Mellette County, South Dakota

Geography

The White River flows eastward along the north boundary line of Mellette County. The Little 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. The terrain slopes to the northeast; its highest point is the SW corner at 2,779 ft ASL. The county has a total area of 1311 sqmi, of which 1307 sqmi is land and 3.6 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

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

Major highways

• [[Image:US 83.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 83
• [[Image:SD 44.svg|20px]] South Dakota Highway 44
• [[Image:SD 53.svg|20px]] South Dakota Highway 53
• [[Image:SD 63.svg|20px]] South Dakota Highway 63

Adjacent counties

• Jones County - north
• Lyman County - northeast
• Tripp County - east
• Todd County - south
• Bennett County - southwest (observes Mountain Time)
• Jackson County - west (observes Mountain Time)

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,918 people, 651 households, and 419 families residing in the county; the population density was 1.5 PD/sqmi and there were 775 housing units.

Of the residents, 33.0% were under the age of 18 and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.7 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 34.2% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% from some other race, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.

Of the 651 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 775 housing units, of which 16.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.8% were owner-occupied and 31.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.2%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,048 people, 693 households, and 493 families in the county. The population density was 1.6 PD/sqmi. There were 838 housing units at an average density of 0.6 /mi2. 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% were German, 8.4% were Irish, 6.1% were English, and 0.6% were American.

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 the poverty line, including 40.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• White River (county seat)

Town

• Wood

Census-designated places

• Corn Creek
• Horse Creek
• Norris

Unincorporated communities

• Mosher

Townships

• Bad Nation
• Blackpipe
• Butte
• Cody
• Fairview
• Mosher
• New Surprise Valley
• Norris
• Prospect
• Red Fish
• Ring Thunder
• Riverside
• Rocky Ford
• Rosebud
• Running Bird
• Surprise Valley

Unorganized territories

• Cedarbutte
• Central Mellette.

Politics

Like most of South Dakota, Mellette County is solidly Republican. It has not been carried by a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide, although Barack Obama came within six votes of doing so in the 2012 election.

References

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. (2006). "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". The [[Newberry Library]].
4. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mellette+County,+SD/@43.642496,-100.9881876,85227m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x877f7a91324218cb:0xef7b0ca79155d738!8m2!3d43.5169738!4d-100.7097867 ''Mellette County SD'' Google Maps (accessed February 7, 2019)]
5. ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 7, 2019)".
6. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
7. [http://www.timebie.com/us/south_dakota.php Map of Time Zone Line through South Dakota (accessed January 30, 2019)]
8. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024".
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
10. (2007). "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
11. Forstall, Richard L.. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
13. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau.
14. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
15. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau.
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
17. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".