Who is the Bennett County County Auditor?

Mary Goss is the County Auditor of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Bennett County Coroner?

Lindell Adair is the Coroner of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Bennett County Register of Deeds?

Jaci Clifford is the Register of Deeds of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Bennett County Sheriff?

Jason Erwin is the Sheriff of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Bennett County State's Attorney?

Sarah Harris is the State's Attorney of Bennett County, South Dakota.

Who is the Bennett County County Treasurer?

Jolene Donovan is the County Treasurer of Bennett County, South Dakota.

Who are the Bennett County commissioners?

David Bakley (County Commissioner); Cole Blu Donovan (County Commissioner); Robert Fogg, Jr. (County Commissioner); Susan Williams (County Commissioner); Jay Yohner (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Bennett County?

About 3,345 people, with a median age of 27.4; the median household income is $53,750 and 29.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Bennett County?

2.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 26 people unemployed in a labor force of 1,286, against 2.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Bennett County?

4 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 1 special district governments.

Bennett County, SD elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Bennett County: 11 seats on 7 elected bodies. 7 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Bennett County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	David Bakley source
County Commissioner	Cole Blu Donovan source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Robert Fogg, Jr. source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Susan Williams source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Jay Yohner source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Auditor	Mary Goss source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Coroner	Lindell Adair source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Jaci Clifford source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Jason Erwin source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Sarah Harris source
County Treasurer	Jolene Donovan source

How many local governments Bennett County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 4 local governments in Bennett County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of government	Census count (2022)	Listed on this page
County government	1	1
Cities, towns, villages and townships	1	0
School districts (school boards)	1	0
Special districts (elected boards)	1	0

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Bennett County

3,345people

27.4median ageU.S.: 38.9

$53,750 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

29.9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

18.3%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$156,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700

10%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

7.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

27.7%U.S.: 8.4%

28.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

37.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.1% · White 34.3% · Black 0.2% · Asian 1.5% · Other or more than one race 59% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Bennett County

2.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 2.2%. South Dakota: 1.7%.

26people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

1,260people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

1,286in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	2.0%	26	1,260	1,286
August 2026	2.8%	37	1,278	1,315
July 2026	2.7%	35	1,270	1,305
June 2026	2.8%	36	1,263	1,299
May 2026	2.6%	34	1,260	1,294
April 2026	2.3%	30	1,272	1,302
March 2026	2.9%	39	1,300	1,339
February 2026	3.5%	46	1,262	1,308
January 2026	3.0%	39	1,255	1,294
December 2025	3.2%	42	1,266	1,308
November 2025	3.1%	41	1,269	1,310
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	2.2%	29	1,267	1,296
August 2025	2.3%	31	1,304	1,335
July 2025	2.0%	26	1,272	1,298
June 2025	2.7%	35	1,285	1,320
May 2025	2.8%	36	1,265	1,301
April 2025	2.8%	36	1,271	1,307
March 2025	2.4%	32	1,302	1,334
February 2025	2.8%	36	1,260	1,296
January 2025	2.5%	32	1,259	1,291
December 2024	2.9%	37	1,244	1,281
November 2024	3.0%	38	1,239	1,277
October 2024	2.4%	31	1,287	1,318

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.6%	34	1,275	1,309
2024	2.9%	38	1,264	1,302
2023	2.3%	30	1,262	1,292
2022	2.6%	33	1,240	1,273
2021	3.0%	38	1,224	1,262
2020	3.7%	49	1,259	1,308
2019	3.7%	48	1,263	1,311
2018	3.4%	44	1,265	1,309
2017	3.3%	45	1,313	1,358
2016	3.3%	45	1,331	1,376

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. South Dakota's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 2.0% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Bennett County

318.9 per 100,0002022. South Dakota: 379.0.

1,333.7 per 100,0002022. South Dakota: 1,737.6.

0murders2022, 11 violent crimes in all.

2022 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2022	11	318.9	46	1,333.7
2021	15	444.8	35	1,038.0
2020	16	476.9	67	1,997.0
2019	27	783.7	86	2,496.4
2018	16	460.8	86	2,477.0
2017	32	928.9	98	2,844.7
2016	20	586.3	70	2,052.2

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Bennett County Sheriff's Office	2022	2	4	2,492
Martin Police Department	2023	13	35	936

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in South Dakota · the U.S.

Police staffing

1.51 per 1,000 residents2023, 2 agencies serving 3,303 people.

5sworn officers2023, full-time, as of October 31.

5civilian staff2023, full-time.

2023 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.

Agencies counted (2), 2023

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Bennett County Sheriff's Office	3	2	2,367
Martin Police Department	2	3	936

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2023	5	1.51	5	2
2022	7	2.03	2	2
2021	6	1.78	3	2
2020	6	1.79	3	2
2019	7	2.03	1	2
2018	6	1.73	1	2
2017	5	1.45	1	2

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

Who is the Bennett County County Auditor?: Mary Goss is the County Auditor of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bennett County Coroner?: Lindell Adair is the Coroner of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bennett County Register of Deeds?: Jaci Clifford is the Register of Deeds of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bennett County Sheriff?: Jason Erwin is the Sheriff of Bennett County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Bennett County State's Attorney?: Sarah Harris is the State's Attorney of Bennett County, South Dakota.
Who is the Bennett County County Treasurer?: Jolene Donovan is the County Treasurer of Bennett County, South Dakota.
Who are the Bennett County commissioners?: David Bakley (County Commissioner); Cole Blu Donovan (County Commissioner); Robert Fogg, Jr. (County Commissioner); Susan Williams (County Commissioner); Jay Yohner (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Bennett County?: About 3,345 people, with a median age of 27.4; the median household income is $53,750 and 29.9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Bennett County?: 2.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 26 people unemployed in a labor force of 1,286, against 2.2% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Bennett County?: 4 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 1 municipal, 1 school district and 1 special district governments.

Officeholders as of December 2, 2025, from the Secretary of State's South Dakota Legislative Manual (Blue Book); each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

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