Britton is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Marshall County, South Dakota Marshall County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 4,306. Its county seat is Britton, South Dakota, Britton. The county was created on May ...

, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2020 census. A weekly newspaper, the ''Britton Journal,'' is published in Britton.

History

Britton was founded in 1884 as a stop on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. In 1885, the town was designated county seat of the newly formed Marshall County. It received its city rights in 1906. The city is named after Isaac Britton, a railroad official.

Geography

According to the

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

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

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of 2010, there were 1,241 people, 574 households, and 313 families living 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 658 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8%

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, 0.5%

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, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 0.9% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 574 households, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% 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, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.5% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age in the city was 48.6 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 27.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,328 people, 580 households, and 346 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 667 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.82%

, 1.13% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.08% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population. There were 580 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 26.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $31,148, and the median income for a family was $37,639. Males had a median income of $29,931 versus $18,500 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 $18,327. About 5.7% of families and 8.7% 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 4.7% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad provides rail service to Britton.

Education

The Britton-Hecla school district covers Britton. There is one elementary school and one high school on the same premises.

Notable people

* Lyle Bien, U.S. Navy vice admiral * Frederic J. Brown II, U.S. Army lieutenant general * Frank Farrar, twenty-fourth Governor of South Dakota. * Dallas Goedert, NFL

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for the

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. * Susan Wismer, State Senator and candidate for Governor of South Dakota in

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