Hand County Population Trends

Hand County Population Trends
1920	1940	1960	1980	1990	2000	2010	2020
8,778	7,166	6,712	4,948	4,272	3,741	3,463	3,519

Where People Live in 2000 (by percent)
	South Dakota	Hand	Faulk	Hyde
Urban	51.92	0	0	0
Rural-Farm	7.72	20.82	20.82	22.08
Rural-Non farm	40.36	79.18	79.18	77.92

Hand County Population Highlights

From 1990 to 2000, Hand County lost 531 residents which was a 12.4% decrease in its total population.

From 1990 to 2000, Hand County lost 499 residents to out-migration, which was an 11.7% decrease in its total population.

From the population pyramid we can tell that Hand County is losing many of its residents aged 20-34.

24.57% of Hand County’s residents are under the age of 18, while 24.16% are aged 65+.

Hand County’s median age is 43.6. This is older than both Faulk and Hyde counties.

Hand County’s sex ratio is 96.7, meaning there are about 97 males for every 100 females. This is lower than both Faulk and Hyde counties.

Hand County’s fertility rate is 53.1 births for every 1,000 females aged 15-44. This is lower than both Faulk and Hyde counties.

Race/Ethnicity in Hand County

Hand County Agriculture in 2002

Hand County’s average farm size was 1,809 acres. This is smaller than both Faulk and Hyde counties.

Hand County’s average net farm income was $38,915. This is lower than Faulk, but higher than Hyde.

Hand County Economics in 2000

Hand County’s per capita income is $18,735. This is higher than both Faulk and Hyde counties.

Hand County’s median household income is $32,377. This is higher than both Faulk and Hyde counties.

15.6% of Hand County’s residents aged 25+ had received a B.S. degree or higher. This is higher than Faulk, but lower than Hyde.

9.24% of Hand County’s residents are living at or below the official poverty line. This compares with 13.18% for the state of South Dakota, 18.06% for Faulk County, and 12.29% for Hyde County.

13.64% of Hand County’s children under the age of 5 are living at or below the official poverty line. This compares with 19.77% for the state of South Dakota, 39.33% for Faulk County, and 10.07% for Hyde County.

5.0% of workers in Hand County commute into work from another county. This is lower than both Faulk and Hyde counties.

Hand County Employment by Industry

Top Industries (in terms of numbers)	Percentage	Number
Agriculture	29.14	540
Educational, health, and social services	19.75	366
Retail	8.53	158
Construction	5.56	103
Public Administration	3.67	68
Manufacturing	3.08	57
Total		1,853

Income Distribution

Data compiled by:

W. Trevor Brooks

Rural Life and Census Data Center

South Dakota State University

Sources:

South Dakota Data Center (Vermillion, SD)

South Dakota Labor Market

U.S. Census of Agriculture (2002)

U.S. Census Bureau (2000)