HomeSouth DakotaHand County
Hand County, South Dakota: commercial real estate data.
Hand County, South Dakota had an estimated 3,097 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.6 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,148, across 1,437 square miles. County output reached $282.4 m in 2024, 135 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Hand County
How many people live in Hand County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,140
- Households1,405
- Average household size2.23
- Median household income$74,635
- Median age42.5
- Median gross rent$587 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$159,300
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income9.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher28.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over2,142
- Population under 18794
- Share under 1825.3 percent
- Population 65 and over759
- Share 65 and over24.2 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 641,587
- Civilian labor force1,676
- Unemployment rate0.8 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over71.4 percent
- Rank by population among South Dakota counties46th of 66
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included3029th of 3,222
Hand County is the 46th largest of 66 South Dakota counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 25.3 percent against 24.2 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Hand County
Is Hand County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 20243,097
- Census 2020 base population3,148
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.62 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024-17
- Births, 202433
- Deaths, 202442
- Natural change, 2024-9
- Net domestic migration, 2024-11
- Net international migration, 20243
- Total net migration, 2024-8
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20248
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2397th of 3,144
The county has lost 1.62 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. The population fell in 2024 from both sources: deaths exceeded births and more people left than moved in.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Hand County
Where are people moving to Hand County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving51
- People arriving, from those returns97
- Tax returns filed by households leaving55
- Net household movement-4
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.5 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-1.0 m
- Average income of an arriving household$49,647
- Average income of a leaving household$64,709
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|
Households arriving report $15,062 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Hand County
What is the Hand County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$282.4 m
- County GDP, 2023$297.4 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-5.1 percent
- GDP change over five years49.5 percent
- Rank by GDP among the South Dakota areas BEA publishes39th of 66
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2737th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$89,925
Output grew -5.1 percent in the latest year and 49.5 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Hand County
Employment by industry in Hand County
- Covered employment, annual average1,449
- Establishments reporting171
- Average annual pay$43,934
- Average weekly wage$845
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, employment174
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, average annual pay$51,670
- Retail trade, employment152
- Retail trade, average annual pay$26,550
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment109
- Professional, scientific and technical services, average annual pay$58,554
- Manufacturing, employment37
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$86,878
- Construction, employment32
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 174 | 31 | $51,670 |
| Retail trade | 152 | 21 | $26,550 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 109 | 13 | $58,554 |
| Manufacturing | 37 | 3 | $86,878 |
| Construction | 32 | 14 | $53,045 |
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 174 jobs, 12.0 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Hand County
How many businesses are in Hand County?
- Establishments, all industries135
- Employment at those establishments1,053
- Annual payroll$54.4 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents43.0
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Hand County
Building permits in Hand County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20245
- Declared construction value permitted$1.0 m
- Single family units authorized5
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$206,000
- Units authorized per 1,000 households3.6
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Hand County
SBA loans in Hand County (7(a) and 504)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$195,000
- Average 504 approval$97,500
- Median 504 approval$97,500
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval10.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved107.7
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Hand County
How large is Hand County?
- Land area1,437 sq mi
- Rank by land area among South Dakota counties19th of 66
- Width, east to west30.1 mi
- Height, north to south48.5 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land2
- Establishments per square mile0.09
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Hand County
Flood risk in Hand County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Hand County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 460269
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book3
- Of those, participating in the NFIP3
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Hand County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Hand County (community 460269), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Hand County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Hand County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Hand County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-20243,140
- Households1,405
- Average household size2.23
- Median household income$74,635
- Median age42.5
Common questions
Hand County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Hand County, South Dakota?
The Census Bureau estimates 3,097 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 3,140, in 1,405 households, ranking 46th of 66 South Dakota counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Hand County's population growing?
The population has fallen 1.62 percent since the 2020 census base of 3,148, to 3,097 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 33 births against 42 deaths, with net migration of -8. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Hand County?
$74,635. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $159,300, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $587 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Hand County?
135 establishments, employing 1,053 people with an annual payroll of $54.4 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Hand County?
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting is the largest private sector at 174 jobs, 12.0 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 1,449 jobs at an average annual pay of $43,934, or $845 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Hand County?
5 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $1.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Hand County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Are traffic counts available for Hand County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Hand County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Hand County
Cities and places in Hand.
5 Census places lie wholly or partly in Hand County. All 5 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller | city | 1,363 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Wessington | city | 192 | None recorded | 9.0 percent here, 91.0 percent Beadle County |
| St. Lawrence | town | 172 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Millerdale Colony | CDP | 90 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Ree Heights | town | 38 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |