Faulk County, South Dakota

Faulk County
County
Faulk County Courthouse in July 2013
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°04′N99°09′W / 45.07°N 99.15°W / 45.07; -99.15
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1873 (created) 1883 (organized)
Named for	Andrew Jackson Faulk
Seat	Faulkton
Largest city	Faulkton
Area
• Total	1,006 sq mi (2,610 km2)
• Land	982 sq mi (2,540 km2)
• Water	24 sq mi (60 km2)  2.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,125
• Estimate  (2023)	2,151
• Density	2.1/sq mi (0.82/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Faulk County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,125. ^[1] Its county seat is Faulkton. ^[2] The county was founded in 1873 and organized in 1883. ^[3] It is named for Andrew Jackson Faulk, the third Governor of Dakota Territory. ^[4]

Geography

The terrain of Faulk County consists of low rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture, sloping to the east. The highest point of the terrain is the county's SW corner, at 1,916 ft (584 m) ASL. ^[5] The county has a total area of 1,006 square miles (2,610 km²), of which 982 square miles (2,540 km²) is land and 24 square miles (62 km²) (2.4%) is water. ^[6]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 212
• South Dakota Highway 20
• South Dakota Highway 45
• South Dakota Highway 47

Adjacent counties

• Edmunds County – north
• Brown County – northeast
• Spink County – east
• Hand County – south
• Hyde County – southwest
• Potter County – west

Protected areas

• Lake Faulkton State Game Refuge
• Ingalls State Game Production Area
• Gerkin State Game Production Area & Wildlife Refuge
• Lake Faulkton State Game Production Area
• Lake Faulkton State Lakeside Use Area
• North Scatterwood Lake State Waterfowl Refuge
• Sprague State Game Production Area
• South Scatterwood State Game Production Area

Lakes

• Clark Lake
• Lake Creabard
• Lake Faulkton
• North Scatterwood Lake (partial)
• South Scatterwood Lake
• Zell Lake

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	4		—
1890	4,062		101,450.0%
1900	3,547		−12.7%
1910	6,716		89.3%
1920	6,442		−4.1%
1930	6,895		7.0%
1940	5,168		−25.0%
1950	4,752		−8.0%
1960	4,397		−7.5%
1970	3,893		−11.5%
1980	3,327		−14.5%
1990	2,744		−17.5%
2000	2,640		−3.8%
2010	2,364		−10.5%
2020	2,125		−10.1%
2023 (est.)	2,151	[7]	1.2%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,125 people, 761 households, and 476 families residing in the county. ^[12] The population density was 2.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.85/km²). There were 1,022 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,364 people, 869 households, and 532 families in the county. The population density was 2.4 inhabitants per square mile (0.93/km²). There were 1,136 housing units at an average density of 1.2 units per square mile (0.46 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.9% white, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.0% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 70.0% were German, 9.6% were Irish, 7.1% were English, 5.7% were Norwegian, and 4.3% were American.

Of the 869 households, 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.8% were non-families, and 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 46.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,203 and the median income for a family was $55,234. Males had a median income of $40,641 versus $23,571 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,898. About 14.4% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Faulkton (county seat)

Towns

• Chelsea
• Cresbard
• Onaka
• Orient
• Rockham
• Seneca

Census-designated places

• Blumengard Colony
• Brentwood Colony
• Evergreen Colony
• Thunderbird Colony

Unincorporated communities

• Miranda
• Norbeck
• Wecota
• Zell

Townships

• Arcade
• Bryant
• Centerville
• Clark
• Devoe
• Ellisville
• Elroy
• Emerson
• Enterprise
• Fairview
• Freedom
• Hillsdale
• Irving
• Lafoon
• Latham
• Myron
• O'Neil
• Orient
• Pioneer
• Pulaski
• Saratoga
• Seneca
• Sherman
• Tamworth
• Thirteen
• Union
• Wesley
• Zell

Politics

Faulk County voters have largely voted Republican for several decades. In only two national elections since 1944 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

United States presidential election results for Faulk County, South Dakota ^[13]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	920	81.42%	183	16.19%	27	2.39%
2020	964	81.56%	198	16.75%	20	1.69%
2016	858	76.74%	204	18.25%	56	5.01%
2012	765	67.88%	331	29.37%	31	2.75%
2008	739	62.00%	426	35.74%	27	2.27%
2004	945	69.03%	418	30.53%	6	0.44%
2000	904	68.02%	388	29.19%	37	2.78%
1996	726	52.27%	493	35.49%	170	12.24%
1992	658	45.89%	488	34.03%	288	20.08%
1988	842	53.94%	714	45.74%	5	0.32%
1984	1,124	65.89%	579	33.94%	3	0.18%
1980	1,300	66.84%	520	26.74%	125	6.43%
1976	868	44.81%	1,063	54.88%	6	0.31%
1972	1,004	50.07%	986	49.18%	15	0.75%
1968	997	49.48%	819	40.65%	199	9.88%
1964	974	44.29%	1,225	55.71%	0	0.00%
1960	1,240	54.31%	1,043	45.69%	0	0.00%
1956	1,260	52.17%	1,155	47.83%	0	0.00%
1952	1,619	68.69%	738	31.31%	0	0.00%
1948	1,054	51.49%	971	47.44%	22	1.07%
1944	1,090	54.88%	896	45.12%	0	0.00%
1940	1,431	54.41%	1,199	45.59%	0	0.00%
1936	1,111	43.48%	1,404	54.95%	40	1.57%
1932	1,141	38.94%	1,743	59.49%	46	1.57%
1928	1,907	62.46%	1,135	37.18%	11	0.36%
1924	1,112	56.08%	277	13.97%	594	29.95%
1920	1,341	65.51%	346	16.90%	360	17.59%
1916	759	52.89%	629	43.83%	47	3.28%
1912	0	0.00%	615	47.38%	683	52.62%
1908	835	62.55%	421	31.54%	79	5.92%
1904	727	75.41%	165	17.12%	72	7.47%
1900	618	65.05%	302	31.79%	30	3.16%
1896	430	64.08%	237	35.32%	4	0.60%
1892	473	63.75%	107	14.42%	162	21.83%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Faulk 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.  124.
5. ""Find at Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
7. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023". Census.gov . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
11. "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 24, 2015.
12. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
13. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 15, 2018.

45°04′N99°09′W / 45.07°N 99.15°W / 45.07; -99.15