Population, Race and Ethnicity

Wasta is a town in Pennington County, South Dakota, with a population of 133. According to the most recent estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 100.00% of residents identify as white, 0.00% as Black or African American, 0.00% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.00% as Asian, 0.00% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 0.00% as Hispanic or Latino, and 0.00% as some other race or combination of races.

Nationally, some 61.1% of Americans identify as white, 12.3% as Black or African American, 0.7% as American Indian or Alaska Native, 5.4% as Asian, 0.2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.8% as Hispanic or Latino, and 2.6% as some other race or combination of races.

Ancestry

Census respondents are also asked to report ancestry. Some of the most commonly reported ancestries in Wasta include German, Irish, English, Norwegian, and Scandinavian. Measured by location quotient — comparing the town share to the national share — some of the most highly concentrated ancestries in town are Icelander, Scandinavian, and Norwegian.

Age

The population of Wasta is older than the United States as a whole. The median age is 40.5 years, 2.6 years more than the national median age of 37.9 years. An estimated 10.50% of the population is 65 years and over, compared to 15.2% of the U.S. population.

Family and household composition

Family and household composition also varies heavily across the United States. In Wasta, 62.50% of households are occupied by married-couple families, compared to the 48.3% national figure. Some 8.30% of households are occupied by single male householders, 4.20% by single female householders, and 25.00% by non-family occupants. Nationwide, 4.9% of households are occupied by single male householders, 12.6% by single female householders, and 34.3% by non-family occupants. An estimated 81.30% of heads of household own their homes, compared to the national homeownership rate of 63.8%.

Language spoken

English is by far the most commonly spoken language in South Dakota and across the U.S. as a whole. Similarly, in Wasta, 100% of local residents aged 5 and up speak English exclusively, or, if they are multilingual, speak English very well. For context, 97.8% of the 5 and older population across South Dakota only speaks English, or speak it very well, and 91.5% of the same age group nationwide do.

Marital status

Residents of Wasta are more likely than the typical American to be married. Of all local residents aged 15 and older, 57.1% are currently married, compared to 48.1% of Americans nationwide in the same age group. Across South Dakota as a whole, 51.9% of residents 15 and older are married.

Divorce is slightly less common in Wasta than it is across the U.S. as a whole. According to Census estimates, 9.8% of residents 15 and older are divorced — compared to 10.8% of the U.S. population in the same age group. In South Dakota, 10.5% of the 15 and older population is divorced.

An estimated 24.1% of Wasta residents 15 and older have never married, compared to one-third of all Americans in the same age group.

Veterans

In Wasta, 9.4% of the 18 and older civilian population are veterans — compared to 7.5% of adult civilians nationwide and 9.1% of the civilian population in all of South Dakota.

Educational attainment

In Wasta, adults are more likely to have a high school education than the typical American adult, but are less likely to have a four-year college education. Among Wasta residents 25 and older, 93.50% have a high school diploma or equivalent, and 11.80% have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to 87.7% and 31.5% of adults nationwide, respectively. Across South Dakota, 91.7% of adults have graduated high school, and 28.5 have a bachelor’s degree.

Income

The typical household in Wasta earns $37,000 a year, about $23,300 less than the national median of $60,293 and $19,500 less than the median household income across the state of $56,499.

Poverty

Serious financial hardship is less common in Wasta than it is nationwide. The local poverty rate stands at 0.00%, while the national poverty rate is 14.1%. Across the state as a whole, 13.6% of the population lives below the poverty line.

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