Who is the Custer County Coroner?

James Sanders Local Adm is the Coroner of Custer County, South Dakota.

Who is the Custer County County Finance Officer?

Dawn McLaughlin is the County Finance Officer of Custer County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Custer County Register of Deeds?

Teri L. Morgan is the Register of Deeds of Custer County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.

Who is the Custer County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Custer County State's Attorney?

Tracy Kelley is the State's Attorney of Custer County, South Dakota.

Who are the Custer County commissioners?

Michael Busskohl (County Commissioner); Mark Hartman (County Commissioner); Craig Hindle (County Commissioner); Mike Linde (County Commissioner); Jim Lintz (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Custer County?

About 8,892 people, with a median age of 57.6; the median household income is $84,112 and 9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Custer County?

1.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 80 people unemployed in a labor force of 4,557, against 1.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Custer County?

44 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 2 school district and 36 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Custer County: 10 seats on 6 elected bodies. 4 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Custer County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Michael Busskohl source
County Commissioner	Mark Hartman source
County Commissioner	Craig Hindle source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Mike Linde source
County Commissioner	Jim Lintz source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Coroner	James Sanders Local Adm source
County Finance Officer	Dawn McLaughlin source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Teri L. Morgan source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Marty Mechaley source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Tracy Kelley source

How many local governments Custer County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 44 local governments in Custer 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	5	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	36	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 Custer County

8,892people

57.6median ageU.S.: 38.9

$84,112 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

9%below the U.S.: 12.5%

31.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$372,100median home valueU.S.: $332,700

2.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

2.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

13%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

10.8%U.S.: 8.4%

20.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

41.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.1% · White 87.7% · Black 0.3% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 8.4% (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 Custer County

1.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 1.9%. South Dakota: 1.7%.

80people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

4,477people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

4,557in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	1.8%	80	4,477	4,557
August 2026	2.2%	100	4,549	4,649
July 2026	2.0%	92	4,535	4,627
June 2026	2.1%	98	4,528	4,626
May 2026	1.9%	87	4,513	4,600
April 2026	1.8%	80	4,451	4,531
March 2026	2.4%	109	4,438	4,547
February 2026	2.9%	132	4,400	4,532
January 2026	3.0%	137	4,399	4,536
December 2025	2.8%	131	4,489	4,620
November 2025	2.5%	117	4,524	4,641
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	1.9%	90	4,571	4,661
August 2025	2.1%	100	4,671	4,771
July 2025	1.8%	84	4,631	4,715
June 2025	2.1%	100	4,614	4,714
May 2025	2.1%	98	4,488	4,586
April 2025	2.2%	98	4,416	4,514
March 2025	2.6%	119	4,399	4,518
February 2025	3.0%	136	4,351	4,487
January 2025	2.8%	124	4,362	4,486
December 2024	2.7%	120	4,371	4,491
November 2024	2.4%	107	4,416	4,523
October 2024	2.2%	102	4,488	4,590

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.4%	109	4,501	4,610
2024	2.2%	100	4,430	4,530
2023	2.2%	96	4,289	4,385
2022	2.5%	109	4,252	4,361
2021	3.1%	131	4,064	4,195
2020	5.1%	207	3,820	4,027
2019	3.5%	142	3,882	4,024
2018	3.5%	142	3,875	4,017
2017	3.7%	151	3,888	4,039
2016	3.8%	154	3,859	4,013

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 Custer County

100.2 per 100,0002025. South Dakota: 307.5.

330.6 per 100,0002025. South Dakota: 1,312.3.

0murders2025, 10 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	10	100.2	33	330.6
2024	7	72.1	39	401.7
2023	15	154.3	60	617.2
2020	11	121.5	131	1,447.5
2018	11	125.1	74	841.3
2016	4	47.3	42	496.3

By police agency (1)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Custer County Sheriff's Office	2025	10	33	9,603

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

1.67 per 1,000 residents2025, 1 agency serving 9,603 people.

16sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

2civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (1), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Custer County Sheriff's Office	16	2	9,603

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	16	1.67	2	1
2024	13	1.39	8	1
2023	12	1.28	1	1
2022	12	1.34	1	2
2021	11	1.22	1	2
2020	12	1.33	1	2
2019	12	1.38	1	2
2018	11	1.25	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 Custer County Coroner?: James Sanders Local Adm is the Coroner of Custer County, South Dakota.
Who is the Custer County County Finance Officer?: Dawn McLaughlin is the County Finance Officer of Custer County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Custer County Register of Deeds?: Teri L. Morgan is the Register of Deeds of Custer County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Custer County Sheriff?: Marty Mechaley is the Sheriff of Custer County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Custer County State's Attorney?: Tracy Kelley is the State's Attorney of Custer County, South Dakota.
Who are the Custer County commissioners?: Michael Busskohl (County Commissioner); Mark Hartman (County Commissioner); Craig Hindle (County Commissioner); Mike Linde (County Commissioner); Jim Lintz (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Custer County?: About 8,892 people, with a median age of 57.6; the median household income is $84,112 and 9% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Custer County?: 1.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 80 people unemployed in a labor force of 4,557, against 1.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Custer County?: 44 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 2 school district and 36 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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