Bennett County, South Dakota

• White (non-Hispanic) 1,149 34.3%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 169 5.1%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 6 0.2%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 49 1.5%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 98 2.9%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 1,874 56.0%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%

• Under 18 1,174 35.1%
• 18–24 437 13.1%
• 25–44 652 19.5%
• 45–64 570 17.0%
• 65 and over 512 15.3%

Median household income

$51,441

90% interval $45,240–$57,642

−$26,053 vs SD · 58th of 66

Below poverty line

29.4%

90% interval 22.7%–36.1%

+18.9 pp vs SD · 6th of 66

Unemployment (12-mo)

2.8%

+0.63 pp vs. state

County GDP

$142.7M

0.19% of state

Avg. annual pay

$44,075

Establishments

96

• Trade, transportation & utilities 164 19.4%
• Construction 136 16.1%
• Leisure & hospitality 69 8.2%
• Education & health services 33 3.9%
• Natural resources & mining 28 3.3%
• Public administration 25 3.0%
• Other services 22 2.6%

The sectors listed cover 56.5% of covered employment; BLS withholds the rest to avoid disclosing individual employers.

Home ownership

61.2%

−7.4 pp vs SD · 57th of 66

Median gross rent

$617

−$329 vs SD · 55th of 66

Owner-occupied

563

Renter-occupied

357

• Diversified

  Top three sectors employ 44% 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, $75,999/yr) pays 5.1× the lowest (Leisure & hospitality, $15,032/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 8.8 workers, a small-business-dominated local economy. Expect more self-employed and small-business-owner panelists than in institutional-employer venues.

• Republican 676 62.1%
• Democratic 389 35.8%
• Other / third-party 23 2.1%

• German or other West Germanic 33 1.1%
• Tagalog 22 0.7%
• Chinese 4 0.1%
• Spanish 2 0.1%

Households

920

Family households

724

78.7% of households

Married couples w/ children

139

19.2% of families

Single-mother families

102

14.1% of families

Veterans

157

7.2% of civilians 18+

• Evangelical Protestant 301 8.9%
• Mainline Protestant 288 8.5%
• Catholic 226 6.7%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 111 3.3%
• Black Protestant 30 0.9%

Health insured

72.3%

±8 pp

Uninsured

27.7%

±8 pp

3rd of 66

With a disability

8.9%

±2.8 pp

62nd of 66

Bachelor's or higher

18.3%

±6.1 pp

−13.6 pp vs SD · 59th of 66

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

13.7%

90% interval 12.1%–15.3% · Census SAHIE

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

Trial court

6th Judicial Circuit Court

Judges

2 (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

Burke, Fort Pierre, Gettysburg, Highmore, Kadoka, Kennebec, Martin, Mission, Murdo, Onida, Philip, Pierre, White River, Winner

This judicial district spans multiple counties.

Traffic fatalities

1

46.06 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

1