Faulk County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,125. Its

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 ...

is Faulkton. The county was founded in 1873 and organized in 1883. It is named for Andrew Jackson Faulk, the third Governor of Dakota Territory.

Geography

The terrain of Faulk County consists of low rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture, sloping to the east. The highest point of the terrain is the county's SW corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 212 * South Dakota Highway 20 * South Dakota Highway 45 * South Dakota Highway 47

Adjacent counties

* Edmunds County – north * Brown County – northeast * Spink County – east * Hand County – south * Hyde County – southwest * Potter County – west

Protected areas

* Lake Faulkton State Game Refuge * Ingalls State Game Production Area * Gerkin State Game Production Area & Wildlife Refuge * Lake Faulkton State Game Production Area * Lake Faulkton State Lakeside Use Area * North Scatterwood Lake State Waterfowl Refuge * Sprague State Game Production Area * South Scatterwood State Game Production Area

Lakes

* Clark Lake * Lake Creabard * Lake Faulkton * North Scatterwood Lake (partial) * South Scatterwood Lake * Zell Lake

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,125 people, 761 households, and 476 families residing in the county. 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 1,022 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,364 people, 869 households, and 532 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.9% white, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.0% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 70.0% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 9.6% were Irish, 7.1% were English, 5.7% were Norwegian, and 4.3% were American. Of the 869 households, 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.8% were non-families, and 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 46.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $38,203 and the median income for a family was $55,234. Males had a median income of $40,641 versus $23,571 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,898. About 14.4% of families and 17.9% 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 15.3% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Faulkton (county seat)

Towns

* Chelsea * Cresbard * Onaka *

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

* Rockham * Seneca

Census-designated places

* Blumengard Colony * Brentwood Colony * Evergreen Colony * Thunderbird Colony

Unincorporated communities

* Miranda * Norbeck * Wecota * Zell

Townships

*Arcade *Bryant *Centerville *Clark *Devoe *Ellisville *Elroy *Emerson *Enterprise *Fairview *Freedom *Hillsdale *Irving *Lafoon *Latham *Myron *O'Neil *Orient *Pioneer *Pulaski *Saratoga *Seneca *Sherman *Tamworth *Thirteen *Union *Wesley *Zell

Politics

Faulk County voters have largely voted Republican for several decades. In only two national elections since 1944 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

References

{{authority control 1883 establishments in Dakota Territory Populated places established in 1883