Edmunds County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers 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 sove ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. At the 2020 census, the population was 3,986. 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 ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

. The county was established in 1873 and organized in 1883. It is named for Newton Edmunds, the second Governor of Dakota Territory. Edmunds County is part of the Aberdeen, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

The terrain of Edmunds County consists of rolling hills, mostly dedicated to agriculture. The terrain's highest point is on the west portion of the north boundary line, at 1,978' (603m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 12 *

South Dakota Highway 45 South Dakota Highway 45 is a state highway that runs north to south across much of central South Dakota, United States. The northern terminus is at the North Dakota border as a continuation of North Dakota Highway 3, and runs south to South D ...

South Dakota Highway 47 South Dakota Highway 47 (SD 47) is a state route that runs north to south across the central portion of South Dakota. It begins at an unnumbered highway at the North Dakota border north of Eureka, and ends at the Nebraska border, where it becomes ...

* South Dakota Highway 247 *

South Dakota Highway 253 South Dakota Highway 253 (SD 253) is an state highway in the north-central part of the U.S. state of South Dakota. It exists entirely within Edmunds County, from U.S. Route 12 (US 12) west of Roscoe to SD 47 north of ...

Adjacent counties

* McPherson County - north * Brown County - east * Faulk County - south * Potter County - southwest * Walworth County - west

Protected areas

* Bowdle-Hosmer State Game Production Area * Heilman State Game Production Area * Hosmer State Game Production Area * Light State Game Production Area * Losee State Game Production Area * Mina Lake State Recreation Area * Mina State Game Production Area * North Scatterwood State Game Production Area * Rosette State Game Production Area * Schaber State Game Production Area * Shaner State Game Production Area * Steigelmier State Game Production Area

Lakes

* Alkali Lake * Bowdle-Hosmer Lake * Grass Lake * Lake Parmley * North Scatterwood Lake (partial)

Demographics

2000 census

In the 2000 census, there were 4,367 people, 1,681 households and 1,210 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was . There were 2,022 housing units at an average density of . The racial make-up of the county was 99.20%

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 o ...

, 0.07%

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 ...

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.09%

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 ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.05% 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 0.32% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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. 69.4% 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 ...

and 6.2%

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 ...

ancestry. There were 1,681 households, of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.90% were married couples living together, 4.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 25.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.04. 26.70% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.10% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 22.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.30 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...

was $32,205 and the median family income was $37,174. Males had a median income of $26,609 and females $18,080. 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 ...

was $16,149. About 10.40% of families and 13.80% 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 16.80% of those under age 18 and 14.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 4,071 people, 1,607 households and 1,057 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,966 housing units at an average density of . The racial make-up of the county was 97.8% white, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 70.8% were

, 11.4% were

, 10.1% were

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

, 5.9% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and 2.4% 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 1,607 households, 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.2% were non-families, and 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 45.7 years. The median household income was $47,026 and the median family income was $56,599. Males had a median income of $37,713 and females $26,287. The per capita income was $24,268. About 6.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the

, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable events

Edmunds County is where the Learjet of the PGA golfer

Payne Stewart William Payne Stewart (January 30, 1957 – October 25, 1999) was an American professional golfer who won eleven PGA Tour events, including three major championships, the last of which came just a few months before his death in an airplane acci ...

crashed, killing him and five others on board. The plane crashed just south of the community of Mina at the approximate coordinates of 45°25' N 98°45' W.

Communities

Cities

* Bowdle * Hosmer *

(county seat) * Roscoe

Census-designated place

* Deerfield Colony * Mina * Pembrook Colony * Plainview Colony

Unincorporated communities

* Beebe * Craven * GretnaGretna SD
''Google Maps''. Retrieved February 2, 2019. * Loyalton * Powell

Townships

Adrian Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water". The Adria was until the 8th century BC the mai ...

* Belle * Bowdle * Bryant * Clear Lake *

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

* Cloyd * Cordlandt * Cottonwood Lake *

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" (genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were ori ...

* Glen * Glover * Harmony * Hillside * Hosmer *

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

* Huntley *

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

* Modena * Montpelier * North Bryant * Odessa * Pembrook * Powell * Richland * Rosette * Sangamon *

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

Politics

Edmunds County voters have long been reliably Republican. Since 1936, in only three elections has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate. Although it was one of only 129 counties nationwide to back George McGovern in his landslide 1972 defeat, it has voted for fewer Democratic presidential nominees (six) than any other county McGovern carried, with

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

in 1976 the last Democrat to carry the county and

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

not passing twenty percent in 2016.

References

{{authority control Aberdeen, South Dakota micropolitan area 1883 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1883