Mellette County, South Dakota | |
|---|---|
 White River from the West, the county seat | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofSouth Dakota | |
 South Dakota's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:43°34′52.802″N100°45′18.756″W / 43.58133389°N 100.75521000°W /43.58133389; -100.75521000 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  South Dakota |
| Founded | 1909 (created) 1911 (organized) |
| Named after | Arthur C. Mellette |
| Seat | White River |
| Largest city | White River |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,311 sq mi (3,400 km2) |
| • Land | 1,307 sq mi (3,390 km2) |
| • Water | 3.6 sq mi (9.3 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,918 |
• Estimate (2024) | 1,834 |
| • Density | 1.467/sq mi (0.5666/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | At-large |
Mellette County is acounty in theU.S. state ofSouth Dakota. As of the2020 census, the population was 1,918.[1] Itscounty seat isWhite River.[2] The county was created in 1909, and was organized in 1911.[3] It was named forArthur C. Mellette, the last Governor of theDakota Territory and the first Governor of the state of South Dakota.
Historically territory of the Sioux/Lakota peoples, 33.35 percent of the county's land istrust land associated with theRosebud Indian Reservation in the neighboring county to the south. According to the2000 United States census, 52.2% of the population is Native American, mostly the federally recognizedSicangu Oyate (Upper Brulé Sioux) and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, a branch of theLakota people.
TheWhite River flows eastward along the north boundary line of Mellette County. TheLittle White River flows northward through central Mellette County, discharging into White River. The terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, the northern portion dotted with ponds and small lakes. The area is mostly devoted to agriculture.[4] The terrain slopes to the northeast; its highest point is the SW corner at 2,779 ft (847 m) ASL.[5] The county has a total area of 1,311 square miles (3,400 km2), of which 1,307 square miles (3,390 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (0.3%) is water.[6]
The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observeCentral Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observeMountain Time. Mellette County is the westernmost of the SD counties to observe Central Time.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 1,700 | — | |
| 1920 | 3,850 | 126.5% | |
| 1930 | 5,293 | 37.5% | |
| 1940 | 4,107 | −22.4% | |
| 1950 | 3,046 | −25.8% | |
| 1960 | 2,664 | −12.5% | |
| 1970 | 2,420 | −9.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,249 | −7.1% | |
| 1990 | 2,137 | −5.0% | |
| 2000 | 2,083 | −2.5% | |
| 2010 | 2,048 | −1.7% | |
| 2020 | 1,918 | −6.3% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 1,834 | [8] | −4.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11] 1990–2000[12] 2010–2020[1] | |||
As of the2020 census, there were 1,918 people, 651 households, and 419 families residing in the county.[13] Thepopulation density was 1.5 inhabitants per square mile (0.58/km2). There were 775 housing units.
As of the2010 census, there were 2,048 people, 693 households, and 493 families in the county. The population density was 1.6 inhabitants per square mile (0.62/km2). There were 838 housing units at an average density of 0.6 units per square mile (0.23 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 54.1% American Indian, 39.7% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% wereGerman, 8.4% wereIrish, 6.1% wereEnglish, and 0.6% wereAmerican.
Of the 693 households, 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.9% were non-families, and 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.38. The median age was 34.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,055 and the median income for a family was $35,781. Males had a median income of $31,625 versus $30,956 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,971. About 23.4% of families and 27.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 40.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Like most of South Dakota, Mellette County is solidly Republican. It has not been carried by a Democrat sinceLyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide, althoughBarack Obama came within six votes of doing so in the 2012 election.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 0 | 0.00% | 320 | 53.96% | 273 | 46.04% |
| 1916 | 379 | 45.55% | 436 | 52.40% | 17 | 2.04% |
| 1920 | 533 | 63.53% | 261 | 31.11% | 45 | 5.36% |
| 1924 | 642 | 39.93% | 604 | 37.56% | 362 | 22.51% |
| 1928 | 943 | 50.13% | 927 | 49.28% | 11 | 0.58% |
| 1932 | 657 | 29.14% | 1,583 | 70.20% | 15 | 0.67% |
| 1936 | 711 | 46.56% | 808 | 52.91% | 8 | 0.52% |
| 1940 | 990 | 52.24% | 905 | 47.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 544 | 57.02% | 410 | 42.98% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 482 | 49.33% | 482 | 49.33% | 13 | 1.33% |
| 1952 | 787 | 69.40% | 347 | 30.60% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 643 | 55.29% | 520 | 44.71% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 774 | 60.28% | 510 | 39.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 525 | 44.38% | 658 | 55.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 611 | 55.70% | 407 | 37.10% | 79 | 7.20% |
| 1972 | 637 | 59.20% | 433 | 40.24% | 6 | 0.56% |
| 1976 | 508 | 53.53% | 429 | 45.21% | 12 | 1.26% |
| 1980 | 624 | 64.80% | 279 | 28.97% | 60 | 6.23% |
| 1984 | 616 | 66.45% | 303 | 32.69% | 8 | 0.86% |
| 1988 | 460 | 53.99% | 385 | 45.19% | 7 | 0.82% |
| 1992 | 417 | 49.58% | 277 | 32.94% | 147 | 17.48% |
| 1996 | 417 | 52.26% | 302 | 37.84% | 79 | 9.90% |
| 2000 | 495 | 67.53% | 222 | 30.29% | 16 | 2.18% |
| 2004 | 553 | 59.40% | 361 | 38.78% | 17 | 1.83% |
| 2008 | 445 | 52.79% | 373 | 44.25% | 25 | 2.97% |
| 2012 | 381 | 49.54% | 375 | 48.76% | 13 | 1.69% |
| 2016 | 402 | 58.86% | 238 | 34.85% | 43 | 6.30% |
| 2020 | 449 | 58.39% | 298 | 38.75% | 22 | 2.86% |
| 2024 | 434 | 58.65% | 285 | 38.51% | 21 | 2.84% |
Places adjacent to Mellette County, South Dakota | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofMellette County, South Dakota,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
| Town | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
