Hand County, South Dakota Demographics

Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.

Hand County, SD Population Density Map and Area Scores

Area Score

Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.

  • B
    Health Around average
    Healthier than 82% of counties in South Dakota
  • B
    Income Around average
  • D
    Education Well below average

Source: Map AI Methodology

Hand County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Hand County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 3,140 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 2.2 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) -0.63% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 42.0 35.5 37.3
Households 1,405 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Hand County declined by 3.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,140 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Hand County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Hand County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 21.7% of residents. That is 4.5 points above South Dakota as a whole.

Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below South Dakota, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.

Male and female share

Women are 48.9% of the people living in Hand County and men 51.1%.

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Residents matching this profile

3,140

100% of everyone living in Hand County

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Economy

Hand County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.

Metric Hand County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $74,534 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.54% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.0% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in Hand County is about 1% lower than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Hand County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $72,143 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $586 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 65.5% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Hand County is about 10.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $586 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Hand County spend about 17 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 70 hours, about 2.9 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Hand County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 8.4 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 16.7 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 70 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,161 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 10.9% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 965 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 99 353 1,355

Fastest commutes among counties in South Dakota: Jones County (6.7 min), Bennett County (7.5 min), Jackson County (7.8 min).
Slowest: Custer County (25.5 min), McCook County (25.4 min), Turner County (23.1 min).

The average commute time in Hand County is 8 minutes, shorter than the 15 minutes in South Dakota.

Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.

Commute and transport details →

Education & Households

Hand County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.

Metric Hand County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 24.8% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.19 2.40 2.53

Highest education index among counties in South Dakota: Clay County (0.4), Lincoln County (0.3), Stanley County (0.3).
Lowest: Buffalo County (0.1), Mellette County (0.2), Oglala Lakota County (0.2).

Health

Hand County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.

Metric Hand County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 81.2 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 11.2% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 15.2% 19.9% 19.0%

Highest health index among counties in South Dakota: Brookings County (0.8), Lincoln County (0.8), Clay County (0.8).
Lowest: Todd County (0.7), Buffalo County (0.7), Mellette County (0.7).

Full health data →

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Hand County, South Dakota.

How big is Hand County, South Dakota by population?

About 3,140 people live in Hand County, South Dakota, in 1,405 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.

Is Hand County, South Dakota urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Hand County, South Dakota has 2 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 3% of the U.S. average of 86.

How affordable is housing in Hand County, South Dakota?

The median home costs 1.0 times the median household income ($72,143 against $74,534), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $586 a month takes about 9% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is it hard to find a job in Hand County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in Hand County, South Dakota is only 1.0%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

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