Dewey County, South Dakota

• White (non-Hispanic) 1,094 21.0%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 54 1.0%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 27 0.5%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 3 0.1%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 186 3.6%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 3,841 73.8%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%

• Under 18 1,996 38.3%
• 18–24 464 8.9%
• 25–44 1,211 23.3%
• 45–64 1,016 19.5%
• 65 and over 518 10.0%

Median household income

$46,718

90% interval $41,415–$52,021

−$30,776 vs SD · 61st of 66

Below poverty line

28.8%

90% interval 24.0%–33.6%

+18.3 pp vs SD · 8th of 66

Unemployment (12-mo)

4.7%

+2.56 pp vs. state

County GDP

$270.6M

0.35% of state

Avg. annual pay

$55,096

Establishments

154

• Education & health services 820 34.9%
• Trade, transportation & utilities 313 13.3%
• Professional & business services 130 5.5%
• Leisure & hospitality 83 3.5%
• Financial activities 55 2.3%
• Public administration 12 0.5%

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

Home ownership

61.2%

−7.4 pp vs SD · 58th of 66

Median gross rent

$692

−$254 vs SD · 46th of 66

Owner-occupied

1,036

Renter-occupied

656

• 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 (Financial activities, $87,376/yr) pays 5.0× the lowest (Leisure & hospitality, $17,505/yr). Stark intra-economy class divisions on the panel; calibrate damages and lost-wages framing to that range.

• Mixed business scale

  Average establishment employs 15 workers, a mix of institutional employers and small businesses. Both employed-by-large-institution and small-business-owner perspectives are likely on the panel.

• Democratic 1,032 55.2%
• Republican 793 42.4%
• Other / third-party 46 2.5%

• Spanish 10 0.2%
• German or other West Germanic 5 0.1%
• Chinese 3 0.1%

Households

1,692

Family households

1,150

68.0% of households

Married couples w/ children

239

20.8% of families

Single-mother families

162

14.1% of families

Veterans

139

4.3% of civilians 18+

• Catholic 1,307 24.9%
• Mainline Protestant 517 9.9%
• Evangelical Protestant 290 5.5%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 243 4.6%

Health insured

78.8%

±2.9 pp

Uninsured

21.2%

±2.9 pp

9th of 66

With a disability

10.6%

±1.8 pp

54th of 66

Bachelor's or higher

18.8%

±2.8 pp

−13.1 pp vs SD · 57th of 66

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

12.7%

90% interval 11.2%–14.2% · Census SAHIE

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

Trial court

4th Judicial Circuit Court

Judges

3 (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

Belle Fourche, Bison, Buffalo, Deadwood, Dupree, McIntosh, Sturgis, Timber Lake

This judicial district spans multiple counties.

Traffic fatalities

1

31.16 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

1