Who is the Brown County County Auditor?

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

Who is the Brown County Coroner?

Brian Koens is the Coroner of Brown County, South Dakota.

Who is the Brown County Register of Deeds?

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

Who is the Brown County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Brown County State's Attorney?

Karly Winter is the State's Attorney of Brown County, South Dakota.

Who is the Brown County County Treasurer?

Patty VanMeter is the County Treasurer of Brown County, South Dakota.

Who are the Brown County commissioners?

Drew Dennert (County Commissioner); Kyler Dinger (County Commissioner); Mike Gage (County Commissioner); Duane Sutton (County Commissioner); Mike Wiese (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Brown County?

About 37,877 people, with a median age of 37.8; the median household income is $70,898 and 11.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Brown County?

1.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 314 people unemployed in a labor force of 19,549, against 1.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Brown County?

69 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 10 municipal, 44 township, 4 school district and 10 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Brown County: 11 seats on 7 elected bodies. 6 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Brown County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Drew Dennert source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Kyler Dinger source
County Commissioner	Mike Gage source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Duane Sutton source
County Commissioner	Mike Wiese source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Auditor	Lynn Heupel source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Coroner	Brian Koens source
Register of Deeds	Mariann Malsom source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Dave Lunzman source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Karly Winter source
County Treasurer	Patty VanMeter source

How many local governments Brown County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 69 local governments in Brown 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 (10 municipal, 44 township)	54	0
School districts (school boards)	4	0
Special districts (elected boards)	10	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 Brown County

37,877people

37.8median ageU.S.: 38.9

$70,898 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

11.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%

33.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$221,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

4.3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

6.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

5.7%U.S.: 8.4%

45.8%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

21.7%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.7% · White 84.7% · Black 1.3% · Asian 2.9% · Other or more than one race 6.4% (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 Brown County

1.6%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 1.8%. South Dakota: 1.7%.

314people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

19,235people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

19,549in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	1.6%	314	19,235	19,549
August 2026	2.0%	396	19,100	19,496
July 2026	1.9%	370	19,341	19,711
June 2026	1.9%	375	19,475	19,850
May 2026	1.7%	350	19,794	20,144
April 2026	1.7%	338	19,711	20,049
March 2026	2.0%	398	19,634	20,032
February 2026	2.5%	500	19,447	19,947
January 2026	2.2%	437	19,341	19,778
December 2025	2.3%	456	19,723	20,179
November 2025	2.1%	420	19,867	20,287
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	1.8%	356	19,966	20,322
August 2025	2.1%	430	19,679	20,109
July 2025	1.8%	366	19,985	20,351
June 2025	1.9%	390	19,993	20,383
May 2025	2.0%	398	19,832	20,230
April 2025	2.1%	424	19,810	20,234
March 2025	2.1%	423	19,793	20,216
February 2025	2.4%	492	19,652	20,144
January 2025	2.3%	454	19,484	19,938
December 2024	2.0%	407	19,629	20,036
November 2024	1.8%	356	19,812	20,168
October 2024	1.5%	298	19,888	20,186

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.1%	419	19,799	20,218
2024	1.8%	358	19,862	20,220
2023	1.8%	358	19,927	20,285
2022	2.0%	415	19,953	20,368
2021	2.4%	508	20,334	20,842
2020	3.9%	809	20,133	20,942
2019	2.5%	527	20,608	21,135
2018	2.5%	534	20,711	21,245
2017	2.7%	574	20,778	21,352
2016	2.6%	567	20,975	21,542

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 Brown County

406.9 per 100,0002020. South Dakota: 501.4.

1,110.6 per 100,0002020. South Dakota: 1,956.7.

2murders2020, 159 violent crimes in all.

2020 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
2020	159	406.9	434	1,110.6
2019	174	441.9	669	1,699.2

By police agency (3)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Aberdeen Police Department	2025	118	366	27,791
Brown County Sheriff's Office	2025	15	20	8,220
Groton Police Department	2020	0	0	1,477

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

2.12 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 37,345 people.

79sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

73civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (3), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Brown County Sheriff's Office	21	66	8,220
Aberdeen Police Department	54	7	27,791
Groton Police Department	4	0	1,334

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	79	2.12	73	3
2024	78	2.09	82	3
2023	71	1.88	72	3
2022	75	1.96	75	3
2020	68	1.74	64	3
2019	72	1.83	51	3
2018	67	1.69	50	3
2017	64	1.63	58	3
2016	65	1.66	52	3

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 Brown County County Auditor?: Lynn Heupel is the County Auditor of Brown County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Brown County Coroner?: Brian Koens is the Coroner of Brown County, South Dakota.
Who is the Brown County Register of Deeds?: Mariann Malsom is the Register of Deeds of Brown County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Brown County Sheriff?: Dave Lunzman is the Sheriff of Brown County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Brown County State's Attorney?: Karly Winter is the State's Attorney of Brown County, South Dakota.
Who is the Brown County County Treasurer?: Patty VanMeter is the County Treasurer of Brown County, South Dakota.
Who are the Brown County commissioners?: Drew Dennert (County Commissioner); Kyler Dinger (County Commissioner); Mike Gage (County Commissioner); Duane Sutton (County Commissioner); Mike Wiese (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Brown County?: About 37,877 people, with a median age of 37.8; the median household income is $70,898 and 11.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Brown County?: 1.6% in September 2026 (preliminary): 314 people unemployed in a labor force of 19,549, against 1.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Brown County?: 69 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 10 municipal, 44 township, 4 school district and 10 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.

Brown County's 2026 ballot and results · Every South Dakota county · South Dakota's members of Congress

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