Who is the Hughes County Coroner?

Matt Hardwick Local Adm is the Coroner of Hughes County, South Dakota.

Who is the Hughes County County Finance Officer?

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

Who is the Hughes County Register of Deeds?

Patty Williams is the Register of Deeds of Hughes County, South Dakota.

Who is the Hughes County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Hughes County State's Attorney?

Casey Deibert is the State's Attorney of Hughes County, South Dakota.

Who is the Hughes County County Treasurer?

Ranae Hoffman is the County Treasurer of Hughes County, South Dakota.

Who are the Hughes County commissioners?

Bill Abernathy (County Commissioner); Randy Brown (County Commissioner); Robert Fines (County Commissioner); Connie Hohn (County Commissioner); Tom Rounds (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Hughes County?

About 17,664 people, with a median age of 39.5; the median household income is $81,395 and 9.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Hughes County?

1.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 137 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,060, against 1.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Hughes County?

14 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 1 township, 1 school district and 8 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Hughes County: 11 seats on 7 elected bodies. 5 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

Board of County Commissioners

Hughes County Board of Commissioners

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Bill Abernathy source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Randy Brown source
County Commissioner	Robert Fines source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Connie Hohn source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Tom Rounds source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
Coroner	Matt Hardwick Local Adm source
County Finance Officer	Thomas Oliva source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Register of Deeds	Patty Williams source
Sheriff	Patrick Callahan source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Casey Deibert source
County Treasurer	Ranae Hoffman source

How many local governments Hughes County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 14 local governments in Hughes 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 (3 municipal, 1 township)	4	0
School districts (school boards)	1	0
Special districts (elected boards)	8	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 Hughes County

17,664people

39.5median ageU.S.: 38.9

$81,395 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

9.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%

39%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$242,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700

1%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.1%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

9.2%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

6.7%U.S.: 8.4%

35.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

21.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 3.3% · White 80.2% · Black 0.1% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 15.8% (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 Hughes County

1.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 1.6%. South Dakota: 1.7%.

137people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

8,923people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

9,060in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	1.5%	137	8,923	9,060
August 2026	1.7%	158	8,998	9,156
July 2026	1.7%	155	9,063	9,218
June 2026	1.7%	154	9,089	9,243
May 2026	1.6%	147	9,179	9,326
April 2026	1.4%	130	9,075	9,205
March 2026	1.7%	158	9,063	9,221
February 2026	2.4%	219	9,058	9,277
January 2026	2.2%	201	9,074	9,275
December 2025	2.0%	189	9,075	9,264
November 2025	1.9%	173	9,115	9,288
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	1.6%	153	9,241	9,394
August 2025	1.8%	168	9,294	9,462
July 2025	1.4%	133	9,422	9,555
June 2025	1.5%	142	9,320	9,462
May 2025	1.7%	158	9,222	9,380
April 2025	1.5%	142	9,239	9,381
March 2025	1.5%	145	9,229	9,374
February 2025	2.0%	183	9,191	9,374
January 2025	1.7%	157	9,216	9,373
December 2024	1.5%	135	9,097	9,232
November 2024	1.5%	137	9,091	9,228
October 2024	1.3%	119	9,145	9,264

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	1.7%	158	9,233	9,391
2024	1.5%	143	9,261	9,404
2023	1.5%	145	9,319	9,464
2022	1.7%	159	9,199	9,358
2021	2.2%	206	9,119	9,325
2020	3.3%	303	8,965	9,268
2019	2.4%	225	9,188	9,413
2018	2.5%	235	9,143	9,378
2017	2.7%	257	9,224	9,481
2016	2.6%	244	9,295	9,539

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 Hughes County

474.6 per 100,0002025. South Dakota: 307.5.

1,566.9 per 100,0002025. South Dakota: 1,312.3.

0murders2025, 83 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	83	474.6	274	1,566.9
2024	80	457.7	286	1,636.2
2023	76	431.1	347	1,968.5
2022	73	410.1	261	1,466.2
2021	49	284.0	294	1,704.2
2020	137	779.6	431	2,452.6
2019	69	392.2	392	2,228.0
2018	74	414.8	393	2,202.8
2017	56	318.2	528	2,999.8
2016	70	397.3	663	3,763.4

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Pierre Police Department	2025	77	242	13,719
Hughes County Sheriff's Office	2025	6	32	3,768

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

1.49 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 17,487 people.

26sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

59civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Hughes County Sheriff's Office	6	43	3,768
Pierre Police Department	20	16	13,719

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	26	1.49	59	2
2024	26	1.49	61	2
2023	28	1.59	51	2
2022	29	1.63	51	2
2021	32	1.85	53	2
2020	31	1.76	57	2
2019	30	1.71	69	2
2018	32	1.79	56	2
2017	32	1.82	59	2
2016	32	1.82	56	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 Hughes County Coroner?: Matt Hardwick Local Adm is the Coroner of Hughes County, South Dakota.
Who is the Hughes County County Finance Officer?: Thomas Oliva is the County Finance Officer of Hughes County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Hughes County Register of Deeds?: Patty Williams is the Register of Deeds of Hughes County, South Dakota.
Who is the Hughes County Sheriff?: Patrick Callahan is the Sheriff of Hughes County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Hughes County State's Attorney?: Casey Deibert is the State's Attorney of Hughes County, South Dakota.
Who is the Hughes County County Treasurer?: Ranae Hoffman is the County Treasurer of Hughes County, South Dakota.
Who are the Hughes County commissioners?: Bill Abernathy (County Commissioner); Randy Brown (County Commissioner); Robert Fines (County Commissioner); Connie Hohn (County Commissioner); Tom Rounds (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Hughes County?: About 17,664 people, with a median age of 39.5; the median household income is $81,395 and 9.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Hughes County?: 1.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 137 people unemployed in a labor force of 9,060, against 1.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Hughes County?: 14 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 1 township, 1 school district and 8 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.

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

See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Hughes County, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races

See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections