Jury Pool Profile

Mellette County, South Dakota

Republican +20 (2024)

Population: 2,043
Median household income: $51,364
Unemployment: 3.1%

Who sits on a jury?

Race & ethnicity

White alone 645 31.6%
Black or African American alone 5 0.2%
Asian alone 0 0.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native alone 1,268 62.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander alone 6 0.3%
Some other race alone 6 0.3%
Two or more races 113 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 7 0.3%

U.S. Census ACS 2023

Age distribution

Median age 31

Under 18 646 31.6%
18–24 160 7.8%
25–44 455 22.3%
45–64 472 23.1%
65 and over 310 15.2%

U.S. Census ACS 2023

Economic context

Local economy

Unemployment (12-mo): 3.1%; +0.96 pp vs. state
County GDP: $71.1M; 0.09% of state
Avg. annual pay: $36,865
Establishments: 44

U.S. BLS 2026M02 · U.S. BEA 2024 · BLS QCEW 2024

Top employment sectors

Average annual employment by supersector

Trade, transportation & utilities 47 14.3%
Leisure & hospitality 34 10.4%
Public administration 15 4.6%
Professional & business services 12 3.7%

BLS QCEW 2024

Housing

Home ownership: 59.9%
Median gross rent: $737
Owner-occupied: 369
Renter-occupied: 247

U.S. Census ACS 2023

Political composition

Presidential results

2024 presidential · 740 votes cast

Republican 434 58.6%
Democratic 285 38.5%
Other / third-party 21 2.8%

Election results 2024

Languages, households, faith & health

Languages spoken at home

85.9% speak only English at home

Other 267 14.1%

U.S. Census ACS 2023

Household composition

Households: 616
Family households: 401; 65.1% of households
Married w/ children: 237
Single-mother households: 37
Veterans: 104; 7.4% of civilians 18+

U.S. Census ACS 2023

Religious composition

37.2% overall adherence rate

Catholic 282 14.7%
Mainline Protestant 280 14.6%
Evangelical Protestant 138 7.2%
Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 13 0.7%

US Religion Census 2020

Health & education

Health insured: 71.8%
With a disability: 12.1%
Bachelor's or higher: 16.3%

U.S. Census ACS 2023

Court infrastructure

Trial court: 6th Judicial Circuit Court
Judges: 2 (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: Burke, Fort Pierre, Gettysburg, Highmore, Kadoka, Kennebec, Martin, Mission, Murdo, Onida, Philip, Pierre, White River, Winner

Court reference

Traffic safety context

South Dakota statewide totals, 2023 — not county-specific

Traffic fatalities: 1; 71.58 per 100k drivers
Fatal crashes: 1

NHTSA FARS 2023