bachelors Degree$54,510$72,191$42,438
Graduate Degree$61,891$98,355$60,000
High School Graduate$40,656$47,242$32,200
Less Than 9th Grade$33,835$47,515$21,458
Overall$44,668$54,203$37,725
Some College$44,023$57,486$38,071

$44,668

Average Earnings

$54,203

Average Male

$37,725

Average Female

Watertown Earnings by Educational Attainment

Watertown Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Watertown Language

96.48% of Watertown residents speak only English, while 3.52% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 1.83% of the population.

Watertown Language

Watertown Poverty by Race

rate

Name
Total
In Poverty
Poverty Rate
White20,2261,8569.18%
Hispanic75722229.33%
Native50521943.37%
Multiple1,05114113.42%
Other2038441.38%
Asian1454430.34%
Black277176.14%

10.69%

Overall Poverty Rate

9.49%

Male Poverty Rate

11.94%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Watertown

The race most likely to be in poverty in Watertown is Native, with 43.37% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Watertown is Black, with 6.14% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 2.35%. Among those working part-time, it was 20.88%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 15.72%.

Watertown Poverty

rate

Rate
Poverty
Less Than 9th Grade18.3%
Some College10.56%
High School7.98%
Bachelors or Greater2.54%

Watertown Poverty Rate by Education

rate

Rate
Poverty
Male Unemployed71.43%
Female Unemployed16.41%
Female Employed9.34%
Male Employed5.81%

Watertown Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Watertown Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

Name
Median
Mean
Families$84,485$100,183
Households$62,721$81,097
Married Families$95,229$-999,999,999
Non Families$44,211$55,380

mean

median

Income by Household Type

Watertown Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

45.8%

Overall Marriage Rate

42.9%

Male Marriage Rate

48.8%

Female Marriage Rate

Watertown Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Watertown Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is 45-54, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.

Watertown Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Watertown Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

1,452

Number of Veterans

1,385

Male Veterans

67

Female Veterans

War
Veterans
Vietnam461
First Gulf War384
Second Gulf War282
Korea92
World War II47

Watertown Veterans by War

count

Age Group
Veterans
55 to 64463
75+376
65 to 74326
35 to 54243
18 to 3444

Watertown Veterans by Age

count

Name
Veterans
% of Total
White1,3288.15%
Other Race7536.59%
Hispanic5111.86%
Native American317.29%
2+ Races183.62%

Watertown Veterans by Race

Watertown Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

2.81%

Veteran Poverty Rate

26.72%

Veteran Disability Rate

Watertown Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

67.4%

Labor Force Participation

66%

Employment Rate

2%

Unemployment Rate

Watertown Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Watertown Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Watertown Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

68.29%

Born in Watertown

98.69%

Native Born

1.31%

Foreign Born

0.94%

Non Citizen

0.37%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

98.69% of Watertown residents were born in the United States, with 68.29% having been born in South Dakota. 0.94% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Africa.

Watertown Place of Birth

Note: data after 2022 is projected based on recent change
Year
Population
Growth
Change
202924,3321840.76%
202824,1481840.77%
202723,9641830.77%
202623,7811840.78%
202523,5971840.79%
202423,4131830.79%
202323,2301990.86%
202223,0312351.03%
202122,7961170.52%
202022,6794391.97%
201922,240100.04%
201822,230-90-0.4%
201722,3201450.65%
201622,1751190.54%
201522,056-25-0.11%
201422,081760.35%
201322,0051670.76%
201221,8381630.75%
201121,6751550.72%
201021,52000%
200020,2372,64515.04%
199017,5921,94312.42%
198015,6492,26116.89%
197013,388-689-4.89%
196014,0771,37810.85%
195012,6992,08219.61%
194010,6174033.95%
193010,2148148.66%
19209,4002,39034.09%
19107,0103,658109.13%
19003,35268025.45%
18902,672-21,660-89.02%

Watertown Population by Year