• county
  • FIPS 46059
  • Largest town: Miller

Hand County, South Dakota

Hand County had 3,097 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,436.6 square miles of land. It ranks 46th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 19th by land area.

Population
3,097
#46 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,954 in US
Area
1,436.6 sq mi
#19 of 66 in South Dakota · #417 in US
Density
2.2 / sq mi
#53 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,967 in US
Median household income
$69,681
#22 of 66 in South Dakota · #1,029 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Hand County within South Dakota. Pin: Pierre.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Hand County

Hand County population, land area and income

Hand County had 3,097 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,436.6 square miles of land. It ranks 46th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 19th by land area. That works out to 2.2 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Dakota has 5,296 residents; Hand County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $69,681 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

3,097

3144th1st

2954th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

1,437 sq mi

3144th1st

417th of 3,144 (US)

Density

2.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

2967th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$69,681

3143rd1st

1029th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Dakota (66)

Population

3,097

66th1st

46th of 66 (SD)

Land area

1,437 sq mi

66th1st

19th of 66 (SD)

Density

2.2 / sq mi

66th1st

53rd of 66 (SD)

Median household income

$69,681

66th1st

22nd of 66 (SD)

How Hand County's population changed since 2020

Hand County lost 50 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.6%. That ranks 51st of 66 in South Dakota for growth. The median South Dakota county changed by +0.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Hand County recorded 158 births and 218 deaths, a natural change of -60. Net international migration added +11 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -2. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 60 people.

3,14720203,08720213,12320223,11420233,0972024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
158
Deaths
218
Net international migration
+11
Net domestic migration
-2
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-17

Where Hand County is

The Census internal point of Hand County is at 44.546700, -99.004600. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades South Dakota's 66 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Hand County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Davison County: -0.2%Minnehaha County: +5.5%Bennett County: -3.0%Clark County: +3.2%Hamlin County: +7.1%Jerauld County: +2.8%Brule County: +0.2%Aurora County: +0.4%Turner County: +4.6%Beadle County: +1.5%Hand County: -1.6%Kingsbury County: +1.0%McCook County: +1.7%Miner County: -0.0%Lyman County: +0.5%Codington County: +3.3%Deuel County: +0.8%Sully County: +1.1%Oglala Lakota County: -2.1%Edmunds County: +0.8%Sanborn County: +2.7%Spink County: -3.7%Lake County: -0.1%Hyde County: -3.0%Potter County: -2.9%Perkins County: -0.6%Faulk County: +0.5%Day County: -0.5%Clay County: +1.6%Hanson County: +0.5%Fall River County: +5.5%Brookings County: +5.9%Yankton County: +1.0%Hutchinson County: -0.1%Butte County: +5.8%Custer County: +11.8%Lawrence County: +11.5%Hughes County: -1.2%Grant County: +1.0%Brown County: -1.9%Gregory County: +2.8%Campbell County: -2.8%Bon Homme County: +1.4%McPherson County: -4.0%Lincoln County: +14.6%Stanley County: +1.5%Walworth County: -0.5%Harding County: +1.3%Marshall County: +2.3%Union County: +3.2%Pennington County: +5.8%Buffalo County: -5.8%Moody County: +3.0%Tripp County: +2.0%Roberts County: +0.2%Charles Mix County: -0.3%Meade County: +3.4%Haakon County: -1.8%Jones County: -5.3%Douglas County: +0.5%Dewey County: +1.9%Corson County: -3.6%Mellette County: -4.6%Todd County: -1.6%Jackson County: -2.4%Ziebach County: +1.0%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.8%
  2. < +0.2%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +3.2%
  5. ≥ +3.2%
no data

Orange pin: Hand County internal point. Dark pin: Pierre.

Internal point

Decimal
44.546700, -99.004600
DMS
44°32'48.12"N 99°00'16.56"W
UTM
14N 499634.6E 4932596.5N
Geohash
9zct7j7p3
Plus code
86P2GXWW+M5

Towns in Hand County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Hand County, 1,307 people together, or 42% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Hand County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Miller with 1,307.

  1. 01Miller1,307
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Hand County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Hand County. The most populous is Beadle County, SD, with 19,459 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Pierre and the nearest big city

Pierre is 67.3 miles W of Hand County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Sioux Falls, SD (population 209,289), 132.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Huron, SD (population 14,515), 41.2 miles away.

Hand County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Hand County is 46059: state code 46 for South Dakota plus county code 059. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $69,681.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Hand County, South Dakota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 3,097. That is down 50 people (1.6%) from the July 2020 estimate of 3,147.

What is the FIPS code of Hand County?

46059. The first two digits (46) are South Dakota; the last three (059) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Hand County?

Miller, with 1,307 residents inside Hand County in 2024.

Which counties border Hand County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Beadle County, SD; Spink County, SD; Faulk County, SD; Buffalo County, SD; Jerauld County, SD; Hyde County, SD.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.