Potter County, South Dakota | |
|---|---|
 Potter County Courthouse (July 2013) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofSouth Dakota | |
| Coordinates:45°04′N99°57′W / 45.06°N 99.95°W /45.06; -99.95 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  South Dakota |
| Founded | 1873 (created) 1883 (organized) |
| Named after | Joel A. Potter |
| Seat | Gettysburg |
| Largest city | Gettysburg |
| Area | |
• Total | 899 sq mi (2,330 km2) |
| • Land | 861 sq mi (2,230 km2) |
| • Water | 38 sq mi (98 km2) 4.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,472 |
• Estimate (2023) | 2,402 |
| • Density | 2.87/sq mi (1.11/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
Potter County is acounty in theU.S. state ofSouth Dakota. As of the2020 census, the population was 2,472.[1] Itscounty seat isGettysburg.[2] The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1883.[3]
TheMissouri River flows southward along the west boundary line of Potter County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.[4] The county generally slopes to the south, although the western portion slopes into the river valley.[5] The county has a total area of 899 square miles (2,330 km2), of which 861 square miles (2,230 km2) is land and 38 square miles (98 km2) (4.2%) is water.[6]
The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observeCentral Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observeMountain Time. Potter County is the westernmost of the SD counties to observe Central Time.[7]
Source:[4]
Source:[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 2,910 | — | |
| 1900 | 2,988 | 2.7% | |
| 1910 | 4,466 | 49.5% | |
| 1920 | 4,382 | −1.9% | |
| 1930 | 5,762 | 31.5% | |
| 1940 | 4,614 | −19.9% | |
| 1950 | 4,688 | 1.6% | |
| 1960 | 4,926 | 5.1% | |
| 1970 | 4,449 | −9.7% | |
| 1980 | 3,674 | −17.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,190 | −13.2% | |
| 2000 | 2,693 | −15.6% | |
| 2010 | 2,329 | −13.5% | |
| 2020 | 2,472 | 6.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 2,402 | [8] | −2.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 2,472 people, 1,127 households, and 753 families residing in the county.[13] Of the residents, 19.5% were under the age of 18 and 30.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 52.2 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.5 males.[14] The population density was 2.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.1/km2).[14]
The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% White, 0.2%Black or African American, 2.3%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Asian, 0.6% from some other race, and 2.1% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.6% of the population.[15]
There were 1,127 households in the county, of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 1,569 housing units, of which 28.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.4% were owner-occupied and 25.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 11.3%.[14]
As of the2010 census, there were 2,329 people, 1,062 households, and 648 families in the county. The population density was 2.7 inhabitants per square mile (1.0/km2). There were 1,500 housing units at an average density of 1.7 units per square mile (0.66 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 65.3% wereGerman, 11.1% wereIrish, 8.2% wereNorwegian, 8.0% wereEnglish, and 3.9% wereAmerican.
Of the 1,062 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.0% were non-families, and 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age was 50.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,422 and the median income for a family was $53,214. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $29,792 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,986. About 5.4% of families and 10.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
The county has no organized townships. It is divided into three areas of unorganized territory: West Potter, Central Potter, and East Potter.
Like most of South Dakota outside of Native American counties, Potter County has been predominantly Republican throughout most of the state's history. Only three Democrats –William Jennings Bryan,Franklin D. Roosevelt andLyndon Johnson – have carried the county as of 2024, and sinceJimmy Carter in 1976 no Democrat has passed forty percent of the county's vote.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 320 | 51.12% | 57 | 9.11% | 249 | 39.78% |
| 1896 | 333 | 45.74% | 390 | 53.57% | 5 | 0.69% |
| 1900 | 375 | 47.95% | 381 | 48.72% | 26 | 3.32% |
| 1904 | 525 | 62.80% | 275 | 32.89% | 36 | 4.31% |
| 1908 | 614 | 58.09% | 400 | 37.84% | 43 | 4.07% |
| 1912 | 0 | 0.00% | 423 | 46.95% | 478 | 53.05% |
| 1916 | 512 | 54.58% | 408 | 43.50% | 18 | 1.92% |
| 1920 | 1,073 | 72.30% | 255 | 17.18% | 156 | 10.51% |
| 1924 | 1,075 | 59.82% | 283 | 15.75% | 439 | 24.43% |
| 1928 | 1,240 | 52.77% | 1,100 | 46.81% | 10 | 0.43% |
| 1932 | 660 | 28.09% | 1,668 | 70.98% | 22 | 0.94% |
| 1936 | 914 | 39.64% | 1,338 | 58.02% | 54 | 2.34% |
| 1940 | 1,278 | 54.80% | 1,054 | 45.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,001 | 58.27% | 717 | 41.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,044 | 49.69% | 1,039 | 49.45% | 18 | 0.86% |
| 1952 | 1,625 | 73.73% | 579 | 26.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,445 | 63.16% | 843 | 36.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,326 | 56.91% | 1,004 | 43.09% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 954 | 43.09% | 1,260 | 56.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,273 | 57.81% | 780 | 35.42% | 149 | 6.77% |
| 1972 | 1,389 | 61.65% | 858 | 38.08% | 6 | 0.27% |
| 1976 | 1,136 | 55.36% | 908 | 44.25% | 8 | 0.39% |
| 1980 | 1,633 | 75.29% | 436 | 20.10% | 100 | 4.61% |
| 1984 | 1,551 | 76.22% | 482 | 23.69% | 2 | 0.10% |
| 1988 | 1,175 | 62.07% | 701 | 37.03% | 17 | 0.90% |
| 1992 | 901 | 50.67% | 493 | 27.73% | 384 | 21.60% |
| 1996 | 979 | 57.52% | 534 | 31.37% | 189 | 11.10% |
| 2000 | 1,112 | 74.43% | 356 | 23.83% | 26 | 1.74% |
| 2004 | 1,143 | 70.64% | 463 | 28.62% | 12 | 0.74% |
| 2008 | 937 | 65.07% | 482 | 33.47% | 21 | 1.46% |
| 2012 | 1,029 | 74.51% | 339 | 24.55% | 13 | 0.94% |
| 2016 | 1,071 | 80.10% | 215 | 16.08% | 51 | 3.81% |
| 2020 | 1,139 | 82.54% | 227 | 16.45% | 14 | 1.01% |
| 2024 | 1,059 | 81.59% | 214 | 16.49% | 25 | 1.93% |
45°04′N99°57′W / 45.06°N 99.95°W /45.06; -99.95
Places adjacent to Potter County, South Dakota | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofPotter County, South Dakota,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
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