Pine Ridge is a very small town located in the state of South Dakota. With a population of 3,138 people and just one neighborhood, Pine Ridge is the 40th largest community in South Dakota.
Unlike some towns, Pine Ridge isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Pine Ridge are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Pine Ridge is a town of professionals, service providers, and construction workers and builders. There are especially a lot of people living in Pine Ridge who work in community and social services (17.91%), healthcare (17.08%), and office and administrative support (11.43%).
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 10.88% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Pine Ridge spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 11.67 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the town are less than they would otherwise be.
As is often the case in a small town, Pine Ridge doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
The rate of college-level education in Pine Ridge is quite a bit lower than the national average among all cities of 21.84%: just 11.71% of people here over 25 have a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree.
The per capita income in Pine Ridge in 2022 was $16,454, which is low income relative to South Dakota and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $65,816 for a family of four. However, Pine Ridge contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Pine Ridge is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Pine Ridge home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Pine Ridge residents report their race to be Native American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Pine Ridge include German, Russian, Yugoslavian, Other West Indian, and West Indian.
The most common language spoken in Pine Ridge is English. Other important languages spoken here include Native American languages and Spanish.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
The government often provides some of the more stable jobs in the economy. From local, to state, to federal government workers, the government can also be a major employer. What NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed, is that the neighborhood in particular stands out when compared nationally for the proportion of its working residents who are employed by the government. At 19.9% of its workforce, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of government workers than 99.0% of U.S. neighborhoods.
Furthermore, the neighborhood stands out nationally for having a greater proportion of its residents active in the military than 95.6% of other U.S. neighborhoods. If you come here, you will notice military people active in their jobs, going to and from work, and in plain clothes out and about the neighborhood.
Regardless of the means by which residents commute, this neighborhood has a length of commute that is notable. Residents of the neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 70.7% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.
Of particular note, 4.1% of the people in the neighborhood currently reside in a correction facility, held due to punishment for a crime.
Uncrowded roads, rural America and space to be the individual you are. If you like these characteristics, this neighborhood may fit you. With just 14 residents per square mile, is less crowded than 96.1% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
In addition, the real estate in this neighborhood consists of more mobile homes than 95.1% of all neighborhoods in America, with 29.6% of the occupied housing here being classified as mobile homes. So if you are looking for a mobile home, or you like the look and feel of mobile home parks, this neighborhood might have the setting you desire.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Native American ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 87.3% of this neighborhood's residents have Native American ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 20.4% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Native American languages at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.9% of the neighborhoods in America.
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in Pine Ridge are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 81.6% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 24.1% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 75.7% of U.S. neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 43.5% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 20.8% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions (19.9%), and 17.1% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 86.6% of households. Some people also speak Native American languages (20.4%).
Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.
In the neighborhood in Pine Ridge, SD, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Native American (87.3%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (2.6%), and residents who report Mexican roots (2.2%), and some of the residents are also of English ancestry (2.1%).
Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (70.7% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (72.2%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (14.2%) and 6.8% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.