Demographics of Hughes County, South Dakota

Hughes County, South Dakota had 17,570 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −164 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Hughes County, in four figures

17,570
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −0.9%
Change since July 2020: −164 people.; 39.5 ±0.8
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $81,395 ±$5,889
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Hughes County, South Dakota's population shrank 0.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Hughes County, South Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Hughes County, South Dakota's population shrank 0.9% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Hughes County, South Dakota's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	17,734	100.0	100.0
2021	17,761	100.2	100.2
2022	17,664	99.6	100.7
2023	17,633	99.4	101.6
2024	17,557	99.0	102.5
2025	17,570	99.1	103.1

3 more columns on a wider screen

Population of Hughes County, South Dakota on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	17,734	−35	+12	0	−44
2021	17,761	+27	+10	0	+7
2022	17,664	−97	+10	−2	−102
2023	17,633	−31	+56	0	−87
2024	17,557	−76	+43	+4	−124
2025	17,570	+13	+41	−9	−21

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 39.5 ±0.8: for men 37.9 ±1.5 and for women 41.0 ±1.4. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Hughes County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Under 5	892 ±108	5.0% ±0.6	6.3% ±0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	3,420 ±287	19.4% ±1.6	17.9% ±0.2	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,044 ±277	5.9% ±1.6	9.3% ±0.4	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	4,586 ±320	26.0% ±1.8	25.2% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	4,534 ±361	25.7% ±2.0	23.3% ±0.2	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	3,188 ±331	18.0% ±1.9	18.0% ±0.3	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $81,395 ±$5,889, and income per person $41,202 ±$2,658, in 2024 dollars. The median is $75,081 ±$888 in South Dakota and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

2 more columns on a wider screen

Households in Hughes County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	South Dakota	United States
Under $25,000	799 ±217	11.0% ±3.0	14.0% ±0.4	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,455 ±303	20.1% ±4.1	18.5% ±0.5	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,019 ±224	14.0% ±3.1	17.4% ±0.4	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	1,250 ±231	17.2% ±3.1	14.6% ±0.4	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	1,388 ±258	19.1% ±3.5	18.9% ±0.5	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	706 ±202	9.7% ±2.8	8.5% ±0.3	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	636 ±151	8.8% ±2.1	8.1% ±0.4	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

2 more columns on a wider screen

Poverty rate in Hughes County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	South Dakota	United States
All ages	1,539 ±360	9.2% ±2.1	11.9% ±0.4	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	344 ±148	8.1% ±3.4	14.3% ±0.6	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	862 ±244	10.4% ±2.9	11.8% ±0.5	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	333 ±126	7.9% ±2.9	9.7% ±0.4	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

1 more column on a wider screen

Housing in Hughes County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Hughes County	South Dakota	United States
Housing units	7,997 ±41	408,584 ±422	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	90.7% ±2.6	89.5% ±0.4	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	9.3% ±2.7	10.5% ±0.4	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	72.0% ±2.8	68.6% ±0.5	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	28.0% ±3.2	31.4% ±0.5	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$242,000 ±$15,163	$257,400 ±$3,051	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$990 ±$89	$946 ±$11	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1978 ±2	1980 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Hughes County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Hispanic or Latino	580 ±0	3.3% ±<0.1	4.8% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	14,162 ±87	80.2% ±0.5	79.8% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	0 to 20	0% to 0.1%	2.1% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	50 to 182	0.3% to 1.0%	1.4% ±0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	1,900 ±265	10.8% ±1.5	7.1% ±0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 16	0% to 0.1%	< 0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0 to 16	0% to 0.1%	0.3% ±0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	897 ±279	5.1% ±1.6	4.4% ±0.2	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

2 more columns on a wider screen

People in Hughes County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	South Dakota	United States
Born in the state	12,026 ±538	68.1% ±3.0	62.4% ±0.4	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	5,322 ±543	30.1% ±3.1	32.9% ±0.4	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	39 to 199	0.2% to 1.1%	0.7% ±0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	70 to 324	0.4% to 1.8%	4.0% ±0.2	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	49 to 253	0.3% to 1.4%	1.7% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	0 to 101	0% to 0.6%	2.3% ±0.2	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Hughes County among the counties of South Dakota

12th of 66 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the South Dakota page.

Counties of South Dakota near Hughes County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Codington County	29,562	+4.3%
Lawrence County	29,459	+14.0%
Yankton County	23,635	+1.5%
Davison County	20,069	+0.5%
Beadle County	19,624	+2.4%
Hughes County	17,570	−0.9%
Union County	17,402	+3.2%
Clay County	15,031	+0.2%
Oglala Lakota County	13,338	−2.3%
Lake County	10,993	−0.2%
Butte County	10,856	+5.5%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026