1. Start with your Spearfish service area, not a population-based promise
The U.S. Census Bureau records Spearfish as a municipality in Lawrence County, South Dakota, with a 2020–2024 ACS five-year population estimate of 12,930 and a margin of error of 28. That is geographic context, not evidence of call demand, legal need, competition, lead volume or revenue. Your answering design should therefore follow the clients and matters your firm actually chooses to serve in Spearfish and elsewhere in Lawrence County. Review whether your callers ask about office hours, consultations, practice areas, directions or next steps. Then decide which questions the system can answer from your approved firm profile and which should be routed to a person.
Recommended approach
Use your real service-area policy and existing intake records to define the answering scope. Do not use the Spearfish population estimate to forecast calls or justify a performance claim.
