Who is the Meade County County Auditor?

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

Who is the Meade County Coroner?

Pat West is the Coroner of Meade County, South Dakota.

Who is the Meade County Register of Deeds?

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

Who is the Meade County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Meade County State's Attorney?

Michele Bordewyk is the State's Attorney of Meade County, South Dakota.

Who is the Meade County County Treasurer?

Robin Shrake is the County Treasurer of Meade County, South Dakota.

Who are the Meade County commissioners?

Doreen Allison Creed (County Commissioner); Gary Deering (County Commissioner); Richard Liggett (County Commissioner); Earl Severn (County Commissioner); Talbot Wieczorek (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Meade County?

About 30,546 people, with a median age of 37.3; the median household income is $74,790 and 7.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Meade County?

1.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 282 people unemployed in a labor force of 16,279, against 1.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Meade County?

49 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 8 township, 2 school district and 34 special district governments.

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

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

Board of County Commissioners

Meade County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
County Commissioner	Doreen Allison Creed source
County Commissioner	Gary Deering source
County Commissioner	Richard Liggett source
County Commissioner	Earl Severn source
County Commissioner	Talbot Wieczorek source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Auditor	Rhea Crane source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Coroner	Pat West source
Register of Deeds	Lana Anderson source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Pat West source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Michele Bordewyk source
County Treasurer	Robin Shrake source

How many local governments Meade County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 49 local governments in Meade 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 (4 municipal, 8 township)	12	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	34	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 Meade County

30,546people

37.3median ageU.S.: 38.9

$74,790 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

7.1%below the U.S.: 12.5%

27.8%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$310,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

1.7%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

12.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

9.4%U.S.: 8.4%

38.1%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

29.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.9% · White 85% · Black 1.7% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 7.7% (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 Meade County

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

282people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

15,997people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

16,279in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	1.7%	282	15,997	16,279
August 2026	2.1%	341	16,191	16,532
July 2026	1.9%	320	16,173	16,493
June 2026	2.0%	331	16,281	16,612
May 2026	1.9%	305	16,170	16,475
April 2026	1.7%	278	15,932	16,210
March 2026	2.2%	358	15,791	16,149
February 2026	2.6%	414	15,758	16,172
January 2026	2.3%	376	15,682	16,058
December 2025	2.1%	335	15,944	16,279
November 2025	2.0%	324	16,050	16,374
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	1.9%	312	16,284	16,596
August 2025	2.1%	357	16,518	16,875
July 2025	1.8%	310	16,555	16,865
June 2025	2.0%	338	16,541	16,879
May 2025	2.0%	328	16,147	16,475
April 2025	2.0%	329	15,800	16,129
March 2025	2.0%	318	15,586	15,904
February 2025	2.3%	361	15,410	15,771
January 2025	2.0%	316	15,337	15,653
December 2024	1.8%	278	15,498	15,776
November 2024	1.7%	267	15,577	15,844
October 2024	1.5%	246	15,822	16,068

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.0%	330	16,016	16,346
2024	1.7%	271	15,690	15,961
2023	1.8%	286	15,540	15,826
2022	1.9%	293	15,414	15,707
2021	2.4%	370	15,183	15,553
2020	4.1%	632	14,654	15,286
2019	2.8%	434	14,911	15,345
2018	2.9%	435	14,764	15,199
2017	3.0%	446	14,584	15,030
2016	3.0%	437	14,137	14,574

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 Meade County

283.0 per 100,0002020. South Dakota: 501.4.

1,911.2 per 100,0002020. South Dakota: 1,956.7.

1murders2020, 101 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	101	283.0	682	1,911.2
2019	87	247.1	578	1,641.6
2018	87	248.2	528	1,506.4
2017	94	274.0	553	1,612.1
2016	63	187.3	420	1,248.6

By police agency (5)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Meade County Sheriff's Office	2025	27	78	15,602
Box Elder Police Department	2025	45	199	14,429
Sturgis Police Department	2025	23	153	6,993
Summerset Police Department	2025	2	23	3,022
Faith Police Department	2019	0	1	413

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

1.86 per 1,000 residents2025, 5 agencies serving 40,395 people.

75sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

37civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (5), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Meade County Sheriff's Office	19	32	15,602
Box Elder Police Department	31	1	14,429
Sturgis Police Department	17	4	6,993
Summerset Police Department	7	0	3,022
Faith Police Department	1	0	349

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	75	1.86	37	5
2024	72	1.78	36	5
2023	64	1.63	39	5
2022	64	1.65	35	5
2020	56	1.57	36	5
2019	53	1.51	38	5
2018	54	1.54	37	5
2017	49	1.43	26	5
2016	49	1.46	31	5

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 Meade County County Auditor?: Rhea Crane is the County Auditor of Meade County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Meade County Coroner?: Pat West is the Coroner of Meade County, South Dakota.
Who is the Meade County Register of Deeds?: Lana Anderson is the Register of Deeds of Meade County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Meade County Sheriff?: Pat West is the Sheriff of Meade County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Meade County State's Attorney?: Michele Bordewyk is the State's Attorney of Meade County, South Dakota.
Who is the Meade County County Treasurer?: Robin Shrake is the County Treasurer of Meade County, South Dakota.
Who are the Meade County commissioners?: Doreen Allison Creed (County Commissioner); Gary Deering (County Commissioner); Richard Liggett (County Commissioner); Earl Severn (County Commissioner); Talbot Wieczorek (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Meade County?: About 30,546 people, with a median age of 37.3; the median household income is $74,790 and 7.1% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Meade County?: 1.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 282 people unemployed in a labor force of 16,279, against 1.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Meade County?: 49 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 4 municipal, 8 township, 2 school district and 34 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.

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

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