McPherson County, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McPherson County
U.S. county
McPherson County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1873 (created) 1884 (organized)
Named for	James B. McPherson
Seat	Leola
Largest city	Eureka
Area
• Total	1,152 sq mi (2,980 km2)
• Land	1,137 sq mi (2,940 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (40 km2)  1.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,411
• Estimate  (2023)	2,334
• Density	2.0929/sq mi (0.8081/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

McPherson County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,411. Its county seat is Leola.

History

The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1884. It is named for American Civil War General James B. McPherson.

Geography

McPherson County lies on the north line of South Dakota. The north boundary line of McPherson County abuts the south boundary line of the state of North Dakota. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture, and dotted with small lakes and ponds. The terrain generally slopes to the south and east. The county has a total area of 1,152 square miles (2,980 km²), of which 1,137 square miles (2,940 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (1.3%) is water.

The Samuel H. Ordway Jr., Memorial Prairie, a 7,800-acre (3,200 ha) grassland owned by The Nature Conservancy on the south side of South Dakota Highway 10 about 10 miles (16 km) west of Leola, is home to a bison herd.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,411 people, 940 households, and 580 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.1 inhabitants per square mile (0.81/km²). There were 1,258 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,459 people, 1,025 households, and 632 families in the county. The population density was 2.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.85/km²). There were 1,418 housing units at an average density of 1.2 units per square mile (0.46 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.2% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 74.5% were German, 17.7% were Russian, 7.3% were Norwegian, 6.7% were English, and 2.5% were American.

Of the 1,025 households, 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.3% were non-families, and 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age was 50.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,923 and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $31,953 versus $27,941 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,255. About 12.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Eureka
• Leola (county seat)

Towns

• Hillsview
• Long Lake
• Wetonka

Census-designated places

• Grassland Colony
• Long Lake Colony
• Spring Creek Colony

Unincorporated communities

• Greenway
• Long Lake Colony
• Madra (partial)

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de McPherson (Dakota del Sur) para niños