Day County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,449. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Webster Webster may refer to: People *Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name Places Canada *Webster, Alberta *Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario United State ...

. The county is named for Merritt H. Day, pioneer and 1879

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

Geography

The terrain of Day County consists of rolling hills, partly devoted to agriculture. It is dotted with numerous lakes and ponds, especially its eastern portion. The terrain slopes to the west; its highest point is the northeast corner, at 2,014' (614m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.8%) is water.

Lakes

* Amsden * Antelope * Bitter * Blue Dog * Enemy Swim * Horseshoe * Lynn * Minnewaste * Pickerel Lake * Reetz * Rush * Sweetwater * Waubay

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 12 *

South Dakota Highway 25 South Dakota Highway 25 (SD 25) is a state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota. It connects Scotland, Howard, De Smet, and Webster. It consists of two disconnected segments. Its shorter southern segment exte ...

* South Dakota Highway 27

Adjacent counties

* Marshall County - north * Roberts County - east *

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States *Grant County, Arkansas *Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky *Grant County, Minnesota *Grant County, Nebraska *Grant C ...

- southeast *

Codington County Codington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 28,325. Its county seat is Watertown. The county was created in 1877 and organized in 1878. It is named for Rev. George S. S ...

- southeast * Clark County - south * Spink County - southwest * Brown County - west

Protected areas

* Buchner Slough State Public Shooting Area * Holmquist Slough State Public Shooting Area * Lily State Public Shooting Area * Myland Pass State Public Shooting Area * Nelson Slough State Public Shooting Area * Pickerel Lake State Recreation Area * Pierpont Lake Recreation Area *

Waubay National Wildlife Refuge Waubay National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in South Dakota. "Waubay" means "a place where numbers of birds make their nests" in the Dakota language. The Refuge encompasses of wetlands, native tallgrass prairie, and bur oak fo ...

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, there were 6,267 people, 2,586 households, and 1,688 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 6 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 3,618 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.26%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.13%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 7.40% Native American, 0.06%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.16% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.38% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 34.5% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 26.9%

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and 10.9%

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

ancestry. There were 2,586 households, out of which 27.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.70% were non-families. 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.98. The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 5.20% from 18 to 24, 22.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 23.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,227, and the median income for a family was $38,011. Males had a median income of $27,279 versus $18,179 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,856. About 11.40% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.40% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, there were 5,710 people, 2,504 households, and 1,561 families in the county. The population density was . There were 3,630 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% white, 9.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 43.8% were

, 25.1% were

, 12.8% were

, 8.8% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, and 6.1% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 2,504 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 47.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $36,818 and the median income for a family was $47,949. Males had a median income of $36,549 versus $25,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,542. About 10.7% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the

, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Waubay Waubay is a city in Day County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 473 at the 2020 census. Waubay had its start in the early 1880s when the railroad was extended to that point. The school district is Waubay Public 18-3. The local ...

(county seat)

Towns

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

* Grenville *

Pierpont Pierpont may refer to: Surname * Francis Harrison Pierpont (1814–1899), Governor of Virginia * Harry Pierpont (1902–1934), Prohibition-era gangster * James Pierpont (minister) (1659–1714), founder of Yale University * James Lord Pierpont (1 ...

* Roslyn

Census-designated place

* Enemy Swim

Unincorporated communities

* Amsden''Amsden, Groton SD'' Google Maps (accessed 1 February 2019)
/ref> * Crandall * Holmquist *

Lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in mu ...

Townships

* Andover * Bristol * Butler * Central Point * Egeland * Farmington * Grenville * Highland * Homer * Independence * Kidder * Kosciusko * Liberty * Lynn * Morton * Nutley * Oak Gulch * Racine * Raritan * Rusk * Scotland * Troy * Union * Valley * Waubay * Webster * Wheatland * York

Politics

Day County voters have tended to vote Democratic for the past several decades. Since 1948 the county has selected the Democratic Party candidate in 71% of national elections. However, the county swung hard to Donald Trump in 2016, and in 2020 posted the best-ever percentage in the county by a Republican presidential candidate.

References

External links

Day County, South Dakota website
{{authority control 1880 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1880