SIOUX CITY ( South Dakota News Watch ) - College towns and high birth rates have increased the average number of young people in some South Dakota counties, even as 17.3% of the state’s residents are 65 or older, according to U.S Census data.

In 2010, the age group of 15-19 was the third most common in South Dakota and by 2024 had increased to first place. According to the latest estimates by the U.S. Census, this group now makes up 6.9% of the population.

“You have higher birth rates in (Indian) reservation counties in general, and that’s probably the bigger driver there,” said Jared McEntaffer, CEO of the Dakota Institute.

For example, this trend is evident in Buffalo County, home to the Crow Creek reservation. In 2010, the most common age group in the county was 25-34 years old, ma

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