Perkins 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 po ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,835. 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 ...

Bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North A ...

. 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 North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, ...

. 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 Shadehill Reservoir is a reservoir on the Grand River in Perkins County, South Dakota, USA. The lake was created by the construction of Shadehill Dam by the United States Bureau of Reclamation in 1951. The reservoir has two primary inflows: ...

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.''Perkins County SD'' Google Maps (accessed 8 February 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east; its highest point is on its lower west boundary line, at 3,097' (944m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (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 The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...

that is most distant from a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

restaurant: as the crow flies and by car. However, it was updated in 2010 and the spot was updated to the middle of the Nevada Desert.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that ...

* South Dakota Highway 20 * South Dakota Highway 73 *

South Dakota Highway 75 South Dakota Highway 75 (SD 75) is a state route located in northwest South Dakota. The southern terminus is at South Dakota Highway 20 west of Bison, and the route runs northerly to the North Dakota border, becoming North Dakota Highway 8. It ...

Adjacent counties

Adams County, North Dakota Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,200. The county seat is Hettinger. The county was created on April 17, 1907, and organized one week later. It was named for John Quincy Ad ...

- north * Corson County - east * Ziebach County - southeast * Meade County - south * Butte County - southwest * Harding County - west

Protected areas

Grand River National Grassland Grand River National Grassland is a National Grassland in northwestern South Dakota, United States. It is named for the Grand River. The North and South forks of the rivers meet in the grassland. It has a land area of . In descending order of ac ...

(part) * Hugh Glass State Lakeside Use Area * Lemmon Lake State Game Production Area * Llewellyn Johns State Recreation Area * Owens Lake State Game Production Area * Shadehill State Game Production Area * Shadehill State Recreation Area * Sorum Dam State Game Production Area * Vobejda Dam State Game Production Area

Lakes

* Flat Creek Lake * Lemmon Lake * Owens Lake *

* Sorum Dam * Vobejda Dam

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 c ...

, there were 3,363 people, 1,429 households, and 937 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 RosenberPopu ...

was 1.2 people per square mile (0.5/km²). There were 1,854 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.25/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.64%

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 ...

, 0.15%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 1.64% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.51% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.74% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race. There were 1,429 households, 27.3% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% 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 ...

living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93. The county population contained 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males. The median income for a household in the county was $27,750, and the median income for a family was $33,537. Males had a median income of $23,665 versus $16,856 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 $15,734. About 12.40% of families and 16.90% 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 21.60% of those under age 18 and 14.50% 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 serving ...

, there were 2,982 people, 1,291 households, and 838 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,739 housing units at an average density of . 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 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 ...

, 26.2% were Norwegian, 10.8% 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 ...

, 8.7% were Irish, 8.4% were Swedish, and 5.8% 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 1,291 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

, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Lemmon

Town

(county seat)

Census-designated place

* Prairie City

Unincorporated Communities

* Chance * Lodgepole *

Meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or arti ...

* Shadehill * Sorum * Summerville * Usta *

White Butte White Butte is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of North Dakota. At an elevation of 3,506 ft (1,069 m), it is a prominent butte in Slope County, in the Badlands of the southwestern part of the state. It is located east of U.S. ...

* Zeona

Ghost Towns

* Bixby * Brayton * Coal Springs * Cole * Date * Ellingson * Glendo * Imogene * Pleasant Ridge * Seim * Strool * Whitney

Townships

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, T ...

*Anderson *Antelope *Barrett *Beck *Bison *Brushy *Burdick *

Cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-im ...

*Castle Butte *Chance *Chaudoin *Clark *De Witt *Duell *Englewood *Flat Creek *Foster *Fredlund *Glendo *Grand River *Hall *Highland *Horse Creek *Liberty *Lincoln *Lemmon *Lodgepole *Lone Tree *Maltby *Marshfield *Martin *Meadow *Moreau *Plateau *Rainbow *Rockford *Scotch Cap *Sidney *Strool *Trail *Vail *Vickers *Viking *Vrooman *Wells *White Butte *White Hill *Wilson *Wyandotte

Unorganized territories

* Duck Creek * East Perkins * Independence * Pleasant Valley * South Perkins * Southwest Perkins * West Central Perkins * West Perkins

Politics

Like most of South Dakota, Perkins County is overwhelmingly Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has won Perkins County since Franklin D. Roosevelt did so during his 46-state landslide in 1936. Jimmy Carter in 1976 came within 36 votes of carrying the county, but since then the only Democrat to gain even 29 percent of the county's vote has been

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history ...

during the

drought A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...

-affected 1988 election.

References

{{Coord, 45.50, -102.48, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-SD_source:UScensus1990 1909 establishments in South Dakota Populated places established in 1909