Union County, South Dakota

• White (non-Hispanic) 15,101 88.4%
• Hispanic or Latino (any race) 823 4.8%
• Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 160 0.9%
• Asian (non-Hispanic) 190 1.1%
• Two or more races (non-Hispanic) 635 3.7%
• American Indian / Alaska Native (non-Hispanic) 127 0.7%
• Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (non-Hispanic) 18 0.1%
• Some other race (non-Hispanic) 27 0.2%

• Under 18 4,108 24.1%
• 18–24 1,131 6.6%
• 25–44 4,317 25.3%
• 45–64 4,197 24.6%
• 65 and over 3,328 19.5%

Median household income

$101,682

90% interval $92,213–$111,151

+$24,188 vs SD · 2nd of 66

Below poverty line

5.8%

90% interval 4.4%–7.2%

−4.7 pp vs SD · 65th of 66

Unemployment (12-mo)

2.2%

+0.04 pp vs. state

County GDP

$2.3B

2.94% of state

Avg. annual pay

$74,563

Establishments

893

• Manufacturing 2,266 23.7%
• Education & health services 1,863 19.5%
• Professional & business services 1,529 16.0%
• Trade, transportation & utilities 1,142 11.9%
• Leisure & hospitality 840 8.8%
• Financial activities 722 7.5%
• Construction 499 5.2%
• Other services 211 2.2%
• Natural resources & mining 102 1.1%
• Information 44 0.5%
• Public administration 24 0.3%

The sectors listed cover 96.6% of covered employment; BLS withholds the rest to avoid disclosing individual employers.

Home ownership

73.1%

+4.5 pp vs SD · 35th of 66

Median gross rent

$1,069

+$123 vs SD · 5th of 66

Owner-occupied

5,343

Renter-occupied

1,967

• Moderately concentrated

  Top three sectors employ 59% of the county workforce. Substantial intra-sector overlap among panelists is likely; confirm employer relationships before sector-specific framing.

• Wide wage spread

  Highest-paid sector (Information, $119,547/yr) pays 5.3× the lowest (Leisure & hospitality, $22,751/yr). Stark intra-economy class divisions on the panel; calibrate damages and lost-wages framing to that range.

• Mixed business scale

  Average establishment employs 11 workers, a mix of institutional employers and small businesses. Both employed-by-large-institution and small-business-owner perspectives are likely on the panel.

• Republican 6,160 69.4%
• Democratic 2,548 28.7%
• Other / third-party 168 1.9%

• Spanish 244 1.5%
• German or other West Germanic 58 0.4%
• Russian, Polish, or other Slavic 53 0.3%
• Tagalog 43 0.3%
• French, Haitian, or Cajun 5 0.0%

Households

7,310

Family households

5,020

68.7% of households

Married couples w/ children

1,600

31.9% of families

Single-mother families

240

4.8% of families

Veterans

979

7.6% of civilians 18+

• Mainline Protestant 2,937 17.5%
• Catholic 1,889 11.2%
• Evangelical Protestant 802 4.8%
• Other (non-Christian + minor traditions) 1 0.0%

Health insured

94.9%

±1.6 pp

Uninsured

5.1%

±1.6 pp

55th of 66

With a disability

10.8%

±2.2 pp

49th of 66

Bachelor's or higher

37.0%

±3.7 pp

+5.1 pp vs SD · 5th of 66

Uninsured, under 65 (2024)

7.7%

90% interval 6.8%–8.6% · 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

2

15.42 per 100k adults (18+)

Fatal crashes

2