Perkins County, South Dakota

Perkins County, South Dakota
Location in the state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	1908
Named for	Henry E. Perkins
Seat	Bison
Largest city	Lemmon
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	2,891 sq mi (7,487 km²) 2,872 sq mi (7,437 km²) 19 sq mi (49 km²), 0.66%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	2,982 1.17/sq mi (0.45/km²)
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6

Perkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,982. Its county seat is Bison. It is, in area, the second largest county in South Dakota, its size being exceeded only by Meade County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,891 square miles (7,487 km²), of which 2,872 square miles (7,437 km²) is land and 19 square miles (49 km²) (0.66%) is water.

Shadehill Reservoir, a large impoundment on the Grand River, is located in Perkins County.

Townships

The county is divided into forty-nine townships: Ada, Anderson, Antelope, Barrett, Beck, Bison, Brushy, Burdick, Cash, Castle Butte, Chance, Chaudoin, Clark, De Witt, Duell, Englewood, Flat Creek, Foster, Fredlund, Glendo, Grand River, Hall, Highland, Horse Creek, Liberty, Lincoln, Lodgepole, Lone Tree, Maltby, Marshfield, Martin, Meadow, Moreau, Plateau, Rainbow, Rockford, Scotch Cap, Sidney, Strool, Trail, Vail, Vickers, Viking, Vrooman, Wells, White Butte, White Hill, Wilson, and Wyandotte; and eight areas of unorganized territory: Duck Creek, East Perkins, Independence, Pleasant Valley, South Perkins, Southwest Perkins, West Central Perkins, and West Perkins.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 12
• South Dakota Highway 20
• South Dakota Highway 73
• South Dakota Highway 75

Adjacent counties

• Adams County, North Dakota - north
• Corson County, South Dakota - east
• Ziebach County, South Dakota - southeast
• Meade County, South Dakota - south
• Butte County, South Dakota - southwest
• Harding County, South Dakota - west

National protected area

• Grand River National Grassland (part)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	11,348		—
1920	7,993		−29.6%
1930	8,717		9.1%
1940	6,585		−24.5%
1950	6,776		2.9%
1960	5,977		−11.8%
1970	4,769		−20.2%
1980	4,700		−1.4%
1990	3,932		−16.3%
2000	3,363		−14.5%
2010	2,982		−11.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,363 people, 1,429 households, and 937 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.2 people per square mile (0.5/km²). There were 1,854 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.25/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.64% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 1.64% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.51% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,429 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,750, and the median income for a family was $33,537. Males had a median income of $23,665 versus $16,856 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,734. About 12.40% of families and 16.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.60% of those under age 18 and 14.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

• Bison — town — 333
• Lemmon — city — 1,227

2010 United States Census population

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Perkins County, South Dakota