Jury Pool Profile
Hughes County, South Dakota
- County seat
- Pierre
- Judicial district
- 6th Judicial Circuit Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 17,570
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 17,664.
At a glance
Hughes County is a 17,570-person venue. The county population is 81% White (Census race-alone categories). Median household income is $83,936, $6,442 above the SD state median of $77,494; 39.0% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 4.1% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most commonly Spanish and Vietnamese. The largest employment sector is Public administration, at 23.6% of covered employment, average pay $73,458/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 roughly 63% of the vote each time.
- Population
- 17,664
- Median household income
- $81,395
- Unemployment
- 1.8%
Who sits on a jury?
≥70% White (race-alone) and <20% Black. This county: 81% / 0%.
Hughes County has a population of 17,664, with a median age of 39.5. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 80.7%; Black residents 0.1%. Independently, 3.3% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $83,936; 39.0% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 8.7% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
None of the heuristic anchors fired (oil & gas <5%, healthcare/education <20%, manufacturing <15%). Top sector: Public administration (23.6%).
Public administration is the largest employment sector at 23.6% of covered employment, followed by Trade, transportation & utilities at 19.4%. 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: 63%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Hughes County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 63.8% in 2024, 63.3% in 2020, 63.3% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 61% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 4.1% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
4.1% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are Spanish, Vietnamese, German or other West Germanic. Veterans account for 9.2% of the adult civilian population (1,226 individuals).