Jury Pool Profile
Hand County, South Dakota
- County seat
- Miller
- Judicial district
- 3rd Judicial Circuit Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 3,121
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 3,140.
At a glance
Hand County is a 3,121-person venue. The county population is 92% White (Census race-alone categories). Median household income is $73,983, $3,511 below the SD state median of $77,494; 28.4% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 3.5% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most commonly German or other West Germanic and Spanish. The largest employment sector is Trade, transportation & utilities, at 31.7% of covered employment, average pay $41,553/year. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 1.82%, below the 2.15% state average. The county carried the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, 2020, and 2024, taking 76% to 78% of the vote across the three.
- Population
- 3,140
- Median household income
- $74,635
- Unemployment
- 1.8%
Who sits on a jury?
≥70% White (race-alone) and <20% Black. This county: 92% / 0%.
Hand County has a population of 3,140, with a median age of 42.5. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 92.3%; Black residents 0.5%. Independently, 2.1% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $73,983; 28.4% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 8.4% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
BLS QCEW 'Natural resources & mining' (oil & gas) is ≥5% of total covered employment. This county: 11.7%.
Trade, transportation & utilities is the largest employment sector at 31.7% of covered employment, followed by Education & health services at 14.5%. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 1.82%, below the South Dakota state average.
Political composition
Republican candidate carried this county in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (avg winning share: 78%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Hand County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 78.0% in 2024, 78.1% in 2020, 76.5% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 58% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 3.5% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
3.5% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are German or other West Germanic, Spanish, French, Haitian, or Cajun. Veterans account for 4.9% of the adult civilian population (114 individuals).