Potter County, South Dakota

Potter County
County
Potter County Courthouse (July 2013)
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°04′N99°57′W / 45.06°N 99.95°W / 45.06; -99.95
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1873 (created) 1883 (organized)
Named for	Joel A. Potter
Seat	Gettysburg
Largest city	Gettysburg
Area
• Total	899 sq mi (2,330 km2)
• Land	861 sq mi (2,230 km2)
• Water	38 sq mi (100 km2)  4.2%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,472
• Estimate  (2023)	2,413
• Density	2.7/sq mi (1.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Potter County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,472. ^[1] Its county seat is Gettysburg. ^[2] The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1883. ^[3]

Geography

The Missouri River flows southward along the west boundary line of Potter County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture. ^[4] The county generally slopes to the south, although the western portion slopes into the river valley. ^[5] The county has a total area of 899 square miles (2,330 km²), of which 861 square miles (2,230 km²) is land and 38 square miles (98 km²) (4.2%) is water. ^[6]

The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observe Central Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observe Mountain Time. Potter County is the westernmost of the SD counties to observe Central Time. ^[7]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 83
• U.S. Highway 212
• South Dakota Highway 20
• South Dakota Highway 47
• South Dakota Highway 1804

Adjacent counties

• Walworth County - north
• Edmunds County - northeast
• Faulk County - east
• Hyde County - southeast
• Sully County - south
• Dewey County - west (observes Mountain Time)

Protected areas ^[4]

• Dodge Draw State Game Production Area
• Dodge Draw State Lakeside Use Area
• East Whitlock State Lakeside Use Area
• Forest City State Game Production Area
• Green Lake State Game Production Area
• Potts Dam State Game Production Area
• Siebrasse State Game Production Area
• West Whitlock State Recreation Area
• Whitlocks Bay State Game Production Area

Lakes ^[4]

• Green Lake
• Lake Hurley
• Lake Oahe (part)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	2,910		—
1900	2,988		2.7%
1910	4,466		49.5%
1920	4,382		−1.9%
1930	5,762		31.5%
1940	4,614		−19.9%
1950	4,688		1.6%
1960	4,926		5.1%
1970	4,449		−9.7%
1980	3,674		−17.4%
1990	3,190		−13.2%
2000	2,693		−15.6%
2010	2,329		−13.5%
2020	2,472		6.1%
2023 (est.)	2,413	[8]	−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11] 1990-2000 [12] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,472 people, 1,127 households, and 753 families residing in the county. ^[13] The population density was 2.9 inhabitants per square mile (1.1/km²). There were 1,569 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,329 people, 1,062 households, and 648 families in the county. The population density was 2.7 inhabitants per square mile (1.0/km²). There were 1,500 housing units at an average density of 1.7 units per square mile (0.66 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 65.3% were German, 11.1% were Irish, 8.2% were Norwegian, 8.0% were English, and 3.9% were American.

Of the 1,062 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.0% were non-families, and 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age was 50.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,422 and the median income for a family was $53,214. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $29,792 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,986. About 5.4% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Gettysburg (county seat)

Towns

• Hoven
• Lebanon
• Tolstoy

Unincorporated area ^[4]

• Forest City

Townships

The county has no organized townships. It is divided into three areas of unorganized territory: West Potter, Central Potter, and East Potter.

Politics

Like most of South Dakota outside of Native American counties, Potter County has been predominantly Republican throughout most of the state's history. Only three Democrats – William Jennings Bryan, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson – have carried the county as of 2024, and since Jimmy Carter in 1976 no Democrat has passed forty percent of the county's vote.

United States presidential election results for Potter County, South Dakota ^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	1,059	81.59%	214	16.49%	25	1.93%
2020	1,139	82.54%	227	16.45%	14	1.01%
2016	1,071	80.10%	215	16.08%	51	3.81%
2012	1,029	74.51%	339	24.55%	13	0.94%
2008	937	65.07%	482	33.47%	21	1.46%
2004	1,143	70.64%	463	28.62%	12	0.74%
2000	1,112	74.43%	356	23.83%	26	1.74%
1996	979	57.52%	534	31.37%	189	11.10%
1992	901	50.67%	493	27.73%	384	21.60%
1988	1,175	62.07%	701	37.03%	17	0.90%
1984	1,551	76.22%	482	23.69%	2	0.10%
1980	1,633	75.29%	436	20.10%	100	4.61%
1976	1,136	55.36%	908	44.25%	8	0.39%
1972	1,389	61.65%	858	38.08%	6	0.27%
1968	1,273	57.81%	780	35.42%	149	6.77%
1964	954	43.09%	1,260	56.91%	0	0.00%
1960	1,326	56.91%	1,004	43.09%	0	0.00%
1956	1,445	63.16%	843	36.84%	0	0.00%
1952	1,625	73.73%	579	26.27%	0	0.00%
1948	1,044	49.69%	1,039	49.45%	18	0.86%
1944	1,001	58.27%	717	41.73%	0	0.00%
1940	1,278	54.80%	1,054	45.20%	0	0.00%
1936	914	39.64%	1,338	58.02%	54	2.34%
1932	660	28.09%	1,668	70.98%	22	0.94%
1928	1,240	52.77%	1,100	46.81%	10	0.43%
1924	1,075	59.82%	283	15.75%	439	24.43%
1920	1,073	72.30%	255	17.18%	156	10.51%
1916	512	54.58%	408	43.50%	18	1.92%
1912	0	0.00%	423	46.95%	478	53.05%
1908	614	58.09%	400	37.84%	43	4.07%
1904	525	62.80%	275	32.89%	36	4.31%
1900	375	47.95%	381	48.72%	26	3.32%
1896	333	45.74%	390	53.57%	5	0.69%
1892	320	51.12%	57	9.11%	249	39.78%

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Potter County, South Dakota
• Herman Malchow

45°04′N99°57′W / 45.06°N 99.95°W / 45.06; -99.95

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. 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 31, 2015.
4. "Potter County · South Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
5. ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 8, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
7. Map of Time Zone Line through South Dakota (accessed January 30, 2019)
8. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2023" . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
11. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
12. "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 28, 2015.
13. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
14. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 15, 2018.