Official Federal Data
Hughes County, South Dakota
FIPS 46065 · Pierre, SD · Population 17,664
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$81,395 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
1.7% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$1.7B ▲
GDP
39% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Small population: 17,664 residents. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates, which carry a wide margin of error for places under 20,000 people. Read each value as an approximate range, and treat year-over-year changes as indicative rather than exact. A small shift can reflect survey sampling, not a real change on the ground.
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$81,395 ▲
Per Capita
$41,202 ▲
Mean Household
$99,105 ▲
Poverty Rate
9.2% ▼approx.
Median Income Comparison
Hughes County$81,395
South Dakota$75,081
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 24.4%
18-34 · 18.2%
35-54 · 25.5%
55-64 · 13.8%
65+ · 18%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
96.7%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +7.1 pts
39%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +3.3 pts
14%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.1 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
17,664
Population
9,014
Labor Force
Employed
8,918
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
1.7% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 12 min below national avg
14.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.7%
Key Takeaways
- Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 1,410 workers (24.7% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $69,123.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $1.7B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $105,493 while Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation averages $14,151, a 7.5x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Retail Trade Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
628
Cluster Employment
2.67x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
2.67x 252
Couriers and Messengers
2.25x 174
Gasoline Stations and Fuel Dealers
2.09x 151
Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional Orgs
2.09x 206
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1.89x 44
Animal Production and Aquaculture
1.88x 35
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
1.66x 293
Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers
1.60x 225
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
1.51x 228
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.49x
Food and Beverage Retailers
110 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers concentrates at 2.67x the national norm.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 4 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$242,000 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$990 ▲
Rent/Mo
72% ▲
Owner-Occ
9.3% ▲
Vacancy
3.0x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$713/mo
1 Bedroom
$832/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,034/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,308/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,601/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,035/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 3.0x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 72% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,035/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
10,164 ▼
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 12 min below national avg
14.6 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
4.7%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83.8%
of prime-age population
▼ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
39% ▲
HS Diploma+
96.7% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
7,826/yr
2,703/yr
2,132/yr
818/yr
797/yr
793/yr
583/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
24.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
48.2%
Service
14.2%
Sales & Office
19.5%
Construction / Maint.
8.7%
Production / Transport
9.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 8,918 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Succession risk is real: 24.1% of working-age residents are 55-64. Plan for retirements over the next decade and pair attraction strategy with talent retention.
- Short commutes: 14.6-minute mean commute is a quality-of-life and labor-access advantage worth surfacing for site selectors.
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 5,653 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Hughes County shows emerging potential for building material and garden supply retailers attraction, with a 2.67x concentration and 252 jobs in this sub-sector. Near-term succession risk is elevated, with 24.1% of the working-age population within 10 years of retirement age.
The interconnected base across building material and garden supply retailers, couriers and messengers, and gasoline stations and fuel dealers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
Illustrative example
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Hughes County, South Dakota, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Hughes County, South Dakota?
17,664 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Hughes County, South Dakota?
$81,395 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hughes County, South Dakota?
1.7% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Hughes County, South Dakota?
$1.7B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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