Hanson County, South Dakota

• White (non-Hispanic) 3,186 91.8%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 48 1.4%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 12 0.3%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 226 6.5%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%

• Under 18 996 28.7%
• 18–24 261 7.5%
• 25–44 778 22.4%
• 45–64 871 25.1%
• 65 and over 566 16.3%

Median household income

$87,793

90% interval $78,061–$97,525

+$10,299 vs SD · 4th of 66

Below poverty line

8.7%

90% interval 6.5%–10.9%

−1.8 pp vs SD · 53rd of 66

Unemployment (12-mo)

2.6%

+0.43 pp vs. state

County GDP

$217.2M

0.28% of state

Avg. annual pay

$49,714

Establishments

109

• Trade, transportation & utilities 122 19.6%
• Manufacturing 115 18.5%
• Construction 87 14.0%
• Professional & business services 38 6.1%
• Leisure & hospitality 35 5.6%
• Financial activities 32 5.1%
• Natural resources & mining 14 2.2%
• Education & health services 14 2.2%
• Public administration 4 0.6%

The sectors listed cover 74.0% of covered employment; BLS withholds the rest to avoid disclosing individual employers.

Home ownership

89.4%

+20.8 pp vs SD · 1st of 66

Median gross rent

$782

−$164 vs SD · 28th of 66

Owner-occupied

1,012

Renter-occupied

120

• Diversified

  Top three sectors employ 52% of the workforce, a relatively diversified local economy. Expect mixed employer backgrounds on the panel rather than concentration in any one institution or industry.

• Moderate wage spread

  Highest-paid sector (Public administration, $85,946/yr) pays 3.9× the lowest (Leisure & hospitality, $21,882/yr). Expect meaningful income variation across the panel.

• Small-business scale

  Average establishment employs only 5.7 workers, a small-business-dominated local economy. Expect more self-employed and small-business-owner panelists than in institutional-employer venues.

• Republican 1,611 78.7%
• Democratic 399 19.5%
• Other / third-party 36 1.8%

• German or other West Germanic 139 4.3%
• Spanish 34 1.1%
• Russian, Polish, or other Slavic 3 0.1%

Households

1,132

Family households

868

76.7% of households

Married couples w/ children

269

31.0% of families

Single-mother families

23

2.6% of families

Veterans

195

7.9% of civilians 18+

• Catholic 894 25.8%
• Evangelical Protestant 577 16.7%
• Mainline Protestant 125 3.6%

Health insured

90.2%

±5 pp — too imprecise at this sample size to compare

With a disability

7.7%

±1.7 pp

63rd of 66

Bachelor's or higher

22.5%

±3.8 pp

−9.4 pp vs SD · 43rd of 66

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

9.1%

90% interval 8.0%–10.2% · 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

40.39 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

1