Spencer is a city in McCook County,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, 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 Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, United States. The population was 136 at the 2020 census. The city was almost destroyed by a violent F4

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

on May 30, 1998 which killed six people.

History

Spencer was laid out in 1887 when the railroad was extended to that point. The city was named for H. Spencer, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation in Spencer since 1887. Spencer was officially incorporated in 1917.

1998 tornado

On May 30, 1998, the most destructive and second deadliest tornado in South Dakota history struck Spencer. It began as a large, dust-cloaked tornado northwest of

Farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer ...

in Hanson County, concurrent with the demise of the "Fulton" tornado. Continuing toward the east-southeast, it struck several farmsteads before crossing the Hanson/McCook County line a half mile west-northwest of Spencer. At this time, the tornado was being observed by the OU

Doppler on Wheels Doppler on Wheels (DOW) is a fleet of quickly deployable truck-mounted weather radars managed by FARM (Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets), an American research company affiliated with the University of Alabama Huntsville. The group, which ...

crew, whose mobile

Doppler weather radar A weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly pu ...

data showed up to 264 mph winds in the tornado a few tens of meters above ground level. on-existent reference, previously http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/spencer/ NOAA summary, from which the text is nearly a direct quote/ref> The population of the town diminished soon after to less than half of what it was previous to the tornado, from 315 to 145 in April 1999, and has since hovered around that mark.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 154 people, 60 households, and 47 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 77 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.6%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, and 2.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 60 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 29.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 1.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 24% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 157 people, 64 households, and 44 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 73 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.73%

, 0.64% Native American and 0.64% Asian. There were 64 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were

living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $34,688. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $22,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,164. About 7.0% of families and 11.4% 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 ...

, including 14.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 14.8% of those 65 or over.

Notes

{{Authority control Cities in McCook County, South Dakota Cities in South Dakota Tornadoes of 1998 Sioux Falls, South Dakota metropolitan area