Jerauld County, South Dakota | |
|---|---|
 Jerauld County Courthouse in Wessington Springs | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofSouth Dakota | |
 South Dakota's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:44°03′48.276″N98°37′23.412″W / 44.06341000°N 98.62317000°W /44.06341000; -98.62317000 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  South Dakota |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Named after | H. J. Jerauld |
| Seat | Wessington Springs |
| Largest city | Wessington Springs |
| Area | |
• Total | 533 sq mi (1,380 km2) |
| • Land | 526 sq mi (1,360 km2) |
| • Water | 6.4 sq mi (17 km2) 1.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,663 |
• Estimate (2024) | 1,689 |
| • Density | 3.16/sq mi (1.22/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Website | https://jerauldcountysd.com/ |
Jerauld County is acounty in theU.S. state ofSouth Dakota. As of the2020 census, the population was 1,663.[1] Itscounty seat isWessington Springs.[2]
In 1873, the area occupied by the present Jerauld County was organized intoWetmore County. In 1881, Wetmore and its neighbor county to the south,Cragin County, were combined to formAurora County. In 1883, the area of the former Wetmore County was reincorporated as present-day Jerauld County.
It was named for H. J. Jerauld, a legislator.[3]
The terrain of Jerauld County consists of low rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture.[4] The terrain slopes to the south and east, with the county's highest point on the west boundary line near its NW corner, at 1,932 ft (589 m) ASL.[5] The county has a total area of 533 square miles (1,380 km2), of which 526 square miles (1,360 km2) is land and 6.4 square miles (17 km2) (1.2%) is water.[6]
Source:[4]
Source:[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 3,605 | — | |
| 1900 | 2,798 | −22.4% | |
| 1910 | 5,120 | 83.0% | |
| 1920 | 6,338 | 23.8% | |
| 1930 | 5,816 | −8.2% | |
| 1940 | 4,752 | −18.3% | |
| 1950 | 4,476 | −5.8% | |
| 1960 | 4,048 | −9.6% | |
| 1970 | 3,310 | −18.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,929 | −11.5% | |
| 1990 | 2,425 | −17.2% | |
| 2000 | 2,295 | −5.4% | |
| 2010 | 2,071 | −9.8% | |
| 2020 | 1,663 | −19.7% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 1,689 | [7] | 1.6% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 1,663 people, 747 households, and 463 families residing in the county.[12] Thepopulation density was 3.2 inhabitants per square mile (1.2/km2). There were 952 housing units.
As of the2010 census, there were 2,071 people, 870 households, and 564 families residing in the county. The population density was 3.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.5/km2). There were 1,070 housing units at an average density of 2.0 units per square mile (0.77 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.0% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.6% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 50.6% wereGerman, 17.7% wereNorwegian, 11.6% wereEnglish, 6.8% wereIrish, 5.3% wereSwedish, and 2.2% wereAmerican.
Of the 870 households, 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.2% were non-families, and 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age was 48.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $40,607 and the median income for a family was $44,717. Males had a median income of $32,017 versus $20,505 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,942. About 10.2% of families and 10.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.
In the 2008 US presidential election, RepublicanJohn McCain won Jerauld County over DemocratBarack Obama by four votes.[13] It was the closest county result in the country in the 2008 election.[citation needed] Jerauld County voters have tended to vote Republican; since 1960 the county has chosen the Republican Party candidate in 71% of national elections.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 327 | 47.05% | 45 | 6.47% | 323 | 46.47% |
| 1896 | 274 | 44.48% | 336 | 54.55% | 6 | 0.97% |
| 1900 | 374 | 48.57% | 357 | 46.36% | 39 | 5.06% |
| 1904 | 586 | 68.86% | 139 | 16.33% | 126 | 14.81% |
| 1908 | 582 | 53.30% | 403 | 36.90% | 107 | 9.80% |
| 1912 | 0 | 0.00% | 436 | 38.01% | 711 | 61.99% |
| 1916 | 612 | 48.42% | 589 | 46.60% | 63 | 4.98% |
| 1920 | 1,038 | 57.03% | 357 | 19.62% | 425 | 23.35% |
| 1924 | 1,054 | 52.89% | 228 | 11.44% | 711 | 35.67% |
| 1928 | 1,517 | 62.69% | 875 | 36.16% | 28 | 1.16% |
| 1932 | 836 | 31.28% | 1,773 | 66.33% | 64 | 2.39% |
| 1936 | 1,075 | 42.93% | 1,343 | 53.63% | 86 | 3.43% |
| 1940 | 1,576 | 63.17% | 919 | 36.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 1,217 | 62.47% | 731 | 37.53% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 1,085 | 54.60% | 876 | 44.09% | 26 | 1.31% |
| 1952 | 1,520 | 69.19% | 677 | 30.81% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,175 | 53.90% | 1,005 | 46.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,165 | 57.45% | 863 | 42.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 857 | 46.17% | 999 | 53.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,002 | 55.57% | 745 | 41.32% | 56 | 3.11% |
| 1972 | 988 | 54.29% | 829 | 45.55% | 3 | 0.16% |
| 1976 | 821 | 49.19% | 845 | 50.63% | 3 | 0.18% |
| 1980 | 1,018 | 58.88% | 595 | 34.41% | 116 | 6.71% |
| 1984 | 1,012 | 64.79% | 542 | 34.70% | 8 | 0.51% |
| 1988 | 777 | 50.65% | 751 | 48.96% | 6 | 0.39% |
| 1992 | 518 | 35.31% | 600 | 40.90% | 349 | 23.79% |
| 1996 | 530 | 38.86% | 656 | 48.09% | 178 | 13.05% |
| 2000 | 624 | 55.61% | 468 | 41.71% | 30 | 2.67% |
| 2004 | 736 | 59.55% | 482 | 39.00% | 18 | 1.46% |
| 2008 | 546 | 49.41% | 542 | 49.05% | 17 | 1.54% |
| 2012 | 538 | 53.48% | 452 | 44.93% | 16 | 1.59% |
| 2016 | 648 | 67.01% | 264 | 27.30% | 55 | 5.69% |
| 2020 | 721 | 71.67% | 270 | 26.84% | 15 | 1.49% |
| 2024 | 708 | 70.87% | 276 | 27.63% | 15 | 1.50% |
The county is served by theTrue Dakotan weekly newspaper.[15]
Source:[4]
Places adjacent to Jerauld County, South Dakota | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofJerauld County, South Dakota,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated community | ||
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