Perkins County, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Perkins County
U.S. county
Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon, South Dakota
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	November 3, 1908 (established) 1909 (organized)
Named for	Henry E. Perkins
Seat	Bison
Largest city	Lemmon
Area
• Total	2,891 sq mi (7,490 km2)
• Land	2,870 sq mi (7,400 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (50 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,835
• Estimate  (2023)	2,834
• Density	0.9806/sq mi (0.37862/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Perkins County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,835. Its county seat is Bison. The county was established in 1908 and organized in 1909. It was named for Sturgis, South Dakota, official Henry E. Perkins.

Geography

Perkins County lies on the north edge of South Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state of North Dakota. The Grand River flows eastward through the upper part of the county, and the Moreau River flows eastward through the lower part of the county. Shadehill Reservoir is a large impoundment on the Grand River in the county.

Perkins County terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, carved by drainage creeks, sparsely dedicated to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east; its highest point is on its lower west boundary line, at 3,097 ft (944 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 2,890 square miles (7,500 km²), of which 2,870 square miles (7,400 km²) is land and 20 square miles (52 km²) (0.7%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in South Dakota. Meade County is the state's largest county by area.

Perkins County came to media attention in 2009 when Stephen Von Worley calculated that it was the site of the "McFarthest Spot" — the point in the continental United States that is most distant from a McDonald's restaurant: 107 mi (172 km) as the crow flies and 145 mi (233 km) by car. However, it was updated in 2010 and the spot was updated to the middle of the Nevada Desert.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,835 people, 1,257 households, and 784 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.0 inhabitant per square mile (0.39/km²). There were 1,710 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,982 people, 1,291 households, and 838 families in the county. The population density was 1.0 inhabitant per square mile (0.39/km²). There were 1,739 housing units at an average density of 0.6 units per square mile (0.23 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 47.4% were German, 26.2% were Norwegian, 10.8% were English, 8.7% were Irish, 8.4% were Swedish, and 5.8% were American.

Of the 1,291 households, 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 48.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,361 and the median income for a family was $55,313. Males had a median income of $30,255 versus $27,361 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,780. About 11.2% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Lemmon

Town

• Bison (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Prairie City

Unincorporated Communities

Ghost Towns

Townships

Unorganized territories

Education

School districts in the county include:

• Bison School District 52-1
• Faith School District 46-2
• Lemmon School District 52-4

See also

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