Roberts 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 10,280. 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 Sisseton. The county was named either for S. G. Roberts of

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

, or for Solomon Robar, an early local French fur trader. It was created on March 8, 1883, and fully organized by August 6 of that year. Its boundary was altered once, in 1885.

Geography

Roberts County is at South Dakota's northeastern corner. Its eastern boundary abuts

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

(across the Bois de Sioux River), and its northern boundary abuts

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

. The Cottonwood Slough flows southward, draining the upper portion of the county into the River. The terrain consists of rolling hills, devoted to agriculture.''Roberts County SD'' Google Maps (accessed February 8, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east; its highest point is on its upper western boundary line, at ASL. 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 county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.1%) is water. It is the 26th largest county in South Dakota by total area. The Traverse Gap is in eastern Roberts County along the

border. The

Lake Traverse Indian Reservation The Lake Traverse Indian Reservation is the homeland of the federally recognized Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, a branch of the Santee Dakota group of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans. Most of the reservation covers parts of five ...

covers most of the county.

Major highways

* Interstate 29 * U.S. Route 12 * U.S. Route 81 * South Dakota Highway 10 * South Dakota Highway 15 *

South Dakota Highway 25 South Dakota Highway 25 (SD 25) is a state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota. It connects Scotland, Howard, De Smet, and Webster. It consists of two disconnected segments. Its shorter southern segment ...

* South Dakota Highway 106 * South Dakota Highway 109 * South Dakota Highway 123 * South Dakota Highway 127

Transit

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Adjacent counties

Richland County, North Dakota Richland County is a County (United States), county in the far southeast corner of the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 16,529, and was estimated to be 16,658 in 2024. The county s ...

- north * Traverse County, Minnesota - northeast *

Big Stone County, Minnesota Big Stone County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 5,166. Its county seat is Ortonville, Minnesota, Ortonville. History The county was forme ...

- southeast *

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

- south * Day County - southwest * Marshall County - west

Protected areas

* Big Stone Island State Nature Area * Crawford State Game Production Area * Knutson State Game Production Area * Harmon State Game Production Area * Hartford Beach State Park * Peever Slough State Game Production Area * Sica Hollow State Park (part) * White Rock State Game Production Area

Lakes and rivers

* Big Stone Lake * Bois de Sioux River * Clubhouse Lake * Cottonwood Lake * Dobberstien Slough * Drywood Lakes * Hurricane Lake * Lake Bdesska * Lake Traverse * Little Minnesota River * Oneroad Lake * Owl Lake * Round Lake * Whetstone River (North fork) * Whitestone Lake

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 10,280 people, 3,844 households, and 2,568 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 4,788 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 10,149 people, 3,823 households, and 2,655 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 4,905 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 61.7% white, 34.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.3% were German, 19.2% were Norwegian, 6.3% were Irish, and 3.8% were American. Of the 3,823 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.6% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 39.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $37,708 and the median income for a family was $46,146. Males had a median income of $34,080 versus $28,423 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,825. About 14.3% of families and 20.0% 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 33.9% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Sisseton (county seat) * Wilmot

Towns

* Claire City * Corona * New Effington * Ortley * Peever * Rosholt *

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

* White Rock

Census-designated places

* Agency Village * Goodwill (former) * Long Hollow * Peever Flats * White Rock Colony

Unincorporated communities

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

* Hartford Beach * Hiawatha Beach * Lindon Beach * Shady Beach * Victor

Townships

* Agency *Alto *Becker *Bossko *Bryant *Dry Wood Lake *Easter *Enterprise *Garfield *Geneseo *Goodwill *Grant *Harmon *Hart *Lake *Lawrence *Lee *Lien *Lockwood *Long Hollow *Minnesota *Norway *One Road *Rosholt *Ortley *Sisseton *Springdale *Spring Grove *Summit *Victor *White Rock

Notable people

* Sleepy Eye, Sisseton Sioux chief * Gene Okerlund, wrestling announcer

Politics

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Big Stone City School District 25-1 * Milbank School District 25-4 * Rosholt School District 54-4 * Sisseton School District 54-2 * Summit School District 54-6 * Waubay School District 18-3 * Wilmot School District 54-7

External links

Roberts County, South Dakota (Official site)

References

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