Corson County, South Dakota

Geography

Corson County lies on the north line of South Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state of North Dakota. The Missouri River flows south-southeastward along its eastern boundary line. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills. A portion of the land is dedicated to agriculture. The Grand River flows eastward through the central part of the county to discharge into the river, and Standing Cloud Creek flows eastward through the county's lower SW area. The terrain generally slopes to the east and south; its highest point is near its NW corner, at 2,582 ft ASL.

Corson County has a total area of 2530 sqmi, of which 2470 sqmi is land and 60 sqmi (2.4%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county in South Dakota by area. The entire county lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, which also includes Sioux, Ziebach, and Dewey counties.

The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observe Central Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observe Mountain Time. Corson County is the easternmost of the SD counties to observe Mountain Time.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 12.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 12
• [[Image:SD 20.svg|20px]] South Dakota Highway 20
• [[Image:SD 63.svg|20px]] South Dakota Highway 63
• [[Image:SD 65.svg|20px]] South Dakota Highway 65
• [[Image:SD 1806.svg|23px]] South Dakota Highway 1806

Adjacent counties

• Sioux County, North Dakota – north (eastern half of county observes Central Time)
• Campbell County – east (observes Central Time)
• Walworth County – southeast (observes Central Time)
• Dewey County – south
• Ziebach County – southwest
• Perkins County – west
• Adams County, North Dakota – northwest

Protected areas

• Grand River National Grassland (partial)
• C.C. Lee State Game Production Area

Lakes

• Mallard
• McGee
• McIntosh
• Morristown East
• Morristown West
• Lake Oahe (part)
• Pudwell
• Trail City

Rivers and Streams

• Missouri River
• Grand River
• White Shirt Creek
• Hump Creek
• Stink Creek
• Black Horse Butte Creek
• Soldier Creek
• Firesteel Creek
• Oak Creek
• Rock Creek
• Cottonwood Creek
• High Bank Creek

Peaks

• Hump Butte
• Black Horse Butte
• Rattlesnake Butte
• Elk Butte

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,902 people, 1,196 households, and 825 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 34.6% were under the age of 18 and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 30.5 years. For every 100 females there were 104.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 105.6 males. The population density was 1.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,362 housing units, of which 12.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.0% were owner-occupied and 44.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.0%. The racial makeup of the county was 24.5% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 70.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from some other race, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.2% of the population. Of the 1,196 households, 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,050 people, 1,260 households, and 939 families in the county. The population density was 1.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,540 housing units at an average density of 0.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 67.0% American Indian, 29.7% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry,

Of the 1,260 households, 45.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 21.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.5% were non-families, and 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.73. The median age was 29.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,877 and the median income for a family was $36,500. Males had a median income of $32,037 versus $23,167 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,359. About 24.1% of families and 35.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.7% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• McIntosh (county seat)
• McLaughlin

Town

• Morristown

Census-designated places

• Bullhead
• Kenel
• Little Eagle
• Wakpala

Unincorporated communities

• Athboy
• Black Horse
• Jeffrey
• Keldron
• Mahto
• Maple Leaf
• Miscol
• Snake Creek
• Thunder Hawk
• Trail City
• Walker
• Watauga

Townships

• Custer
• Delaney
• Lake
• Mission
• Pleasant Ridge
• Prairie View
• Ridgeland
• Rolling Green
• Sherman
• Wakpala
• Watauga

Unorganized territories

• Central Corson
• Lemmon No. 2
• Northeast Corson
• West Corson

Politics

In the 2020 presidential election, Corson County was the county or equivalent with the highest percentage of Native Americans which Donald Trump won, after Joe Biden flipped Ziebach County.

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Corson+County,+SD/@45.9200417,-101.5863509,4226m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x532994c24e16086f:0xc16bb52716a86829!8m2!3d45.7623333!4d-101.690976 ''Corson County SD'' Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)]
4. ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)".
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. [http://www.timebie.com/us/south_dakota.php Map of Time Zone Line through South Dakota (accessed January 30, 2019)]
7. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024".
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
9. (2007). "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
10. Forstall, Richard L.. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
14. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Miscol,+SD+57633/@45.6769382,-101.1711169,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x532994c24e16086f:0xc16bb52716a86829!2sCorson+County,+SD!3b1!8m2!3d45.7623333!4d-101.690976!3m4!1s0x5329ff4b868899df:0x97381f42d2adde2!8m2!3d45.6769215!4d-101.1624527 ''Miscol SD'' Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)]
15. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".