Grant County, South Dakota | |
|---|---|
 County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofSouth Dakota | |
| Coordinates:45°10′N96°46′W / 45.17°N 96.77°W /45.17; -96.77 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  South Dakota |
| Founded | 1873 (created) January 8, 1878 (organized) |
| Named after | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Seat | Milbank |
| Largest city | Milbank |
| Area | |
• Total | 688 sq mi (1,780 km2) |
| • Land | 681 sq mi (1,760 km2) |
| • Water | 6.1 sq mi (16 km2) 0.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,556 |
• Estimate (2024) | 7,618 |
| • Density | 11.1/sq mi (4.28/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Website | grantcounty |
Grant County is acounty in theU.S. state ofSouth Dakota. As of the2020 census, the population was 7,556.[1] Thecounty seat isMilbank.[2] The county was founded in 1873 and organized in 1878.[3] It is named forUlysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States.[4]
Grant County lies on the east side of South Dakota. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary line of the state ofMinnesota. The terrain consists of rolling hills, sloping to the northeast. The area is largely devoted to agriculture.[5] The highest point of the terrain is on the county's south boundary line, towards its southwest corner, at 2,014 ft (614 m) ASL.[6]
Grant County has a total area of 688 square miles (1,780 km2), of which 681 square miles (1,760 km2) is land and 6.1 square miles (16 km2) (0.9%) is water.[7]
Thelowest point in the state of South Dakota is located onBig Stone Lake atBig Stone City in Grant County, adjacent toOrtonville, Minnesota, where the lake flows into theMinnesota River.
Source:[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 3,010 | — | |
| 1890 | 6,814 | 126.4% | |
| 1900 | 9,103 | 33.6% | |
| 1910 | 10,303 | 13.2% | |
| 1920 | 10,880 | 5.6% | |
| 1930 | 10,729 | −1.4% | |
| 1940 | 10,552 | −1.6% | |
| 1950 | 10,233 | −3.0% | |
| 1960 | 9,913 | −3.1% | |
| 1970 | 9,005 | −9.2% | |
| 1980 | 9,013 | 0.1% | |
| 1990 | 8,372 | −7.1% | |
| 2000 | 7,847 | −6.3% | |
| 2010 | 7,356 | −6.3% | |
| 2020 | 7,556 | 2.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 7,618 | [10] | 0.8% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[11] 1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13] 1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 7,556 people, 3,103 households, and 2,014 families residing in the county, for apopulation density of 11.1 inhabitants per square mile (4.3/km2) and 3,426 housing units.[15]
The racial makeup of the county was 90.6% White, 0.0%Black or African American, 1.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Asian, 3.5% from some other race, and 4.4% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.4% of the population.[16]
Of the residents, 22.8% were under the age of 18 and 23.7% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.8 years. For every 100 females there were 106.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.5 males.[15]
Of the 3,103 households, 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
There were 3,426 housing units, of which 9.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.5% were owner-occupied and 24.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.1%.[15]
As of the2010 census, there were 7,356 people, 3,089 households, and 2,076 families in the county. The population density was 10.8 inhabitants per square mile (4.2/km2). There were 3,526 housing units at an average density of 5.2 units per square mile (2.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.1% white, 0.5% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 1.1% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 49.9% wereGerman, 16.8% wereNorwegian, 8.9% wereIrish, 6.7% wereSwedish, 5.6% wereEnglish, and 5.2% wereAmerican.
Of the 3,089 households, 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.8% were non-families, and 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 45.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,625 and the median income for a family was $56,250. Males had a median income of $36,204 versus $25,567 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,887. About 7.0% of families and 11.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.
School districts include:[17]
Grant County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In only three national elections since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 605 | 40.74% | 188 | 12.66% | 692 | 46.60% |
| 1896 | 1,029 | 52.72% | 902 | 46.21% | 21 | 1.08% |
| 1900 | 1,305 | 62.86% | 716 | 34.49% | 55 | 2.65% |
| 1904 | 1,454 | 77.05% | 309 | 16.38% | 124 | 6.57% |
| 1908 | 1,122 | 59.87% | 628 | 33.51% | 124 | 6.62% |
| 1912 | 0 | 0.00% | 619 | 39.13% | 963 | 60.87% |
| 1916 | 1,098 | 55.31% | 772 | 38.89% | 115 | 5.79% |
| 1920 | 1,813 | 59.99% | 350 | 11.58% | 859 | 28.42% |
| 1924 | 1,227 | 42.02% | 202 | 6.92% | 1,491 | 51.06% |
| 1928 | 2,508 | 59.49% | 1,656 | 39.28% | 52 | 1.23% |
| 1932 | 1,515 | 33.88% | 2,887 | 64.56% | 70 | 1.57% |
| 1936 | 1,847 | 45.50% | 2,101 | 51.76% | 111 | 2.73% |
| 1940 | 2,981 | 59.38% | 2,039 | 40.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 2,278 | 60.70% | 1,475 | 39.30% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,972 | 48.57% | 2,052 | 50.54% | 36 | 0.89% |
| 1952 | 3,234 | 68.31% | 1,500 | 31.69% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,621 | 55.87% | 2,070 | 44.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 2,611 | 55.26% | 2,114 | 44.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,854 | 41.78% | 2,583 | 58.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,259 | 51.81% | 1,890 | 43.35% | 211 | 4.84% |
| 1972 | 2,247 | 50.04% | 2,231 | 49.69% | 12 | 0.27% |
| 1976 | 2,051 | 45.95% | 2,398 | 53.72% | 15 | 0.34% |
| 1980 | 2,691 | 58.58% | 1,602 | 34.87% | 301 | 6.55% |
| 1984 | 2,738 | 62.80% | 1,606 | 36.83% | 16 | 0.37% |
| 1988 | 2,148 | 51.49% | 1,988 | 47.65% | 36 | 0.86% |
| 1992 | 1,595 | 38.81% | 1,484 | 36.11% | 1,031 | 25.09% |
| 1996 | 1,782 | 43.64% | 1,805 | 44.21% | 496 | 12.15% |
| 2000 | 2,235 | 58.36% | 1,475 | 38.51% | 120 | 3.13% |
| 2004 | 2,392 | 58.48% | 1,633 | 39.93% | 65 | 1.59% |
| 2008 | 1,951 | 50.94% | 1,786 | 46.63% | 93 | 2.43% |
| 2012 | 2,034 | 56.41% | 1,493 | 41.40% | 79 | 2.19% |
| 2016 | 2,382 | 66.84% | 971 | 27.24% | 211 | 5.92% |
| 2020 | 2,618 | 69.91% | 1,056 | 28.20% | 71 | 1.90% |
| 2024 | 2,594 | 71.46% | 946 | 26.06% | 90 | 2.48% |
Places adjacent to Grant County, South Dakota | |
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Municipalities and communities ofGrant County, South Dakota,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Townships | ||
| Unincorporated area#United StatesUnincorporated community | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
45°10′N96°46′W / 45.17°N 96.77°W /45.17; -96.77
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