Corson County, South Dakota | |
|---|---|
 Corson County Courthouse in Maktáža (English: McIntosh), South Dakota in 1993. This building was destroyed by fire on April 10, 2006. | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofSouth Dakota | |
| Coordinates:45°43′N101°11′W / 45.72°N 101.18°W /45.72; -101.18 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  South Dakota |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Named after | Dighton Corson |
| Seat | McIntosh |
| Largest city | McLaughlin |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,530 sq mi (6,600 km2) |
| • Land | 2,470 sq mi (6,400 km2) |
| • Water | 60 sq mi (160 km2) 2.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,902 |
• Estimate (2024) | 3,747 |
| • Density | 1.58/sq mi (0.610/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Website | corson |
Corson County is acounty in theU.S. state ofSouth Dakota. As of the2020 census, the population was 3,902.[1] Itscounty seat isMcIntosh.[2] The county was named forDighton Corson, a native of Maine, who came to theBlack Hills in 1876, and in 1877 began practicing law atDeadwood.
The county is encompassed within theStanding Rock Sioux Reservation, which extends into North Dakota. TheLakota people reside primarily in the South Dakota part of the reservation; theYanktonai andDakota live in that part in North Dakota. TheGrand River, a tributary of theMissouri River, runs through the reservation.
Corson County lies on the north line of South Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state ofNorth Dakota. TheMissouri River flows south-southeastward along its eastern boundary line. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills. A portion of the land is dedicated to agriculture.[3] TheGrand River flows eastward through the central part of the county to discharge into the river, and Standing Cloud Creek flows eastward through the county's lower SW area. The terrain generally slopes to the east and south; its highest point is near its NW corner, at 2,582 ft (787 m) ASL.[4]
Corson County has a total area of 2,530 square miles (6,600 km2), of which 2,470 square miles (6,400 km2) is land and 60 square miles (160 km2) (2.4%) is water.[5] It is the fifth-largest county in South Dakota by area. The entire county lies within theStanding Rock Sioux Reservation, which also includesSioux,Ziebach, andDewey counties.
The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observeCentral Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observeMountain Time. Corson County is the easternmost of the SD counties to observe Mountain Time.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 2,929 | — | |
| 1920 | 7,249 | 147.5% | |
| 1930 | 9,535 | 31.5% | |
| 1940 | 6,755 | −29.2% | |
| 1950 | 6,168 | −8.7% | |
| 1960 | 5,798 | −6.0% | |
| 1970 | 4,994 | −13.9% | |
| 1980 | 5,196 | 4.0% | |
| 1990 | 4,195 | −19.3% | |
| 2000 | 4,181 | −0.3% | |
| 2010 | 4,050 | −3.1% | |
| 2020 | 3,902 | −3.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 3,747 | [7] | −4.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 3,902 people, 1,196 households, and 825 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 34.6% were under the age of 18 and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 30.5 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.6 males.[12]The population density was 1.6 inhabitants per square mile (0.62/km2). There were 1,362 housing units, of which 12.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.0% were owner-occupied and 44.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%.[12]The racial makeup of the county was 24.5% White, 0.2%Black or African American, 70.1%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Asian, 0.2% from some other race, and 4.6% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.2% of the population.[13]Of the 1,196 households, 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
As of the2010 census, there were 4,050 people, 1,260 households, and 939 families in the county. The population density was 1.6 inhabitants per square mile (0.62/km2). There were 1,540 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.23/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 67.0% American Indian, 29.7% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry,
Of the 1,260 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.5% were non-families, and 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.73. The median age was 29.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,877 and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $32,037 versus $23,167 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,359. About 24.1% of families and 35.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 46.7% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.
In the 2020 presidential election, Corson County was the county or equivalent with the highest percentage of Native Americans whichDonald Trump won, afterJoe Biden flippedZiebach County.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 0 | 0.00% | 455 | 44.26% | 573 | 55.74% |
| 1916 | 503 | 42.20% | 641 | 53.78% | 48 | 4.03% |
| 1920 | 1,448 | 60.89% | 484 | 20.35% | 446 | 18.76% |
| 1924 | 1,364 | 56.50% | 140 | 5.80% | 910 | 37.70% |
| 1928 | 1,847 | 56.92% | 1,374 | 42.34% | 24 | 0.74% |
| 1932 | 946 | 27.15% | 2,403 | 68.97% | 135 | 3.87% |
| 1936 | 1,408 | 42.73% | 1,781 | 54.05% | 106 | 3.22% |
| 1940 | 1,709 | 56.27% | 1,328 | 43.73% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,008 | 56.19% | 786 | 43.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,154 | 49.63% | 1,154 | 49.63% | 17 | 0.73% |
| 1952 | 1,757 | 69.01% | 789 | 30.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,394 | 55.63% | 1,112 | 44.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,290 | 54.13% | 1,093 | 45.87% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 1,034 | 43.78% | 1,328 | 56.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,108 | 55.15% | 821 | 40.87% | 80 | 3.98% |
| 1972 | 975 | 58.28% | 689 | 41.18% | 9 | 0.54% |
| 1976 | 846 | 46.41% | 967 | 53.04% | 10 | 0.55% |
| 1980 | 1,233 | 66.47% | 522 | 28.14% | 100 | 5.39% |
| 1984 | 955 | 54.48% | 792 | 45.18% | 6 | 0.34% |
| 1988 | 710 | 49.03% | 722 | 49.86% | 16 | 1.10% |
| 1992 | 483 | 38.61% | 444 | 35.49% | 324 | 25.90% |
| 1996 | 533 | 41.00% | 539 | 41.46% | 228 | 17.54% |
| 2000 | 629 | 50.60% | 549 | 44.17% | 65 | 5.23% |
| 2004 | 720 | 41.76% | 972 | 56.38% | 32 | 1.86% |
| 2008 | 535 | 38.05% | 837 | 59.53% | 34 | 2.42% |
| 2012 | 515 | 42.92% | 648 | 54.00% | 37 | 3.08% |
| 2016 | 588 | 50.04% | 535 | 45.53% | 52 | 4.43% |
| 2020 | 647 | 50.43% | 622 | 48.48% | 14 | 1.09% |
| 2024 | 631 | 55.21% | 495 | 43.31% | 17 | 1.49% |
Places adjacent to Corson County, South Dakota | |
|---|---|
Municipalities and communities ofCorson County, South Dakota,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
