Minnehaha County, South Dakota

Minnehaha County is a county on the eastern border of the state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 197,214, making it the state's most populous county, and was estimated to be 208,639 in 2024. It contains over 22.56% of the state's population. Its county seat is Sioux Falls, South Dakota's most populous city. The county was created on April 5, 1862 and organized in 1868. Its name was derived from the Sioux word ''Mnihaha,'' meaning "rapid water," or "waterfall" (often incorrectly translated as "laughing water").

Minnehaha County is part of the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, the state's largest.

Geography

Minnehaha County lies on the east side of South Dakota. Its eastern boundary abuts Minnesota as well as the northern and western boundaries of Iowa. The Big Sioux River flows south-southeast through the east central part of the county. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, devoted to agriculture except around built-up areas, and dotted with lakes and ponds in its western portion. Its terrain generally slopes southward, and the east and west edges slope to the river valley through the center of the county. Its highest point is in the northwest corner, at ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. It is the 13th largest county in South Dakota by total area.

Major highways

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* Interstate 229 Dwtn.
* South Dakota Highway 11
* South Dakota Highway 19
* South Dakota Highway 38
* South Dakota Highway 42
* South Dakota Highway 115

Transit

* Jefferson Lines at Sioux Falls Bus Station
* Sioux Area Metro

Airports

* Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD)
* Wheelborg Landing Field, a small airport in Dell Rapids

Adjacent counties

* Moody County - north
* Pipestone County, Minnesota - northeast
* Rock County, Minnesota - east
* Lyon County, Iowa - southeast
* Lincoln County - south
* Turner County - southwest
* McCook County - west
* Lake County - northwest

Protected areas

* Beaver Creek State Recreation Area
* Big Sioux State Recreation Area
* Diamond Lake State Game Production Area
* Falls Park
* Island Lake State Game Production Area (part)
* Palisades State Park
* Pederson State Game Production Area
* Scott Lake State Game Production Area
* Twin Lakes State Game Production Area
* Wall Lake State Lakeside Use Area

Lakes, rivers and streams

Source:

* Beaver Creek
* Beaver Lake
* Big Sioux River
* Buffalo Lake
* Clear Lake
* Covell Lake
* Diamond Lake
* Fenstrman Slough
* Grass Lake
* Island Lake (partial)
* Lake Lorane
* Loss Lake
* Lost Lake
* Rehfeldt Slough
* Scott Lake
* Skunk Creek
* Split Rock Creek
* Twin Lake
* Wall Lake

Demographics

As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Minnehaha County was $305,100.

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 82,394 estimated households in Minnehaha County with an average of 2.37 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $76,074. Approximately 9.7% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Minnehaha County has an estimated 74.2% employment rate, with 34.6% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.1% holding a high school diploma.

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (87.2%), Spanish (5.6%), Indo-European (2.4%), Asian and Pacific Islander (1.4%), and Other (3.4%).

The median age in the county was 36.7 years.

Minnehaha County, South Dakota – racial and ethnic composition

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 197,214 people, 78,715 households, and 48,690 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 83,717 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.29% White, 5.84% African American, 2.71% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.85% from some other races and 5.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.10% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 169,468 people, 67,028 households, and 42,052 families in the county. The population density was . There were 71,557 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.05% White, 3.78% African American, 2.48% Native American, 1.48% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.84% from some other races and 2.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.12% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 43.8% were German, 17.7% were Norwegian, 11.6% were Irish, 6.8% were Dutch, 6.3% were English, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 67,028 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.3% were non-families, and 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 34.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,799 and the median income for a family was $64,645. Males had a median income of $40,187 versus $31,517 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,392. About 6.9% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Minnehaha is somewhat conservative for an urban county. Only four Democratic presidential candidates in five different elections have carried the county since 1940, and in only two of those elections the Democrat obtained a majority of the county's vote.

In the South Dakota Legislature, Sioux Falls falls into Districts 9-15, with each district electing two Representatives and one Senator. Only two out of seven districts ( 10th and 15th) are represented by Democrats.

Communities

Cities

* Baltic
* Brandon
* Colton
* Crooks
* Dell Rapids
* Garretson
* Hartford
* Sioux Falls (county seat and largest community; small portion extends to Lincoln County)
* Valley Springs

Towns

* Humboldt
* Sherman

Census-designated places

* Anderson
* Lyons
* Meadow View Addition
* Pine Lakes Addition
* Renner Corner
* Rowena

Unincorporated communities

Source:

* Andy's Acres
* Benclare
* Booge
* Corson
* Ellis
* Huntimer
* Midway
* Morefield
* Renner

Townships

* Benton
* Brandon
* Buffalo
* Burk
* Clear Lake
* Dell Rapids
* Edison
* Grand Meadow
* Hartford
* Highland
* Humboldt
* Logan
* Lyons
* Mapleton
* Palisade
* Red Rock
* Sioux Falls
* Split Rock
* Sverdrup
* Taopi
* Valley Springs
* Wall Lake
* Wayne
* Wellington

Historical townsites

* East Sioux Falls
* Eminija
* South Sioux Falls
* West Sioux Falls
* Wingert

Education

School districts in the county include:

* Baltic School District 49-1
* Brandon Valley School District 49-2
* Canton School District 41-1
* Chester School District 39-1
* Dell Rapids School District 49-3
* Garretson School District 49-4
* Harrisburg School District 41-2
* Lennox School District 41-4
* Montrose School District 43-2
* Parker School District 60-4
* Sioux Falls School District 49-5
* Tea Area School District 41-5
* Tri-Valley School District 49-6
* West Central School District 49-7

Various rural schools operated in the county's history.

See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Minnehaha County, South Dakota

References

External links

Minnehaha County, SD government website

Envision 2045 Comprehensive Plan webpage
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1868 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1868
South Dakota placenames of Native American origin
Sioux Falls, South Dakota metropolitan area