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McPherson County, South Dakota

Coordinates: 45°46′N 99°13′W / 45.77°N 99.22°W / 45.77; -99.22
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McPherson County
County
McPherson County Courthouse
McPherson County Courthouse
Map of South Dakota highlighting McPherson County
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
Map of the United States highlighting South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°47′3.296″N 99°12′41.115″W / 45.78424889°N 99.21142083°W / 45.78424889; -99.21142083
Country United States
State South Dakota
FoundedJanuary 8, 1873 (created)
1884 (organized)
Named afterJames B. McPherson
SeatLeola
Largest cityEureka
Area
 • Total
1,151.535 sq mi (2,982.46 km2)
 • Land1,136.668 sq mi (2,943.96 km2)
 • Water14.867 sq mi (38.51 km2)  1.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
2,411
 • Estimate 
(2024)
2,307 Decrease
 • Density2.052/sq mi (0.792/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districtAt-large
Websitemcpherson.sdcounties.org

McPherson County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,411.[1] Its county seat is Leola.[2]

History

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The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1884.[3] It is named for American Civil War General James B. McPherson.[4]

Geography

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McPherson County lies on the north line of South Dakota. The north boundary line of McPherson County abuts the south boundary line of the state of North Dakota. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture, and dotted with small lakes and ponds.[5] The terrain generally slopes to the south and east.[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,151.535 square miles (2,982.46 km2), of which 1,136.668 square miles (2,943.96 km2) is land and 14.867 square miles (38.51 km2) (1.3%) is water.[7] It is the 24th largest county in South Dakota by total area.

The Samuel H. Ordway Jr., Memorial Prairie, a 7,800-acre (3,200 ha) grassland owned by The Nature Conservancy on the south side of South Dakota Highway 10 about 10 miles (16 km) west of Leola, is home to a bison herd.[8][9]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Protected areas

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Source:[5]

  • Elm Lake State Game Production Area
  • Moscow State Game Production Area
  • Morlock State Game Production Area
  • North Jackson State Game Production Area
  • Odessa State Game Production Area
  • Pfeiffle-Neuharth State Game Production Area
  • Rath State Game Production Area
  • Rosenthal State Game Production Area
  • Schock State Game Production Area
  • Schumacher State Game Production Area
  • Simpson State Game Production Area
  • School State Game Production Area
  • South Jackson State Game Production Area
  • Stout State Game Production Area
  • Wageman State Game Production Area
  • Wolff State Game Production Area

Lakes

[edit]

Source:[5]

  • Crompton Lake
  • Elm Lake (partial)
  • Eureka Lake
  • Feinstein Lake
  • Hausauer Lake
  • Heufel Lake
  • Klooz Lake
  • Long Lake

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18905,940—
19006,3276.5%
19106,7917.3%
19207,70513.5%
19308,77413.9%
19408,353−4.8%
19507,071−15.3%
19605,821−17.7%
19705,022−13.7%
19804,027−19.8%
19903,228−19.8%
20002,904−10.0%
20102,459−15.3%
20202,411−2.0%
2024 (est.)2,307[10]−4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13]
1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[15]

As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in McPherson County was $81,400.[16]

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 896 estimated households in McPherson County with an average of 2.25 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $62,024. Approximately 15.4% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. McPherson County has an estimated 59.8% employment rate, with 22.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 81.0% holding a high school diploma.[15]

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (83.4%), Spanish (0.8%), Indo-European (15.8%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.0%), and Other (0.0%).

The median age in the county was 48.8 years.

McPherson County, South Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 1980[17] Pop. 1990[18] Pop. 2000[19] Pop. 2010[20] Pop. 2020[21]
White alone (NH) 4,018
(99.78%)		 3,223
(99.85%)		 2,880
(99.17%)		 2,405
(97.80%)		 2,265
(93.94%)
Black or African American alone (NH) 0
(0.00%)		 1
(0.03%)		 0
(0.00%)		 1
(0.04%)		 3
(0.12%)
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 0
(0.00%)		 2
(0.06%)		 8
(0.28%)		 1
(0.04%)		 27
(1.12%)
Asian alone (NH) 1
(0.02%)		 2
(0.06%)		 4
(0.14%)		 4
(0.16%)		 3
(0.12%)
Pacific Islander alone (NH) — — 0
(0.00%)		 3
(0.12%)		 1
(0.04%)
Other race alone (NH) 6
(0.15%)		 0
(0.00%)		 0
(0.00%)		 0
(0.00%)		 0
(0.00%)
Mixed race or multiracial (NH) — — 6
(0.21%)		 20
(0.81%)		 59
(2.45%)
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2
(0.05%)		 0
(0.00%)		 6
(0.21%)		 25
(1.02%)		 53
(2.20%)
Total 4,027
(100.00%)		 3,228
(100.00%)		 2,904
(100.00%)		 2,459
(100.00%)		 2,411
(100.00%)

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, there were 2,411 people, 940 households, and 580 families residing in the county.[22] The population density was 2.1 inhabitants per square mile (0.8/km2). There were 1,258 housing units at an average density of 1.1 per square mile (0.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.36% White, 0.12% African American, 1.16% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from some other races and 2.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.20% of the population.[23]

2010 census

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As of the 2010 census, there were 2,459 people, 1,025 households, and 632 families in the county. The population density was 2.2 inhabitants per square mile (0.8/km2). There were 1,418 housing units at an average density of 1.2 per square mile (0.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.17% White, 0.04% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from some other races and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.02% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 74.5% were German, 17.7% were Russian, 7.3% were Norwegian, 6.7% were English, and 2.5% were American.

Of the 1,025 households, 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.3% were non-families, and 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.66. The median age was 50.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,923 and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $31,953 versus $27,941 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,255. About 12.5% of families and 16.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.3% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

[edit]

Source:[5]

  • Greenway
  • Long Lake Colony
  • Madra (partial)

Townships

[edit]

Politics

[edit]

Except during the 1924, 1928 and 1932 elections when anti-Prohibition sentiment by the county's German Lutheran populace turned the county against Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, McPherson County has been among the most overwhelmingly Republican jurisdictions in the country. Apart from these anomalous elections, the free silver-influenced 1896 election, and the 1936 Democratic landslide in the aftermath of Prohibition, the best performance by any Democrat has been Barack Obama’s 32 percent in 2008. In 1968[24] and 1980[25] McPherson was among the five most Republican counties in the country, and in 1964 it was rivalled only by neighbouring Campbell County and the famous Republican bastions of Hooker County, Nebraska and Jackson County, Kentucky as Barry Goldwater’s best county outside the former Confederacy.

United States presidential election results for McPherson County, South Dakota[26]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 1,087 83.68% 188 14.47% 24 1.85%
2020 1,075 81.19% 222 16.77% 27 2.04%
2016 892 78.45% 192 16.89% 53 4.66%
2012 921 75.80% 272 22.39% 22 1.81%
2008 915 66.55% 441 32.07% 19 1.38%
2004 1,180 74.73% 369 23.37% 30 1.90%
2000 1,073 75.72% 295 20.82% 49 3.46%
1996 1,080 62.25% 463 26.69% 192 11.07%
1992 945 53.94% 478 27.28% 329 18.78%
1988 1,358 70.14% 571 29.49% 7 0.36%
1984 1,813 81.08% 418 18.69% 5 0.22%
1980 2,056 85.60% 287 11.95% 59 2.46%
1976 1,662 70.22% 693 29.28% 12 0.51%
1972 1,950 76.92% 579 22.84% 6 0.24%
1968 2,105 80.34% 389 14.85% 126 4.81%
1964 1,891 72.34% 723 27.66% 0 0.00%
1960 2,354 79.26% 616 20.74% 0 0.00%
1956 2,225 77.85% 633 22.15% 0 0.00%
1952 2,915 86.99% 436 13.01% 0 0.00%
1948 2,034 76.24% 611 22.90% 23 0.86%
1944 2,290 84.81% 410 15.19% 0 0.00%
1940 2,839 77.46% 826 22.54% 0 0.00%
1936 1,921 54.81% 1,556 44.39% 28 0.80%
1932 606 18.35% 2,650 80.25% 46 1.39%
1928 1,234 45.52% 1,468 54.15% 9 0.33%
1924 833 28.83% 94 3.25% 1,962 67.91%
1920 1,470 72.92% 112 5.56% 434 21.53%
1916 992 80.06% 224 18.08% 23 1.86%
1912 0 0.00% 327 32.86% 668 67.14%
1908 785 81.86% 157 16.37% 17 1.77%
1904 727 77.84% 144 15.42% 63 6.75%
1900 898 74.15% 297 24.53% 16 1.32%
1896 512 58.25% 361 41.07% 6 0.68%
1892 487 50.52% 221 22.93% 256 26.56%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  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 30, 2015.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. US Government Printing Office. p. 195.
  5. ^ a b c d "McPherson County · South Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  6. ^ ""Find an Elevation" Google Maps (accessed February 6, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "2024 County Gazetteer Files – South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  8. ^ Grove, Noel (December 1988). "Quietly Conserving Nature". National Geographic. 174 (6): 841.
  9. ^ "Samuel H. Ordway, Jr., Memorial Prairie". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
  10. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  11. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  13. ^ Forstall, Richard L. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 19, 1999. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  15. ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: McPherson County, South Dakota". www.census.gov. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  16. ^ "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  17. ^ "McPherson County, South Dakota — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  18. ^ "McPherson County, South Dakota — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  19. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – McPherson County, South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  20. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – McPherson County, South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  21. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – McPherson County, South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  22. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  23. ^ "How many people live in McPherson County, South Dakota". USA Today. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  24. ^ David Leip. "1968 Presidential Election Statistics". US Election Atlas. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  25. ^ David Leip. "1980 Presidential Election Statistics". US Election Atlas. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  26. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 15, 2018.

45°46′N 99°13′W / 45.77°N 99.22°W / 45.77; -99.22

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