Hand County, South Dakota

County in South Dakota, United States

This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: Demographics with 2020 Census. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2022)

|

County in South Dakota

Hand County

County

Hand County and its towns and villages in 1892

Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota

South Dakota's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 44°33′N 99°00′W﻿ / ﻿44.55°N 99.00°W﻿ / 44.55; -99.00
Country|  United States
State|  South Dakota
Founded| 1873 (created)
1882 (redrawn)
1882 (organized)
Named for| George A. Hand
Seat| Miller
Largest city| Miller
Area

• Total| 1,440 sq mi (3,700 km2)
• Land| 1,437 sq mi (3,720 km2)
• Water| 3.6 sq mi (9 km2)  0.2%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 3,145
• Estimate

(2022)

| 3,140
• Density| 2.2/sq mi (0.84/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| At-large
Website| hand.sdcounties.org

Hand County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,145.[1] Its county seat is Miller.[2]

## History[edit]

Hand County was named for George A. Hand, territorial secretary.[3] It was created in 1873 by the Dakota territorial legislature. The boundaries were finalized in 1882, the year it was organized.[4]

## Geography[edit]

The terrain of Hand County consists of rolling hills, dotted with infrequent ponds and small lakes. Most of the area is devoted to agriculture.[5] The terrain slopes to the east and northeast; its highest point is on the lower part of the county's west boundary line, at 2,080 ft (630 m) ASL.[6] The county contains a total area of 1,440 square miles (3,700 km2), of which 1,437 square miles (3,720 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (0.2%) is water.[7]

### Major highways[edit]

* U.S. Highway 14
* U.S. Highway 212
* South Dakota Highway 26
* South Dakota Highway 45

### Adjacent counties[edit]

* Faulk County \- north
* Spink County \- northeast
* Beadle County \- east
* Jerauld County \- southeast
* Buffalo County \- southwest
* Hyde County \- west

### Protected areas[edit]

* Collins State Game Production Area
* Dakota State Game Production Area
* East Pearl State Game Production Area
* Hawkins State Game Production Area
* Lake Jones State Game Production Area
* Lake Louise State Game Production Area
* Lake Louise State Recreation Area
* Lechtenberg State Game Production Area
* Reinhardt State Game Production Area
* Rosehill State Game Production Area
* Spring Lake State Game Production Area
* West Pearl State Game Production Area[5]

### Lakes[edit]

* Costigan Slough Lake
* Jones Lake
* Lake Louise
* Matter Lake
* Spring Lake
* Wall Lake[5]

## Demographics[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1880| 153| | —
1890| 6,346| | 4,047.7%
1900| 4,525| | −28.7%
1910| 7,870| | 73.9%
1920| 8,778| | 11.5%
1930| 9,485| | 8.1%
1940| 7,166| | −24.4%
1950| 7,149| | −0.2%
1960| 6,712| | −6.1%
1970| 5,883| | −12.4%
1980| 4,948| | −15.9%
1990| 4,272| | −13.7%
2000| 3,741| | −12.4%
2010| 3,431| | −8.3%
2020| 3,145| | −8.3%
2022 (est.)| 3,140| [8]| −0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1]

### 2020 census[edit]

As of the census of 2020, there were 3,145 people.

### 2010 census[edit]

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,431 people, 1,494 households, and 972 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.93/km2). There were 1,815 housing units at an average density of 1.3 units per square mile (0.50 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.4% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 57.3% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 9.0% were Norwegian, 8.1% were English, 6.1% were Dutch, and 3.4% were American.

Of the 1,494 households, 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.9% were non-families, and 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 48.2 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $45,895 and the median income for a family was $52,407. Males had a median income of $40,725 versus $24,844 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,238. About 11.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 16.5% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities[edit]

### Cities[edit]

* Miller (county seat)
* Wessington (partial)

### Towns[edit]

* Ree Heights
* St. Lawrence

### Census-designated place[edit]

* Millerdale Colony

### Unincorporated communities[edit]

Source:[5]

* Polo
* Vayland

### Townships[edit]

* Alden
* Alpha
* Bates
* Burdette
* Campbell
* Carlton
* Cedar
* Como
* Florence
* Gilbert
* Glendale
* Grand
* Greenleaf
* Hiland
* Holden
* Hulbert
* Linn
* Logan
* Midland
* Miller
* Mondamin
* Ohio
* Ontario
* Park
* Pearl
* Plato
* Pleasant Valley
* Ree Heights
* Riverside
* Rockdale
* Rose Hill
* St. Lawrence
* Spring Hill
* Spring Lake
* Wheaton
* York

### Unorganized territory[edit]

The county contains one area of unorganized territory: Northwest Hand.

## Politics[edit]

Hand County voters have voted Republican for many decades. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate. As shown in the table below, Hand County has voted the same way as South Dakota for more than a century, last voting for a candidate who lost South Dakota in 1916, when Hand County voted Democratic but South Dakota went Republican.

United States presidential election results for Hand County, South Dakota[13] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 1,433  | 78.05% | 373  | 20.32%  | 30  | 1.63%
2016 | 1,391  | 76.51% | 334  | 18.37%  | 93  | 5.12%
2012 | 1,242  | 67.21% | 575  | 31.11%  | 31  | 1.68%
2008 | 1,247  | 62.01% | 718  | 35.70%  | 46  | 2.29%
2004 | 1,482  | 67.76% | 668  | 30.54%  | 37  | 1.69%
2000 | 1,419  | 69.87% | 565  | 27.82%  | 47  | 2.31%
1996 | 1,187  | 52.34% | 803  | 35.41%  | 278  | 12.26%
1992 | 1,130  | 44.38% | 785  | 30.83%  | 631  | 24.78%
1988 | 1,461  | 56.67% | 1,101  | 42.71%  | 16  | 0.62%
1984 | 2,030  | 70.34% | 846  | 29.31%  | 10  | 0.35%
1980 | 2,066  | 67.38% | 803  | 26.19%  | 197  | 6.43%
1976 | 1,510  | 50.43% | 1,477  | 49.33%  | 7  | 0.23%
1972 | 1,806  | 57.90% | 1,307  | 41.90%  | 6  | 0.19%
1968 | 1,650  | 54.78% | 1,136  | 37.72%  | 226  | 7.50%
1964 | 1,466  | 48.40%  | 1,563  | 51.60% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 1,872  | 57.27% | 1,397  | 42.73%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 1,804  | 55.39% | 1,453  | 44.61%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 2,262  | 70.71% | 937  | 29.29%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 1,402  | 50.47% | 1,367  | 49.21%  | 9  | 0.32%
1944 | 1,558  | 57.62% | 1,146  | 42.38%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 2,002  | 55.46% | 1,608  | 44.54%  | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 1,289  | 39.82%  | 1,721  | 53.17% | 227  | 7.01%
1932 | 1,394  | 33.96%  | 2,658  | 64.75% | 53  | 1.29%
1928 | 2,430  | 63.26% | 1,397  | 36.37%  | 14  | 0.36%
1924 | 1,727  | 54.00% | 690  | 21.58%  | 781  | 24.42%
1920 | 1,511  | 61.08% | 655  | 26.48%  | 308  | 12.45%
1916 | 801  | 44.95%  | 905  | 50.79% | 76  | 4.26%
1912 | 0  | 0.00%  | 826  | 48.73% | 869  | 51.27%
1908 | 851  | 51.58% | 655  | 39.70%  | 144  | 8.73%
1904 | 943  | 67.50% | 170  | 12.17%  | 284  | 20.33%
1900 | 592  | 49.05%  | 594  | 49.21% | 21  | 1.74%
1896 | 451  | 43.96%  | 567  | 55.26% | 8  | 0.78%
1892 | 526  | 44.46%  | 70  | 5.92%  | 587  | 49.62%

## See also[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Hand County, South Dakota
* Titan Wind Project

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 148.
4. ^ "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
5. ^ a b c d Hand County SD Google Maps (accessed February 3, 2019)
6. ^ ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 3, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Retrieved April 2, 2023.
9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
11. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
13. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 15, 2018.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hand County, South Dakota.

* Official website

Places adjacent to Hand County, South Dakota

|  | Faulk County | Spink County

|
|

|  |
Hyde County |

Hand County, South Dakota

| Beadle County
|  |
Buffalo County |
| Jerauld County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Hand County, South Dakota, United States

County seat: Miller

Cities|

* Miller
* Wessington‡

Towns|

* Ree Heights
* St. Lawrence

Townships|

* Alden
* Alpha
* Bates
* Burdette
* Campbell
* Carlton
* Cedar
* Como
* Florence
* Gilbert
* Glendale
* Grand
* Greenleaf
* Hiland
* Holden
* Hulbert
* Linn
* Logan
* Midland
* Miller
* Mondamin
* Ohio
* Ontario
* Park
* Pearl
* Plato
* Pleasant Valley
* Ree Heights
* Riverside
* Rockdale
* Rose Hill
* St. Lawrence
* Spring Hill
* Spring Lake
* Wheaton
* York

CDP|

* Millerdale Colony

Other
community|

* Vayland

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* South Dakota portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of South Dakota

Pierre (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Cities
* Climate change
* Famous South Dakotans
* Geography
* Government
* Delegations
* Elections
* History
* Bibliography
* Timeline
* State Parks
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions
* Towns and villages
* Townships
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Cannabis
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Colleges and universities
* Gun laws
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Badlands
* Black Hills
* Coteau des Prairies
* Missouri Coteau
* Dissected Till Plains
* Drift Prairie
* East River
* Pine Ridge
* Siouxland
* West River

Larger incorporated places
pop. over 5,000|

* Aberdeen
* Belle Fourche
* Box Elder
* Brandon
* Brookings
* Harrisburg
* Huron
* Madison
* Mitchell
* Pierre
* Rapid City
* Sioux Falls
* Spearfish
* Sturgis
* Tea
* Vermillion
* Watertown
* Yankton

Smaller incorporated places
pop. 1,000 - 5,000|

* Aurora
* Baltic
* Beresford
* Britton
* Canton
* Chamberlain
* Clark
* Clear Lake
* Crooks
* Custer
* De Smet
* Deadwood
* Dell Rapids
* Eagle Butte
* Elk Point
* Flandreau
* Fort Pierre
* Freeman
* Garretson
* Gettysburg
* Gregory
* Groton
* Hartford
* Hot Springs
* Lead
* Lemmon
* Lennox
* Milbank
* Miller
* Mission
* Mobridge
* North Sioux City
* Parker
* Parkston
* Piedmont
* Platte
* Redfield
* Salem
* Sisseton
* Springfield
* Summerset
* Tyndall
* Volga
* Wagner
* Webster
* Winner

Largest CDPs
pop. over 1,000|

* Blackhawk
* Colonial Pine Hills
* Dakota Dunes
* Fort Thompson
* Green Valley
* North Eagle Butte
* North Spearfish
* Oglala
* Pine Ridge
* Rapid Valley
* Rosebud

Counties|

* Aurora
* Beadle
* Bennett
* Bon Homme
* Brookings
* Brown
* Brule
* Buffalo
* Butte
* Campbell
* Charles Mix
* Clark
* Clay
* Codington
* Corson
* Custer
* Davison
* Day
* Deuel
* Dewey
* Douglas
* Edmunds
* Fall River
* Faulk
* Grant
* Gregory
* Haakon
* Hamlin
* Hand
* Hanson
* Harding
* Hughes
* Hutchinson
* Hyde
* Jackson
* Jerauld
* Jones
* Kingsbury
* Lake
* Lawrence
* Lincoln
* Lyman
* Marshall
* McCook
* McPherson
* Meade
* Mellette
* Miner
* Minnehaha
* Moody
* Oglala Lakota
* Pennington
* Perkins
* Potter
* Roberts
* Sanborn
* Spink
* Stanley
* Sully
* Todd
* Tripp
* Turner
* Union
* Walworth
* Yankton
* Ziebach

South Dakota portal

Authority control databases

International|

* FAST
* VIAF

National|

* Israel
* United States

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template