Vale, South Dakota

Census-designated place in South Dakota, United States

44°37′15″N 103°23′55″W / 44.62083°N 103.39861°W / 44.62083; -103.39861CountryUnited StatesStateSouth DakotaCounty ButteArea

^[1]

• Total1.49 sq mi (3.86 km²) • Land1.49 sq mi (3.86 km²) • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)Elevation

^[2]

2,772 ft (845 m)Population

(2020)^[3]

• Total130 • Density87.31/sq mi (33.71/km²)Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)ZIP code

57788

Area code605FIPS code46-65940^[4]GNIS feature ID2628852^[2]

Vale is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Butte County, South Dakota, United States. According to the 2020 census, the population was 130.^[5] Vale has been assigned the ZIP code of 57788. The public school located in Vale, whose mascot was The Beet Diggers, closed in 1982.

Vale was so-named because the town site is located in a valley.^[6]

The Full Throttle Saloon, a large bar and entertainment site described as the world's largest biker bar^[7] and previously the subject of the reality television series Full Throttle Saloon, was rebuilt, moving from nearby Sturgis to 600 acres in Vale near Bear Butte.^[8]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	130		—
U.S. Decennial Census^[9]

The 2022 U.S. Decennial Census reported a total population of 130. Vale's median age was 58.7 years, much higher than the state's 38.5 median; and 48.4% are over the age of 65. 122 of Vale's residents reported only white ethnicity; 2 reported Native American, 2 reported Asian, 3 reported Hispanic/Latino heritage, and 4 reported they were multiracial. The largest heritage group was Norwegian, with 23.7% of residents reporting Norwegian ancestry.^[9]

Vale has a poverty rate much higher than the state average. The median household income was $20,139, and the overall poverty rate was 26.9%, as opposed to the state's overall 12.5%. Only 11.1% of residents had completed a bachelor's degree or higher, in contrast to 31.6% of all South Dakotans. Most working residents are employed in education or social services, but the second-highest employment category is in agriculture.^[9]

References

^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Vale, South Dakota
^ "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
^ "U.S. Census Bureau: Vale CDP, South Dakota". www.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
^ Federal Writers' Project (1940). South Dakota place-names, v.1-3. University of South Dakota. p. 65.
^ Cutbertson, Ian (December 14, 2012). "Full Throttle Saloon". The Australian. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
^ Ramsey, Sarah (June 18, 2021). "The Full Throttle Saloon in South Dakota is an Adult Playground". Wide Open Country. Wide Open Media Group. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.