Hand County, South Dakota (SD)

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County population in July 2007: 3,273 (all rural)
County owner-occupied houses and condos: 1,143
Renter-occupied apartments: 400

% of renters here:	26%
State:	32%

Land area: 1437 sq. mi.
Water area: 3.6 sq. mi.

Population density: 3 people per square mile

(very low).

Residents with income below the poverty level in 1999:

This county:	9.2%
Whole state:	13.2%

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 1999:

This county:	4.0%
Whole state:	5.8%

2008 cost of living index in Hand County: 77.7 (low, U.S. average is 100)

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Industries providing employment: Agriculture,forestry,fishing and hunting, and mining (29.1%), Educational,health and social services (19.8%).

Type of workers:

Private wage or salary: 60%
Government: 14%
Self-employed, not incorporated: 24%
Unpaid family work: 2%

Hand County, South Dakota business data: stores, dealers, real estate agents, wholesalers, restaurants...

Races in Hand County, South Dakota:

White Non-Hispanic (99.1%)

Median resident age:	43.6 years
South Dakota median age:	35.6 years

Males: 1,834	(49.0%)
Females: 1,907	(51.0%)

Average wage per job in 2003: $21,333
County population in 2003: 3,522
Jobs in 2003: 1,356

Recent posts about Hand County, South Dakota on our local forum with over 400,000 registered users. Hand County is mentioned 11 times on our forum:

	New member interested in Miller, SD (52 replies)
	Least Favorite SD Town (40 replies)
	Want to rent in Miner County (4 replies)

Total labor force in 2004: 1,927
Unemployment rate in 2004: 3.0%

Average household size:

Hand County:	2.4 people
South Dakota:	2.5 people

Estimated median household income in 2005: $36,991 ($32,377 in 2000)

This county	$36,991
South Dakota:	$40,310

Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $62,553

Hand County	$62,553
South Dakota:	$101,700

Median monthly rent in 2000: $306
Institutionalized population: 70
Median monthly costs for houses with a mortgage in Hand County in 2000: $589

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

Hand County races chart

2004 Presidential Election results in Hand County South Dakota:

Bush/Cheney (Republican): 67.8%
Kerry/Edwards (Democratic): 30.5%

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: $773 (1.7%)

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.

Cities in this county include: Miller, St. Lawrence, Ree Heights.

Neighboring counties: Beadle County , Buffalo County , Faulk County , Hyde County , Jerauld County , Spink County .

Click to draw/clear county borders

Notable locations in this county outside city limits:

Notable locations in Hand County: Camp Da-Ko-Ta (A), Central Speedway (B), Rockdale Township Hall (C), Grand Township Hall (D), Logan Township Hall (E), Cedar Township Hall (F), Hiland Township Hall (G). Display/hide their locations on the map

Churches in Hand County include: Carlton Community Church (A), Rose Hill Church (B), Beulah Church (C), Cedar Church (D), Pleasant Valley Church (E), Wheaton Church (F), Ebenezer Church (G), Sunbeam Church (H), Saint Michael Church (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Cemeteries: Wessington Cemetery (1), Alden Cemetery (2), Morningside Cemetery (3), New Zion Cemetery (4), Orient-Prairieview Cemetery (5), Howell Cemetery (6), Burdette Cemetery (7). Display/hide their locations on the map

Lakes, reservoirs, and swamps: Spring Lake (A), Wall Lake (B), Costigan Slough (C), Dienslake Lake (D), Matter Lake (E), Rose Hill Lake (F), Lake Louise (G), Jones Lake (H). Display/hide their locations on the map

Creeks: Shaefer Creek (A), Sand Creek (B), East Pearl Creek (C), Lost Creek (D), Little Turtle Creek (E), Ree Creek (F), Little Wolf Creek (G), Bryant Creek (H), West Pearl Creek (I). Display/hide their locations on the map

Parks in Hand County include: Wall Lake State Public Shooting Area (1), Curtis State Public Shooting Area (2), Lake Louise Recreational Area And Wildlife Refuge (3), Hawkins State Public Shooting Area (4), Rose Hill Recreation Area (5), Collins Slough State Public Shooting Area (6). Display/hide their locations on the map

Unemployment in September 2007:

Here:	2.8%
South Dakota:	2.7%

Unemployment by year (%)

County total employment by year

County average yearly wages by year ($)

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

Mean travel time to work: 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

Agriculture in Hand County
Average size of farms: 1809 acres
Average value of agricultural products sold per farm: $160294
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: $140024
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: $129414
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

Hand County historical area-adjusted tornado activity is near South Dakota state average. It is 1.0 times below overall U.S. average.
Tornadoes in this county have caused 10 injuries recorded between 1950 and 2004.
On 6/18/1964, a category 1 (max. wind speeds 73-112 mph) tornado injured 10 people and caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages.

Class of Workers

Most common industries for males:

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (46%)
Construction (9%)
Repair and maintenance (4%)
Health care (3%)
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers (3%)
Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (3%)
Finance and insurance (3%)

Most common industries for females:

Health care (18%)
Educational services (16%)
Accommodation and food services (10%)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (10%)
Public administration (6%)
Food and beverage stores (5%)
Finance and insurance (5%)

Most common occupations for males

Farmers and farm managers (31%)
Agricultural workers including supervisors (14%)
Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (6%)
Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (5%)
Other sales and related workers including supervisors (4%)
Sales representatives, services, wholesale and manufacturing (3%)
Material recording, scheduling, dispatching, and distributing workers (2%)

Most common occupations for females

Preschool, kindergarten, elementary and middle school teachers (9%)
Farmers and farm managers (7%)
Cooks and food preparation workers (6%)
Secretaries and administrative assistants (6%)
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (5%)
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides (4%)
Personal appearance workers (3%)

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%)

Hand County mode of transportation to work chart

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%)

67 people in nursing homes
3 people in wards in general hospitals for patients who have no usual home elsewhere

Average gross adjusted income of non-migrant taxpayers in this county in 2005 was $42,494.

5.16% of this county's 2006 resident taxpayers lived in other counties in 2005 ($29,868 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	5.16%
South Dakota average:	8.40%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved from foreign countries.
3.11% relocated from other counties in South Dakota ($17,632 average AGI)
2.05% relocated from other states ($12,235 average AGI)
Hand County: 2.05%
South Dakota average: 3.82%

Percentage of residents relocating from other counties or countries

6.50% of this county's 2005 resident taxpayers moved to other counties in 2006 ($33,966 average adjusted gross income)

Here:	6.50%
South Dakota average:	8.34%

10 or fewer of this county's residents moved to foreign countries.
4.48% relocated to other counties in South Dakota ($28,080 average AGI)
2.02% relocated to other states ($5,885 average AGI)
Hand County: 2.02%
South Dakota average: 3.78%

Percentage of residents relocating to other counties or countries

Top counties to which taxpayers relocated from this county between 2005 and 2006:

to Brookings County, SD

0.75% ($18,600 average AGI)

Births per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 11.3
Births per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 8.0

Births per 1000 population in Hand County

Deaths per 1000 population from 1990 to 1999: 12.1
Deaths per 1000 population from 2000 to 2003: 13.1

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 2003: 0.0

Infant deaths per 1000 live births in Hand County

Persons enrolled in hospital insurance and/or supplemental medical insurance (Medicare) in July 1, 2003: 780 (740 aged, 40 disabled)
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: 10954.48
Short term general hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2004: 1292.220
Emergency room visits per 100,000 population in 2004: 26196.77

General practice office based MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1270.030
Medical specialist MDs per 100,000 population in 2005: 1390.990

Total births per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006 : 24.13
Total deaths per 100,000 population, July 2005 - July 2006: 60.48

Limited-service eating places per 100,000 population in 2005 : 60.48

Household type by relationship

Households: 3,670

In family households: 3,146 (891 male householders, 147 female householders)
923 spouses, 1,111 children (1,044 natural, 26 adopted, 41 stepchildren), 4 grandchildren, 29 brothers or sisters, 15 parents, 8 other relatives, 18 non-relatives
In nonfamily households: 524 (169 male householders (146 living alone)), 323 female householders (313 living alone)), 32 nonrelatives
In group quarters: 71 (all institutionalized)

Size of family households: 522 2-persons, 197 3-persons, 156 4-persons, 132 5-persons, 28 6-persons, 3 7-or-more-persons.

Size of nonfamily households: 459 1-person, 33 2-persons.

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 ($17446 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:

1999 to March 2000: 5
1995 to 1998: 74
1990 to 1994: 47
1980 to 1989: 130
1970 to 1979: 270
1960 to 1969: 194
1950 to 1959: 197
1940 to 1949: 144
1939 or earlier: 779

Rooms in owner-occupied houses in Hand County, South Dakota:
	1 room: 0 2 rooms: 2 3 rooms: 32 4 rooms: 132 5 rooms: 274 6 rooms: 213 7 rooms: 175 8 rooms: 126 9+ rooms: 189

Rooms in renter-occupied apartments in Hand County, South Dakota:
	1 room: 8 2 rooms: 35 3 rooms: 54 4 rooms: 74 5 rooms: 71 6 rooms: 62 7 rooms: 46 8 rooms: 16 9+ rooms: 34

Bedrooms in owner-occupied houses and condos in Hand County:
	no bedroom: 0 1 bedroom: 22 2 bedrooms: 276 3 bedrooms: 524 4 bedrooms: 250 5+ bedrooms: 71

Bedrooms in renter-occupied apartments in Hand County:
	no bedroom: 8 1 bedroom: 93 2 bedrooms: 109 3 bedrooms: 120 4 bedrooms: 54 5+ bedrooms: 16

Cars and other vehicles available in Hand County in owner-occupied houses/condos:
	no vehicle: 44 1 vehicle: 258 2 vehicles: 467 3 vehicles: 235 4 vehicles: 101 5+ vehicles: 38

Cars and other vehicles available in Hand County in renter-occupied apartments
	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: 3175
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 houses and condos:
	Bottled, tank, or LP gas (43%) Electricity (32%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (21%) No fuel used (1%) Coal or coke (1%) Wood (1%) Utility gas (1%)

Most commonly used house heating fuel in apartments:
	Electricity (53%) Bottled, tank, or LP gas (32%) Fuel oil, kerosene, etc. (13%) Utility gas (2%) Other fuel (1%)

Private vs. public school enrollment:
Students in private schools in grades 1 to 8 (elementary and middle school): 0

Here:	0.0%
South Dakota:	8.0%

Students in private schools in grades 9 to 12 (high school): 2

Here:	0.8%
South Dakota:	5.6%

Students in private undergraduate colleges: 3

Here:	13.6%
South Dakota:	17.8%

Educational Attainment

School Enrollment by Level of School

Age and Sex of Sensory-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Physically-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Mentally-Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Self-Care Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Go-Outside-Home Disabled Residents (Noninstitutionalized)

Age and Sex of Residents with Employment Disability (Noninst.)

Hand County government finances in 2004:

Charges - All Other: $244,000
Current Operations - Regular Highways: $1,267,000
Police Protection: $180,000

Financial Administration: $148,000

Central Staff Services: $127,000

Natural Resources - Other: $124,000

General Public Buildings: $109,000

General - Other: $104,000

Judicial and Legal Services: $83,000

Libraries: $55,000

Health Services - Other: $36,000

Corrections - Other: $33,000

Welfare - Other: $32,000

Solid Waste Management: $23,000

Fire Protection: $5,000
Federal Intergovernmental - All Other: $4,000
Miscellaneous - Interest Earnings: $49,000
General Revenue, NEC: $30,000

Property Sale Other: $13,000

Rents: $3,000
Other Funds - Cash & Deposits: $1,864,000
State Intergovernmental - General Support: $25,000
Highways: $5,000
Tax - Property: $1,507,000
Motor Vehicle License: $413,000

NEC: $8,000
Total Salaries & Wages: $843,000

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Total Number Of Recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of aged recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of blind and disabled recipients

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients under 18

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients between 18 and 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients older than 64

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Number of recipients also receiving OASDI

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - Amount of payments (thousands of dollars)

Hand County Fatal accident statistics for 1975 - 2006:

Fatal accident count (per 100,000 population)

Vehicles involved in fatal accidents (per 100,000 population)

Fatal accidents caused by drunken drivers (per 100,000 population)