Who is the Pennington County County Auditor?

Cindy Mohler is the County Auditor of Pennington County, South Dakota.

Who is the Pennington County Coroner?

Brian Mueller ministration is the Coroner of Pennington County, South Dakota.

Who is the Pennington County Register of Deeds?

Audra Casteel is the Register of Deeds of Pennington County, South Dakota.

Who is the Pennington County Sheriff?

Brian Mueller is the Sheriff of Pennington County, South Dakota.

Who is the Pennington County State's Attorney?

Lara Roetzel is the State's Attorney of Pennington County, South Dakota.

Who is the Pennington County County Treasurer?

Annette Brant is the County Treasurer of Pennington County, South Dakota.

Who are the Pennington County commissioners?

Jerr Derr (County Commissioner); Gary Drewes (County Commissioner); Deb Hadcock (County Commissioner); Ron Rossknecht (County Commissioner); Ronald Weifenbach (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Pennington County?

About 113,512 people, with a median age of 40.1; the median household income is $74,517 and 11.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Pennington County?

1.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,000 people unemployed in a labor force of 59,596, against 1.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Pennington County?

143 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal, 20 township, 5 school district and 109 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Pennington County: 11 seats on 7 elected bodies.

Board of County Commissioners

Pennington County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now
County Commissioner	Jerr Derr source
County Commissioner	Gary Drewes source
County Commissioner	Deb Hadcock source
County Commissioner	Ron Rossknecht source
County Commissioner	Ronald Weifenbach source

County officers

Office	Who holds it now
County Auditor	Cindy Mohler source
Coroner	Brian Mueller ministration source
Register of Deeds	Audra Casteel source
Sheriff	Brian Mueller source
State's Attorney	Lara Roetzel source
County Treasurer	Annette Brant source

How many local governments Pennington County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 143 local governments in Pennington 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 (8 municipal, 20 township)	28	0
School districts (school boards)	5	0
Special districts (elected boards)	109	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 Pennington County

113,512people

40.1median ageU.S.: 38.9

$74,517 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

11.2%below the U.S.: 12.5%

34.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$302,200median home valueU.S.: $332,700

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

2.5%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

12.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

10.2%U.S.: 8.4%

48.7%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

28.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.7% · White 77.8% · Black 1.1% · Asian 1.2% · Other or more than one race 14.2% (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 Pennington County

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

1,000people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

58,596people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

59,596in 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%	1,000	58,596	59,596
August 2026	2.1%	1,254	59,570	60,824
July 2026	1.9%	1,143	59,428	60,571
June 2026	1.9%	1,179	59,825	61,004
May 2026	1.8%	1,117	59,434	60,551
April 2026	1.7%	1,002	58,231	59,233
March 2026	2.0%	1,138	57,157	58,295
February 2026	2.5%	1,453	57,549	59,002
January 2026	2.3%	1,362	57,557	58,919
December 2025	2.2%	1,313	58,646	59,959
November 2025	2.2%	1,298	59,029	60,327
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	1.8%	1,126	59,910	61,036
August 2025	2.1%	1,326	60,800	62,126
July 2025	1.8%	1,087	60,996	62,083
June 2025	2.0%	1,215	60,916	62,131
May 2025	2.0%	1,196	59,433	60,629
April 2025	1.9%	1,141	57,732	58,873
March 2025	1.9%	1,079	56,354	57,433
February 2025	2.3%	1,300	56,281	57,581
January 2025	2.0%	1,148	56,306	57,454
December 2024	1.9%	1,092	57,417	58,509
November 2024	1.9%	1,093	57,688	58,781
October 2024	1.7%	1,006	58,054	59,060

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	2.0%	1,203	58,764	59,967
2024	1.8%	1,053	57,571	58,624
2023	1.8%	1,025	57,036	58,061
2022	1.9%	1,104	56,379	57,483
2021	2.7%	1,505	55,229	56,734
2020	4.8%	2,658	52,773	55,431
2019	2.8%	1,562	53,571	55,133
2018	2.8%	1,524	52,708	54,232
2017	3.1%	1,674	52,308	53,982
2016	3.1%	1,653	51,569	53,222

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 Pennington County

696.5 per 100,0002025. South Dakota: 307.5.

2,908.6 per 100,0002025. South Dakota: 1,312.3.

8murders2025, 756 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	756	696.5	3,157	2,908.6
2024	725	671.1	3,311	3,064.7
2023	716	659.6	3,478	3,204.1
2022	647	605.7	3,115	2,916.0
2021	684	625.5	2,951	2,698.8
2020	845	781.0	3,578	3,306.8
2019	662	627.3	2,807	2,659.8
2018	626	593.2	2,603	2,466.8
2017	595	573.0	3,259	3,138.5
2016	665	641.9	3,354	3,237.5

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Rapid City Police Department	2025	623	2,952	81,185
Pennington County Sheriff's Office	2025	133	205	27,355

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

3.45 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 108,540 people.

374sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

267civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Pennington County Sheriff's Office	217	229	27,355
Rapid City Police Department	157	38	81,185

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	374	3.45	267	2
2024	367	3.40	268	2
2023	263	2.42	310	2
2022	225	2.11	310	2
2021	233	2.13	368	2
2020	233	2.15	369	2
2019	235	2.23	354	2
2018	226	2.14	345	2
2017	223	2.15	314	2
2016	208	2.01	319	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 Pennington County County Auditor?: Cindy Mohler is the County Auditor of Pennington County, South Dakota.
Who is the Pennington County Coroner?: Brian Mueller ministration is the Coroner of Pennington County, South Dakota.
Who is the Pennington County Register of Deeds?: Audra Casteel is the Register of Deeds of Pennington County, South Dakota.
Who is the Pennington County Sheriff?: Brian Mueller is the Sheriff of Pennington County, South Dakota.
Who is the Pennington County State's Attorney?: Lara Roetzel is the State's Attorney of Pennington County, South Dakota.
Who is the Pennington County County Treasurer?: Annette Brant is the County Treasurer of Pennington County, South Dakota.
Who are the Pennington County commissioners?: Jerr Derr (County Commissioner); Gary Drewes (County Commissioner); Deb Hadcock (County Commissioner); Ron Rossknecht (County Commissioner); Ronald Weifenbach (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Pennington County?: About 113,512 people, with a median age of 40.1; the median household income is $74,517 and 11.2% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Pennington County?: 1.7% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,000 people unemployed in a labor force of 59,596, against 1.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Pennington County?: 143 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal, 20 township, 5 school district and 109 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.

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

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