Aurora County, South Dakota

• White (non-Hispanic) 2,279 86.3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 184 7.0%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 15 0.6%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 6 0.2%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 143 5.4%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 7 0.3%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 8 0.3%

• Under 18 674 25.5%
• 18–24 219 8.3%
• 25–44 606 22.9%
• 45–64 623 23.6%
• 65 and over 520 19.7%

Median household income

$68,117

90% interval $60,243–$75,991

−$9,377 vs SD · 41st of 66

Below poverty line

10.6%

90% interval 8.1%–13.1%

+0.1 pp vs SD · 41st of 66

Unemployment (12-mo)

1.7%

−0.43 pp vs. state

County GDP

$155.8M

0.2% of state

Avg. annual pay

$42,616

Establishments

102

• Trade, transportation & utilities 222 27.7%
• Education & health services 164 20.5%
• Professional & business services 49 6.1%
• Leisure & hospitality 40 5.0%
• Public administration 7 0.9%

The sectors listed cover 60.2% of covered employment; BLS withholds the rest to avoid disclosing individual employers.

Home ownership

72.7%

+4.1 pp vs SD · 39th of 66

Median gross rent

$747

−$199 vs SD · 37th of 66

Owner-occupied

774

Renter-occupied

290

• Diversified

  Top three sectors employ 54% of the workforce, a relatively diversified local economy. Expect mixed employer backgrounds on the panel rather than concentration in any one institution or industry.

• Wide wage spread

  Highest-paid sector (Public administration, $67,406/yr) pays 4.0× the lowest (Leisure & hospitality, $16,644/yr). Stark intra-economy class divisions on the panel; calibrate damages and lost-wages framing to that range.

• Small-business scale

  Average establishment employs only 7.9 workers, a small-business-dominated local economy. Expect more self-employed and small-business-owner panelists than in institutional-employer venues.

• Republican 1,056 75.8%
• Democratic 302 21.7%
• Other / third-party 35 2.5%

• Spanish 130 5.3%
• German or other West Germanic 25 1.0%
• Russian, Polish, or other Slavic 5 0.2%
• Tagalog 5 0.2%
• Arabic 5 0.2%

Households

1,064

Family households

667

62.7% of households

Married couples w/ children

216

32.4% of families

Single-mother families

71

10.6% of families

Veterans

103

5.3% of civilians 18+

• Catholic 822 29.9%
• Mainline Protestant 795 28.9%
• Evangelical Protestant 314 11.4%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 1 0.0%

Health insured

94.8%

±1.5 pp

Uninsured

5.2%

±1.5 pp

51st of 66

With a disability

13.0%

±2 pp

30th of 66

Bachelor's or higher

21.4%

±3.3 pp

−10.5 pp vs SD · 47th of 66

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

12.9%

90% interval 11.4%–14.4% · Census SAHIE

The under-65 uninsured rate is not comparable to the ACS insurance figures, which cover all ages.

Trial court

1st Judicial Circuit Court

Judges

4 (Circuit Court judges per circuit (general civil + felony criminal trial jurisdiction); vintage 2026 ujs.sd.gov directory + SDCL § 16-5-1. SD has 46 Circuit Court judges statewide (2025 UJS Guide to South Dakota Courts); the per-circuit figures shown are approximate (judges may sit by assignment across circuits). Magistrate Court judges (limited jurisdiction: misdemeanors, small claims) are separately allocated and not counted here.)

Court seats

Alexandria, Armour, Chamberlain, Elk Point, Gann Valley, Lake Andes, Mitchell, Olivet, Parker, Plankinton, Salem, Tyndall, Vermillion, Yankton

This judicial district spans multiple counties.

Traffic fatalities

1

50.81 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

1