County population in 2014: 3,345 (all rural); it was 3,741 in 2000County owner-occupied with a mortgage or a loan houses and condos in 2010: 437 County owner-occupied free and clear houses and condos in 2010: 655 County owner-occupied houses and condos in 2000: 1,143 Renter-occupied apartments: 402 (it was 400 in 2000)
% of renters here:
26%
State:
32%
Land area: 1437 sq. mi.
Water area: 3.6 sq. mi.
Population density: 2 people per square mile (very low).
Mar. 2016 cost of living index in Hand County: 77.3 (low, U.S. average is 100)
Estimated median household income in 2015: $49,069 ($32,377 in 1999)
This county:
$49,069
South Dakota:
$53,017
Median contract rent in 2015 for apartments: $398 (lower quartile is $296, upper quartile is $480)
This county:
$398
State:
$573
Estimated median house or condo value in 2015: $104,513 (it was $46,400 in 2000)
Hand:
$104,513
South Dakota:
$152,800
Lower value quartile - upper value quartile: $56,404 - $204,682 Median monthly housing costs for homes and condos with a mortgage: $1,088 Median monthly housing costs for units without a mortgage: $435
Institutionalized population: 53
Crime in 2004 (reported by the sheriff's office or county police, not the county total):
Murders: 0
Rapes: 0
Robberies: 0
Assaults: 1
Burglaries: 3
Thefts: 4
Auto thefts: 0
Single-family new house construction building permits:
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with mortgages in 2015: $1,237 (0.8%) Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units with no mortgage in 2015: $858 (0.9%)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2015: 8.2%
(8.3% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 8.5% for Hispanic or Latino residents)
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2015: 8.0%
Hand County:
8.0%
South Dakota:
13.7%
(8.2% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 6.0% for Hispanic or Latino residents)
Median age of residents in 2015: 48 years old
(Males: 48 years old, Females: 51 years old)
(Median age for: White residents: 49 years old, American Indian residents: 38 years old, Hispanic or Latino residents: 13 years old)
Fair market rent in 2006 for a 1-bedroom apartment in Hand County is $368 a month. Fair market rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $484 a month. Fair market rent for a 3-bedroom apartment is $639 a month.
Current college students: 33 People 25 years of age or older with a high school degree or higher: 80.1% People 25 years of age or older with a bachelor's degree or higher: 15.6%
Number of foreign born residents: 38 (84% naturalized citizens)
Hand County:
1.0%
Whole state:
1.8%
Year of entry for the foreign-born population
1995 to March 2000: 6
1990 to 1994: 0
1985 to 1989: 0
1980 to 1984: 0
1975 to 1979: 3
1970 to 1974: 2
1970 to 1974: 1
1965 to 1969: 26
Note: State values scaled to Hand County population
Mean travel time to work (commute): 16.2 minutes
Percentage of county residents living and working in this county: 85.6%
Housing units in structures:
One, detached: 1,433
One, attached: 42
Two: 27
3 or 4: 59
5 to 9: 7
10 to 19: 21
20 or more: 84
Mobile homes: 167
Housing units in Hand County with a mortgage: 253 (8 second mortgage, 4 home equity loan, 0 both second mortgage and home equity loan) Houses without a mortgage: 429
Here:
37.1% with mortgage
State:
60.6% with mortgage
Religion statistics for Hand County
Religion
Adherents
Congregations
Catholic
1,157
3
Mainline Protestant
909
4
Evangelical Protestant
183
5
Other
46
1
None
1,136
-
Hand County Religion Details
Source: Clifford Grammich, Kirk Hadaway, Richard Houseal, Dale E.Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley and Richard H.Taylor. 2012. 2010 U.S.Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Jones, Dale E., et al. 2002. Congregations and Membership in the United States 2000. Nashville, TN: Glenmary Research Center.
Food Environment Statistics:
Number of grocery stores: 1
Hand County:
3.06 / 10,000 pop.
State:
2.84 / 10,000 pop.
Number of convenience stores (with gas): 1
Hand County:
3.06 / 10,000 pop.
South Dakota:
6.68 / 10,000 pop.
Number of full-service restaurants: 3
This county:
9.17 / 10,000 pop.
State:
9.21 / 10,000 pop.
Adult diabetes rate:
Hand County:
9.6%
South Dakota:
7.7%
Adult obesity rate:
Hand County:
28.5%
State:
27.7%
Agriculture in Hand County:
Average size of farms: 1809 acres Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $160,294 Average value of crops sold per acre for harvested cropland: $77.51 The value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 0.00% The value of livestock, poultry, and their products as a percentage of the total market value of agricultural products sold: 65.79% Average total farm production expenses per farm: $140,024 Harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 39.11% Irrigated harvested cropland as a percentage of land in farms: 1.14% Average market value of all machinery and equipment per farm: $129,414 The percentage of farms operated by a family or individual: 83.75% Average age of principal farm operators: 53 years Average number of cattle and calves per 100 acres of all land in farms: 12.47 Milk cows as a percentage of all cattle and calves: 1.23% Corn for grain: 59030 harvested acres All wheat for grain: 52504 harvested acres Soybeans for beans: 69371 harvested acres
Earthquake activity:
Hand County-area historical earthquake activity is slightly below South Dakota state average. It is 70% smaller than the overall U.S. average.
On 8/18/1959 at 06:37:13, a magnitude 7.7 (7.7 UK, Class: Major, Intensity: VIII - XII) earthquake occurred 574.7 miles away from Hand County center, causing $26,000,000 total damage On 3/4/1983 at 06:32:18, a magnitude 4.6 (4.4 MB, 4.6 LG, 4.4 ML, Class: Light, Intensity: IV - V) earthquake occurred 31.2 miles away from the county center On 7/9/1975 at 14:54:15, a magnitude 4.6 (4.6 MB) earthquake occurred 163.3 miles away from the county center On 11/3/2002 at 20:41:56, a magnitude 4.3 (4.3 MB, 4.3 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi) earthquake occurred 123.2 miles away from the county center On 10/25/1990 at 06:25:25, a magnitude 3.9 (3.6 MB, 3.9 LG, Depth: 3.1 mi, Class: Light, Intensity: II - III) earthquake occurred 58.0 miles away from Hand County center On 10/18/1984 at 15:30:23, a magnitude 5.5 (5.4 MB, 5.1 MS, 5.5 ML, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI - VII) earthquake occurred 362.3 miles away from the county center Magnitude types: regional Lg-wave magnitude (LG), body-wave magnitude (MB), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS)
Most recent natural disasters:
South Dakota Flooding, Incident Period: March 11, 2011 to July 22, 2011, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1984: May 13, 2011, FEMA Id: 1984, Natural disaster type: Flood
South Dakota Severe Storms and Flooding, Incident Period: July 21, 2010 to July 30, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1938: September 23, 2010, FEMA Id: 1938, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
South Dakota Flooding, Incident Period: March 10, 2010 to June 20, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1915: May 13, 2010, FEMA Id: 1915, Natural disaster type: Flood
South Dakota Severe Winter Storm, Incident Period: January 20, 2010 to January 26, 2010, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1887: March 10, 2010, FEMA Id: 1887, Natural disaster type: Winter Storm
South Dakota Severe Storms and Flooding, Incident Period: June 02, 2008 to June 12, 2008, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1774: July 09, 2008, FEMA Id: 1774, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
South Dakota Severe Winter Storm, Incident Period: November 27, 2005 to November 29, 2005, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1620: December 20, 2005, FEMA Id: 1620, Natural disaster type: Winter Storm
South Dakota Hurricane Katrina Evacuation, Incident Period: September 06, 2005 to October 01, 2005, Emergency Declared EM-3234: September 10, 2005, FEMA Id: 3234, Natural disaster type: Hurricane
South Dakota Severe Storms/Flooding, Incident Period: February 03, 1997 to May 24, 1997, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1173: April 07, 1997, FEMA Id: 1173, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
South Dakota Severe Winter Storms/Blizzards, Incident Period: January 03, 1997 to January 31, 1997, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1156: January 10, 1997, FEMA Id: 1156, Natural disaster type: Winter Storm, Blizzard
South Dakota Severe Storms, Flooding, Incident Period: March 01, 1995 to June 20, 1995, Major Disaster (Presidential) Declared DR-1052: May 26, 1995, FEMA Id: 1052, Natural disaster type: Storm, Flood
6 other natural disasters have been reported since 1953.
The number of natural disasters in Hand County (16) is greater than the US average (13). Major Disasters (Presidential) Declared: 14 Emergencies Declared: 2
Causes of natural disasters: Floods: 10, Storms: 7, Winter Storms: 4, Blizzard: 1, Drought: 1, Hurricane: 1, Tornado: 1 (Note: Some incidents may be assigned to more than one category).
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (11%)
Sales and related occupations (10%)
Construction and extraction occupations (10%)
Transportation occupations (6%)
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (5%)
Office and administrative support occupations (21%)
Management occupations (12%)
Food preparation and serving related occupations (10%)
Sales and related occupations (9%)
Education, training, and library occupations (8%)
Health diagnosing and treating practitioners and other technical occupations (7%)
Personal care and service occupations (7%)
Most common places of birth for the foreign-born residents (%):
Russia (61%)
Canada (16%)
Korea (8%)
Thailand (8%)
Japan (5%)
Most common first ancestries reported in Hand County (%):
German (50%)
Irish (10%)
English (7%)
Norwegian (7%)
United States or American (6%)
Dutch (3%)
Swiss (2%)
Means of transportation to work:
Drove a car alone: 1,180 (64%)
Carpooled: 131 (7%)
Bus or trolley bus: 7 (0%)
Bicycle: 7 (0%)
Walked: 144 (8%)
Other means: 15 (1%)
Worked at home: 355 (19%)
Breakdown of mean house values by ages of householders ($)
67 people in nursing homes
3 people in wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere
53 people in nursing facilities/skilled-nursing facilities
8 people in group homes intended for adultsAverage gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2010 was $54,037.
5.29% of this county's 2011 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2010 ($30,164 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
5.29%
South Dakota average:
7.96%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
3.99% relocated from other counties in South Dakota ($22,384 average AGI)
1.31% relocated from other states ($7,781 average AGI)
Hand County:
1.31%
South Dakota average:
3.76%
Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries
4.88% of this county's 2010 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2011 ($32,284 average adjusted gross income)
Here:
4.88%
South Dakota average:
7.77%
10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
3.42% relocated to other counties in South Dakota ($19,522 average AGI)
1.46% relocated to other states ($12,761 average AGI)
Hand County:
1.46%
South Dakota average:
3.55%
Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries
Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2010 and 2011:
Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 11.3 Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 8.9
Births per 1000 population in Hand County
Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 12.1 Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2006: 13.1 Deaths per 1000 population from 2007 to 2014: 12.1
Deaths per 1000 population in Hand County
Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 1990 to 1999: 1.6 Infant deaths per 1000 live births from 2000 to 2006: 8.5
Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Hand County
Population without health insurance coverage in 2013: 12.1% Persons under 19 years old without health insurance coverage in 2013: 8.4%
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Hand County
Percentage of population without health insurance coverage in Hand County
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2007: 898 (852 aged, 46 disabled) Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2007: 76 (12%)
Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Aged persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Disabled persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare)
Most common underlying causes of death in Hand County, South Dakota in 1999 - 2014:
Bronchus or lung, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (36)
Acute myocardial infarction, unspecified (34)
Stroke, not specified as haemorrhage or infarction (30)
Congestive heart failure (21)
Colon, unspecified - Malignant neoplasms (17)
Unspecified diabetes mellitus, without complications (14)
Pneumonia, unspecified (12)
Population without health insurance coverage in 2000: 12% Children under 18 without health insurance coverage in 2000: 14%
Short term general hospitals per 100,000 population in 2004: 29.37 Short term general hospital admissions per 100,000 population in 2004: 10,954 Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 1,292 Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 26,197
General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,270 Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1,391
Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 24 Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 60
Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 60
Household type by relationship:
Households: 3,370
In family households: 2,803 (789 male householders, 183 female householders)
845 spouses, 889 children (847 natural, 15 adopted, 27 stepchildren), 16 grandchildren, 14 brothers or sisters, 11 parents, 8 other relatives, 41 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 567 (255 male householders (225 living alone)), 267 female householders (256 living alone)), 45 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 61 (53 institutionalized population)
Size of family households: 550 2-persons, 157 3-persons, 153 4-persons, 71 5-persons, 26 6-persons, 15 7-or-more-persons.
816 married couples with children.
89 single-parent households (37 men, 52 women).
94.2% of residents of Hand County speak English at home.
0.6% of residents speak Spanish at home (76% speak English very well, 19% speak English well, 5% speak English not well).
5.2% of residents speak other Indo-European language at home (40% speak English very well, 55% speak English well, 5% speak English not well).
0.1% of residents speak Asian or Pacific Island language at home (100% speak English well).
In fiscal year 2004:
Federal Government expenditure: $59,402,000 ($17,446 per capita) Department of Defense expenditure: $213,000 Federal direct payments to individuals for retirement and disability: $8,280,000 Federal other direct payments to individuals: $4,686,000 Federal direct payments not to individuals: $23,056,000 Federal grants: $22,296,000 Federal procurement contracts: $200,000 ($0,000 Department of Defense) Federal salaries and wages: $885,000 ($49,000 Department of Defense) Federal Government direct loans: $394,000 Federal guaranteed/insured loans: $728,000 Federal Government insurance: $43,819,000
Population change from April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005:
Births: 150
Here:
45 per 1000 residents
State:
72 per 1000 residents
Deaths: 249
Here:
75 per 1000 residents
State:
48 per 1000 residents
Net international migration: +5
Here:
+2 per 1000 residents
State:
+5 per 1000 residents
Net internal migration: -330
Here:
-100 per 1000 residents
State:
-1 per 1000 residents
Population growth in Hand County
Total withdrawal of fresh water for public supply: 0.01 millions of gallons per day (all from ground)
Median number of rooms in houses and condos:
Here:
6.1
State:
6.3
Median number of rooms in apartments:
Here:
4.9
State:
4.1
Year house built
2014 or later: 0
2010 to 2013: 72
2000 to 2009: 161
1990 to 1999: 120
1980 to 1989: 82
1970 to 1979: 280
1960 to 1969: 162
1950 to 1959: 176
1940 to 1949: 143
1939 or earlier: 652
Note: State values scaled to Hand population
Rooms in houses/apartments in Hand County, South Dakota
Note: State values scaled to Hand County population
no vehicle: 44
1 vehicle: 258
2 vehicles: 467
3 vehicles: 235
4 vehicles: 101
5+ vehicles: 38
no vehicle: 66
1 vehicle: 158
2 vehicles: 117
3 vehicles: 22
4 vehicles: 17
5+ vehicles: 20
73% of Hand County residents lived in the same house 5 years ago. Out of people who lived in different houses, 59% lived in this county. Out of people who lived in different counties, 74% lived in South Dakota.
Hand County:
73.3%
State average:
56.2%
Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:
This state: 3,175
Northeast: 16
Midwest: 361
South: 52
West: 81
Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses in 2000: $14,500
Housing units lacking complete plumbing facilities: 2%
Housing units lacking complete kitchen facilities: 4%
Year Householders Moved Into Unit
Most commonly used house heating fuel in Hand County
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48.0 years
36.0 years
(49.6%)
(50.4%)
, Anoka County, Minnesota 
, Deuel County 
, Goodhue County, Minnesota 
