Hughes County, South Dakota Demographics

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

Hughes 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
  • B
    Income Around average
    Wealthier than 88% of counties in South Dakota
  • B
    Education Around average
    Better educated than 92% of counties in South Dakota

Source: Map AI Methodology

Hughes County
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Population density, people per sq mi

Population: density and quick facts

Metric Hughes County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Population 17,664 907,403 337,468,954
Population density (per sq mi) 22.1 11.8 86.4
Population growth (%/yr) 0.11% 0.80% 0.59%
Median age 38.2 35.5 37.3
Households 7,253 365,533 130,235,071

Population in Hughes County grew by 4.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,664 in 2024.

Population Growth 2009–2024

Year Hughes County

Race & Ethnicity

Group Share

Age & Sex

The largest generation in Hughes County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 20.8% of residents. That is 2.3 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 51.6% of the people living in Hughes County and men 48.4%.

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17,664

100% of everyone living in Hughes County

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Economy

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

Metric Hughes County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median household income $82,070 $75,087 $80,455
Income growth (%/yr) 4.25% 4.61% 4.80%
Unemployment rate 1.0% 2.9% 5.2%

The median household income in Hughes County is about 9% higher than in South Dakota.

Detailed wealth and income breakdown →

Housing

Metric Hughes County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Median home price $41,364 $92,142 $248,835
Median rent $989 $946 $1,407
Homeownership rate 72.0% 68.6% 65.2%

The median home price in Hughes County is about 3.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $989 per month for that long.

Full housing market analysis →

Commute Time & Mobility

Commuters in Hughes County spend about 21 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 89 hours, about 3.7 full days, spent commuting.

Metric Hughes County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
One-way commute (min) 10.6 15.3 22.4
Round-trip commute (min) 21.3 30.7 44.8
Yearly time spent (hours) 89 128 187
Estimated yearly cost $2,748 $3,961 $5,790
Work from home 4.7% 9.7% 15.0%
Highway traffic (vehicles/day) 789 2,777 8,813
Local road traffic (vehicles/day) 255 353 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 Hughes County is 11 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

Hughes County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.

Metric Hughes County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Bachelor's degree or higher 33.4% 28.0% 31.6%
Average household size 2.31 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

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

Metric Hughes County South Dakota Avg U.S. Average
Life expectancy (years) 79.8 79.9 78.3
Self-rated poor health 11.0% 13.8% 16.3%
Smokers 17.3% 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 Hughes County, South Dakota.

How big is Hughes County, South Dakota by population?

About 17,664 people live in Hughes County, South Dakota, in 7,253 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.

Is Hughes County, South Dakota mostly urban or rural?

Averaged over its land area, Hughes County, South Dakota has 22 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 26% of the U.S. average of 86.

Can a typical household afford a home in Hughes County, South Dakota?

The median home costs 0.5 times the median household income ($41,364 against $82,070), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $989 a month takes about 14% 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 Hughes County, South Dakota?

Unemployment in Hughes 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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