Hanson County, South Dakota Demographics

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

Hanson 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.

  • N/A
    Health Not enough data
  • B
    Income Around average
  • D
    Education Well below average
    Less educated than 71% of counties in South Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Hanson County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Hanson County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 3,472 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 8.0 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.30% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 35.6 35.5 37.3
Households 1,132 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Hanson County declined by 3.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 3,472 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Hanson County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Hanson County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 20.4% of residents. That is 1.6 points below 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 48.2% of the people living in Hanson County and men 51.8%.

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3,472

100% of everyone living in Hanson County

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Economy

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

Metric Hanson County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $82,317 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.29% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.8% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in Hanson County is about 10% higher than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Hanson County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $225,000 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $781 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 89.4% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Hanson County is about 24.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $781 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Hanson County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 155 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Hanson County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 18.6 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 37.2 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 155 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $4,808 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 10.6% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 2,557 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 749 353 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 Hanson County is 19 minutes, longer 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

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

Metric Hanson County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 19.6% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 3.02 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

Metric Hanson County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) — 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 10.2% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 17.7% 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 Hanson County, South Dakota.

How big is Hanson County, South Dakota by population?

About 3,472 people live in Hanson County, South Dakota, in 1,132 households of 3.0 people on average. The median age is 35.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 2 years.

How densely populated is Hanson County, South Dakota?

Averaged over its land area, Hanson County, South Dakota has 8 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 9% of the U.S. average of 86.

Is Hanson County, South Dakota an affordable place to live?

The median home costs 2.7 times the median household income ($225,000 against $82,317), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $781 a month takes about 11% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.

Is unemployment high in Hanson County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in Hanson County, South Dakota is only 1.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.

What share of adults in Hanson County, South Dakota have a college degree?

19.6% of adults in Hanson County, South Dakota hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.

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