McCook County, South Dakota

• White (non-Hispanic) 5,328 92.6%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 206 3.6%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 16 0.3%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 155 2.7%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 34 0.6%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 0 0.0%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 12 0.2%

• Under 18 1,637 28.5%
• 18–24 383 6.7%
• 25–44 1,306 22.7%
• 45–64 1,343 23.4%
• 65 and over 1,082 18.8%

Median household income

$83,250

90% interval $77,485–$89,015

+$5,756 vs SD · 6th of 66

Below poverty line

8.3%

90% interval 6.3%–10.3%

−2.2 pp vs SD · 59th of 66

Unemployment (12-mo)

1.9%

−0.21 pp vs. state

County GDP

$406.2M

0.53% of state

Avg. annual pay

$53,838

Establishments

242

• Trade, transportation & utilities 335 23.9%
• Education & health services 196 14.0%
• Natural resources & mining 159 11.3%
• Professional & business services 86 6.1%
• Public administration 7 0.5%

The sectors listed cover 55.8% of covered employment; BLS withholds the rest to avoid disclosing individual employers.

Home ownership

79.5%

+10.9 pp vs SD · 16th of 66

Median gross rent

$945

−$1 vs SD · 13th of 66

Owner-occupied

1,765

Renter-occupied

456

• Diversified

  Top three sectors employ 49% 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 (Professional & business services, $116,897/yr) pays 2.5× the lowest (Education & health services, $46,143/yr). Expect meaningful income variation across the panel.

• Small-business scale

  Average establishment employs only 5.8 workers, a small-business-dominated local economy. Expect more self-employed and small-business-owner panelists than in institutional-employer venues.

• Republican 2,227 73.5%
• Democratic 733 24.2%
• Other / third-party 71 2.3%

• Spanish 81 1.5%
• Russian, Polish, or other Slavic 64 1.2%
• German or other West Germanic 50 0.9%

Households

2,221

Family households

1,548

69.7% of households

Married couples w/ children

462

29.8% of families

Single-mother families

71

4.6% of families

Veterans

330

8% of civilians 18+

• Catholic 1,290 22.7%
• Mainline Protestant 1,234 21.7%
• Evangelical Protestant 905 15.9%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 1 0.0%

Health insured

92.2%

±1.4 pp

Uninsured

7.8%

±1.4 pp

33rd of 66

With a disability

10.5%

±1.6 pp

56th of 66

Bachelor's or higher

29.9%

±3.6 pp

−2.0 pp vs SD · 16th of 66

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

9.2%

90% interval 8.1%–10.3% · 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

6

145.84 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

5