Hughes County Demographics

A map of Hughes County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	14,162	14,085	80.2%	79.3%
Native American/Other	1,900	2,123	10.8%	12.0%
Multiracial	897	856	5.1%	4.8%
Hispanic	580	490	3.3%	2.8%
Asian	116	128	0.7%	0.7%
Black	9	83	0.1%	0.5%

Hughes County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 17,664, a less than 1% change from the 17,765 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 80.2% White, 10.8% Native American/Other, 5.1% Multiracial, 3.3% Hispanic, 0.7% Asian, and 0.1% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Hughes County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Hughes has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is less diverse than South Dakota overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Hughes County, that probability was 35.4% in 2020 and 34.2% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Hughes County is ranked the 12th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Hughes County was ranked the 12th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Hughes County's White Population

14,162 residents of Hughes County, or 80.2% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Hughes County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Hughes County ranks 48th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hughes County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Hughes County's population has increased from 79.3% to 80.2%.

Hughes County is more White than neighboring Lyman County (57.1% White). Hughes County is less White than neighboring Sully County (86.5% White), Hyde County (86.1% White), Potter County (93.3% White), and Stanley County (87.9% White).

Hughes County's Black Population

9 residents of Hughes County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Hughes County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Hughes County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hughes County's Black population has declined by an estimated 89.2%. Black residents' share of Hughes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Hughes County is more Black than neighboring Lyman County (0% Black), and Stanley County (0% Black). Hughes County is less Black than neighboring Sully County (4.5% Black), Hyde County (0.3% Black), and Potter County (1.5% Black).

Hughes County's Asian Population

116 residents of Hughes County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Hughes County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Hughes County ranks 13th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hughes County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 9.4%. Asian residents' share of Hughes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Hughes County is more Asian than neighboring Sully County (0% Asian), Lyman County (0% Asian), Hyde County (0% Asian), Potter County (0.6% Asian), and Stanley County (0% Asian).

Hughes County's Hispanic Population

580 residents of Hughes County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Hughes County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Hughes County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hughes County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 18.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Hughes County's population has increased from 2.8% to 3.3%.

Hughes County is more Hispanic than neighboring Sully County (0% Hispanic), Lyman County (1.2% Hispanic), Hyde County (1.6% Hispanic), Potter County (0% Hispanic), and Stanley County (2.2% Hispanic).

Hughes County's Native American/Other Population

1,900 residents of Hughes County, or 10.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Hughes County is slightly higher than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Hughes County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hughes County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 10.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Hughes County's population has decreased from 12.0% to 10.8%.

Hughes County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Sully County (4.3% Native American/Other), Hyde County (0.9% Native American/Other), Potter County (2.1% Native American/Other), and Stanley County (3.5% Native American/Other). Hughes County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Lyman County (39.7% Native American/Other).

Hughes County's Multiracial Population

897 residents of Hughes County, or 5.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Hughes County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Hughes County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Hughes County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 4.8%. Multiracial residents' share of Hughes County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.1%.

Hughes County is more Multiracial than neighboring Sully County (4.7% Multiracial), Lyman County (2% Multiracial), and Potter County (2.5% Multiracial). Hughes County is less Multiracial than neighboring Hyde County (11.2% Multiracial), and Stanley County (6.4% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.