Clark County, South Dakota

Clark County
County
Clark County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°52′N97°44′W / 44.86°N 97.73°W / 44.86; -97.73
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1873 (created) 1881 (organized)
Named for	Newton Clark
Seat	Clark
Largest city	Clark
Area
• Total	967 sq mi (2,500 km2)
• Land	958 sq mi (2,480 km2)
• Water	9.9 sq mi (26 km2)  1.0%
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,837
• Estimate  (2023)	3,948
• Density	4.0/sq mi (1.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large
Website	http://clark.sdcounties.org/

Clark County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,837. ^[1] Its county seat is Clark. ^[2] The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1881. ^[3] It was named for Newton Clark, a Dakota Territory legislator in 1873. ^{[4] [5]}

Geography

Clark County terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds especially in the east central portion. The area is mostly devoted to agriculture. ^[6] The county has a total area of 967 square miles (2,500 km²), of which 958 square miles (2,480 km²) is land and 9.9 square miles (26 km²) (1.0%) is water. ^[7]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 212
• South Dakota Highway 20
• South Dakota Highway 25
• South Dakota Highway 28

Adjacent counties

• Day County - north
• Codington County - east
• Hamlin County - southeast
• Kingsbury County - south
• Beadle County - southwest
• Spink County - west

Protected areas

• Christopherson State Public Shooting Area ^[8]
• Dry Lake Number Two State Public Shooting Area ^[9]
• Fordham State Public Shooting Area ^[10]
• McPeek State Public Shooting Area ^[11]
• Stairs Slough State Public Shooting Area ^[12]
• Willow Lake State Public Shooting Area ^[13]

Lakes and reservoirs

• Baileys Lake ^[14]
• Dry Lake Number One ^[15]
• Dry Lake Number Two ^[16]
• Mud Lake ^[17]
• Reid Lake ^[18]
• Swan Lake ^[19]
• Willow Lake ^[20]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	114		—
1890	6,728		5,801.8%
1900	6,942		3.2%
1910	10,901		57.0%
1920	11,136		2.2%
1930	11,022		−1.0%
1940	8,955		−18.8%
1950	8,369		−6.5%
1960	7,134		−14.8%
1970	5,515		−22.7%
1980	4,894		−11.3%
1990	4,403		−10.0%
2000	4,143		−5.9%
2010	3,691		−10.9%
2020	3,837		4.0%
2023 (est.)	3,948	[21]	2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [22] 1790-1960 [23] 1900-1990 [24] 1990-2000 [25] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,837 people, 1,361 households, and 853 families residing in the county. ^[26] The population density was 4.0 inhabitants per square mile (1.5/km²). There were 1,603 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,691 people, 1,445 households, and 929 families residing in the county. The population density was 3.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.5/km²). There were 1,710 housing units at an average density of 1.8 per square mile (0.69/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 52.0% were German, 29.4% were Norwegian, 9.7% were Irish, 7.8% were English, 5.4% were Swedish, and 3.5% were American.

Of the 1,445 households, 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.7% were non-families, and 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 45.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,894 and the median income for a family was $55,575. Males had a median income of $33,606 versus $24,952 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,909. About 7.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Clark (county seat)
• Willow Lake

Towns

• Bradley
• Garden City
• Naples
• Raymond
• Vienna

Census-designated place

• Collins Colony
• Crocker
• Fordham Colony
• Hillcrest Colony
• Mayfield Colony
• Silver Lake Colony

Unincorporated communities

• Carpenter
• Elrod

Townships

• Ash
• Blaine
• Collins
• Cottonwood
• Darlington
• Day
• Eden
• Fordham
• Foxton
• Garfield
• Hague
• Lake
• Lincoln
• Logan
• Maydell
• Merton
• Mount Pleasant
• Pleasant
• Raymond
• Richland
• Rosedale
• Spring Valley
• Thorp
• Warren
• Washington
• Woodland

Politics

Clark County is a reliable state bellwether, having voted for South Dakota's statewide winner in every presidential election since statehood, similar to Jackson County and Jones County. It is a strongly Republican county, having voted for the Republican candidate in presidential election since 1968.

United States presidential election results for Clark County, South Dakota ^[27]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,373	74.22%	437	23.62%	40	2.16%
2016	1,139	68.74%	398	24.02%	120	7.24%
2012	1,067	58.59%	713	39.15%	41	2.25%
2008	1,065	54.90%	830	42.78%	45	2.32%
2004	1,435	61.67%	875	37.60%	17	0.73%
2000	1,272	60.34%	791	37.52%	45	2.13%
1996	998	44.51%	956	42.64%	288	12.85%
1992	803	33.81%	799	33.64%	773	32.55%
1988	1,247	51.44%	1,164	48.02%	13	0.54%
1984	1,748	64.31%	960	35.32%	10	0.37%
1980	1,963	67.43%	774	26.59%	174	5.98%
1976	1,449	51.06%	1,376	48.48%	13	0.46%
1972	1,617	54.59%	1,336	45.10%	9	0.30%
1968	1,596	52.50%	1,325	43.59%	119	3.91%
1964	1,511	46.04%	1,771	53.96%	0	0.00%
1960	2,204	61.05%	1,406	38.95%	0	0.00%
1956	2,173	58.83%	1,521	41.17%	0	0.00%
1952	2,692	71.44%	1,076	28.56%	0	0.00%
1948	1,625	50.59%	1,559	48.54%	28	0.87%
1944	1,936	61.56%	1,209	38.44%	0	0.00%
1940	2,622	61.75%	1,624	38.25%	0	0.00%
1936	1,883	46.07%	2,036	49.82%	168	4.11%
1932	1,572	36.56%	2,649	61.60%	79	1.84%
1928	2,665	65.46%	1,370	33.65%	36	0.88%
1924	1,684	56.85%	325	10.97%	953	32.17%
1920	1,753	60.24%	437	15.02%	720	24.74%
1916	1,226	52.71%	1,016	43.68%	84	3.61%
1912	0	0.00%	668	38.48%	1,068	61.52%
1908	1,234	64.37%	557	29.06%	126	6.57%
1904	1,409	73.85%	276	14.47%	223	11.69%
1900	996	54.16%	752	40.89%	91	4.95%
1896	695	45.01%	816	52.85%	33	2.14%
1892	731	47.19%	197	12.72%	621	40.09%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Clark County, South Dakota

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p.  82.
5. Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 57.
6. Clark County SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
8. Christopherson State Public Shooting Area, Vienna SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
9. Dry Lake Number 2 State Public Shooting Area, Willow Lake SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
10. Fordham State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
11. McPeek State Public Shooting Area, Willow Lake SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
12. Stairs Slough State Public Shooting Area, Clark SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
13. Willow Lake State Public Shooting Area, Willow Lake SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
14. Baileys Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
15. Dry Lake Number One Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
16. Dry Lake Number Two Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
17. Mud Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
18. Reid Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
19. Swan Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)
20. Willow Lake SD Google Maps (accessedJanuary 31, 2019)
21. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023" . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
22. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
23. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
24. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". USCensus Bureau. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
25. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
26. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
27. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

44°52′N97°44′W / 44.86°N 97.73°W / 44.86; -97.73