Who is the Tripp County County Auditor?

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

Who is the Tripp County Coroner?

Rick Wagner is the Coroner of Tripp County, South Dakota.

Who is the Tripp County Register of Deeds?

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

Who is the Tripp County Sheriff?

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

Who is the Tripp County State's Attorney?

Zachary Pahlke is the State's Attorney of Tripp County, South Dakota.

Who is the Tripp County County Treasurer?

Candace Biggins is the County Treasurer of Tripp County, South Dakota.

Who are the Tripp County commissioners?

Dan Forgey (County Commissioner); Cody Jorgensen (County Commissioner); Joyce Kartak (County Commissioner); Mike Novotny (County Commissioner); Larry Wilcox (County Commissioner).

What is the population of Tripp County?

About 5,611 people, with a median age of 45; the median household income is $58,987 and 18.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Tripp County?

1.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 43 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,910, against 1.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).

How many local governments are there in Tripp County?

54 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 43 township, 2 school district and 5 special district governments.

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

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Tripp 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

Tripp County Board of Commissioners

Each member is elected by the voters of their district.

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Commissioner	Dan Forgey source
County Commissioner	Cody Jorgensen source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Joyce Kartak source
County Commissioner	Mike Novotny source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
County Commissioner	Larry Wilcox source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet

County officers

Office	Who holds it now	Next term
County Auditor	Barbara DeSersa source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Coroner	Rick Wagner source
Register of Deeds	Kristin Assman source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
Sheriff	Shawn Pettit source	On the Nov 3, 2026 ballot: count not certified yet
State's Attorney	Zachary Pahlke source
County Treasurer	Candace Biggins source

How many local governments Tripp County has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 54 local governments in Tripp 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, 43 township)	46	0
School districts (school boards)	2	0
Special districts (elected boards)	5	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 Tripp County

5,611people

45median ageU.S.: 38.9

$58,987 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

18.4%below the U.S.: 12.5%

17.7%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$132,900median home valueU.S.: $332,700

1.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

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

4.6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

14.1%U.S.: 8.4%

57.3%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

27.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 1.9% · White 79.9% · Black 0.8% · Asian 0.4% · Other or more than one race 16.9% (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 Tripp County

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

43people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

2,867people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

2,910in 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%	43	2,867	2,910
August 2026	1.9%	57	2,899	2,956
July 2026	1.7%	50	2,926	2,976
June 2026	1.7%	51	2,914	2,965
May 2026	1.6%	46	2,878	2,924
April 2026	1.4%	42	2,892	2,934
March 2026	1.6%	47	2,959	3,006
February 2026	2.3%	66	2,846	2,912
January 2026	1.9%	56	2,877	2,933
December 2025	2.0%	60	2,961	3,021
November 2025	1.8%	55	2,978	3,033
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	1.6%	49	2,953	3,002
August 2025	1.8%	55	3,025	3,080
July 2025	1.5%	47	2,994	3,041
June 2025	1.5%	44	2,949	2,993
May 2025	1.7%	48	2,858	2,906
April 2025	1.4%	41	2,934	2,975
March 2025	1.0%	32	3,033	3,065
February 2025	1.5%	44	2,948	2,992
January 2025	1.3%	38	2,953	2,991
December 2024	1.4%	40	2,913	2,953
November 2024	1.4%	42	2,939	2,981
October 2024	1.0%	31	2,998	3,029

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	1.6%	47	2,962	3,009
2024	1.4%	42	2,947	2,989
2023	1.5%	44	2,869	2,913
2022	1.7%	48	2,854	2,902
2021	2.1%	59	2,817	2,876
2020	2.9%	83	2,788	2,871
2019	2.5%	74	2,849	2,923
2018	2.4%	72	2,876	2,948
2017	2.7%	78	2,787	2,865
2016	2.4%	70	2,815	2,885

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 Tripp County

156.5 per 100,0002025. South Dakota: 307.5.

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

0murders2025, 9 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	9	156.5	20	347.9
2024	11	196.8	29	518.8
2021	10	188.1	53	996.8
2020	8	147.7	76	1,403.0
2018	13	238.1	43	787.4
2017	9	165.4	34	625.0
2016	9	167.2	36	668.9

By police agency (2)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Winner Police Department	2025	5	17	2,978
Tripp County Sheriff's Office	2025	4	3	2,771

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

1.91 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 5,749 people.

11sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

1civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (2), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Winner Police Department	8	0	2,978
Tripp County Sheriff's Office	3	1	2,771

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	11	1.91	1	2
2024	12	2.15	1	2
2023	13	2.35	3	2
2022	12	2.15	1	2
2021	14	2.63	1	2
2020	15	2.77	1	2
2019	12	2.22	1	2
2018	13	2.38	3	2
2017	12	2.21	1	2
2016	13	2.42	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 Tripp County County Auditor?: Barbara DeSersa is the County Auditor of Tripp County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Tripp County Coroner?: Rick Wagner is the Coroner of Tripp County, South Dakota.
Who is the Tripp County Register of Deeds?: Kristin Assman is the Register of Deeds of Tripp County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Tripp County Sheriff?: Shawn Pettit is the Sheriff of Tripp County, South Dakota. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Tripp County State's Attorney?: Zachary Pahlke is the State's Attorney of Tripp County, South Dakota.
Who is the Tripp County County Treasurer?: Candace Biggins is the County Treasurer of Tripp County, South Dakota.
Who are the Tripp County commissioners?: Dan Forgey (County Commissioner); Cody Jorgensen (County Commissioner); Joyce Kartak (County Commissioner); Mike Novotny (County Commissioner); Larry Wilcox (County Commissioner).
What is the population of Tripp County?: About 5,611 people, with a median age of 45; the median household income is $58,987 and 18.4% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Tripp County?: 1.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 43 people unemployed in a labor force of 2,910, against 1.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Tripp County?: 54 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 3 municipal, 43 township, 2 school district and 5 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.

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

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