Population 258 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in Ideal
Household size in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.24 | 2.51 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.14 | 2.51 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.51 | 2.50 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.27 | 2.48 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.03 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Households in Ideal are small: just 2.27 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 52.5 | 37.9 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 52.0 | 38.3 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.0 | 38.8 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 48.8 | 38.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | −3.7 | +1.0 | +2.3 |
Ideal skews older: half of its residents are older than 48.8, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. Since 2006–10, the median age has dropped from 52.5, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.2% | 10.8% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 5.2% | 11.1% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.3% | 10.9% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 13.3% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| Change | +10.0 pts | −0.1 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in eight households in Ideal (13.3%), a bit above the national share of 11.6%.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Ideal
Renters in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.0% | 31.1% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 25.0% | 32.0% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 23.4% | 32.0% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 28.5% | 31.4% | 34.8% |
| Change | +13.5 pts | +0.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly three in ten households in Ideal rent their homes (28.5%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. The picture is much the same across South Dakota. Just over seven in ten owners (72.2%) have paid off their mortgages, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 34.4% | 11.3% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 24.8% | 10.7% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 33.4% | 11.6% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 21.5% | 10.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −12.9 pts | −1.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is high in Ideal: 21.5% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1963 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1971 | 1974 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1970 | 1977 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1974 | 1981 | 1980 |
| Change | +11 | +9 | +6 |
Homes in Ideal run a bit older than the national norm, with a median build year of 1974 against 1980.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $562 | $631 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $543 | $692 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $663 | $798 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $671 | $1,000 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$109 | +$369 | +$606 |
Rent in Ideal runs $671 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 19.8% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Ideal
Bachelor's degrees in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 18.5% | 26.8% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.7% | 27.8% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 23.6% | 29.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 16.2% | 32.5% | 35.6% |
| Change | −2.3 pts | +5.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Ideal: 16.2% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 91.2% | 89.9% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 93.1% | 91.0% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 92.4% | 91.8% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 83.1% | 93.1% | 89.3% |
| Change | −8.1 pts | +3.2 pts | +4.3 pts |
About one in six adults in Ideal never finished high school, well above the national share: only 83.1% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Ideal
| Period | Ideal | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 0.3% | 4.9% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 0.0% | 4.9% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.4% | 3.6% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 1.5% | 3.1% | 5.4% |
| Change | +1.3 pts | −1.7 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Ideal has been low: just 1.5% of the labor force was out of work and looking, well below the national rate of 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Ideal compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ideal | 2.27 | 48.8 | 13.3% | 28.5% | 21.5% | 1974 | $671 | 16.2% | 83.1% | 1.5% |
| Carter | 2.37 | 46.1 | 10.9% | 33.6% | 17.3% | 1966 | $757 | 17.3% | 86.7% | 1.6% |
| New Witten | 2.27 | 48.8 | 13.3% | 28.5% | 21.5% | 1974 | $671 | 16.2% | 83.1% | 1.5% |
| Hamill | 2.25 | 48.5 | 11.7% | 27.8% | 21.3% | 1973 | $672 | 18.1% | 84.8% | 1.4% |
| Wewela | 2.36 | 46.3 | 9.3% | 28.9% | 18.9% | 1963 | $750 | 18.2% | 88.9% | 1.2% |
| Winner | 2.54 | 43.7 | 13.9% | 34.7% | 16.0% | 1965 | $793 | 15.8% | 87.7% | 2.7% |
| Witten | 2.33 | 48.7 | 8.5% | 26.9% | 17.8% | 1970 | $731 | 19.9% | 88.4% | 1.0% |
| Dixon | 2.33 | 45.8 | 7.3% | 22.4% | 24.8% | 1969 | $649 | 23.4% | 89.5% | 2.2% |
| Mosher | 2.52 | 47.4 | 3.1% | 24.4% | 11.7% | 1964 | $795 | 25.5% | 97.6% | 0.2% |
| Iona | 2.16 | 46.9 | 2.3% | 21.8% | 22.1% | 1967 | $701 | 30.0% | 95.5% | 1.1% |
| Colome | 2.34 | 48.7 | 7.8% | 26.6% | 17.2% | 1969 | $740 | 20.5% | 89.3% | 0.9% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Ferry Lake, LA · Fort Bidwell, CA · Fort Apache, AZ · Forest Lakes, AZ · Forbush, IA · Fola, WV · Florence, OH · Florence, AR · Floe, WV · Fleming, KS
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Ideal. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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