Hughes County, South Dakota

Hughes County, South Dakota
Hughes County Courthouse in Pierre
Location in the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	1880
Seat	Pierre
Largest city	Pierre
Area
• Total	801 sq mi (2,075 km^2)
• Land	742 sq mi (1,922 km^2)
• Water	59 sq mi (153 km^2), 7.4%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	17,555
• Density	23/sq mi (9/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.hughescounty.org

Hughes County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,022, making it the least populous capital county in the nation.^[1] Its county seat is Pierre,^[2] the state capital. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1880.^[3] It was named for Alexander Hughes, a legislator.^[4]

Hughes County is part of the Pierre, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 801 square miles (2,070 km²), of which 742 square miles (1,920 km²) is land and 59 square miles (150 km²) (7.4%) is water.^[5]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 14
• U.S. Highway 83
• South Dakota Highway 34
• South Dakota Highway 1804

Airport

Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) serves Hughes county and the surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties

• Sully County, South Dakota - north
• Hyde County, South Dakota - east
• Lyman County, South Dakota - south
• Stanley County, South Dakota - west

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	268		—
1890	5,044		1,782.1%
1900	3,684		−27.0%
1910	6,271		70.2%
1920	5,711		−8.9%
1930	7,009		22.7%
1940	6,624		−5.5%
1950	8,111		22.4%
1960	12,725		56.9%
1970	11,632		−8.6%
1980	14,220		22.2%
1990	14,817		4.2%
2000	16,481		11.2%
2010	17,022		3.3%
Est. 2015	17,555	[6]	3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7] 1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9] 1990-2000[10] 2010-2015[1]

2000 census

As of the census^[11] of 2000, there were 16,481 people, 6,512 households, and 4,310 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 7,055 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.91% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 8.70% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 1.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,512 households out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.80% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.80% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,970, and the median income for a family was $51,235. Males had a median income of $32,228 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,689. About 6.00% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.80% of those under age 18 and 10.90% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,022 people, 7,066 households, and 4,435 families residing in the county.^[12] The population density was 23.0 inhabitants per square mile (8.9/km²). There were 7,623 housing units at an average density of 10.3 per square mile (4.0/km²).^[13] The racial makeup of the county was 85.7% white, 10.5% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population.^[12] In terms of ancestry, 42.7% were German, 12.4% were Norwegian, 9.8% were Irish, 9.7% were English, and 3.8% were American.^[14]

Of the 7,066 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 39.8 years.^[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $53,501 and the median income for a family was $70,881. Males had a median income of $42,701 versus $32,265 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,236. About 7.1% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.^[15]

Politics

Presidential election results

Year	GOP	DEM	Others
2012	64.0% 5,219	34.2% 2,786	1.8% 150
2008	62.6% 5,298	35.9% 3,037	1.6% 133
2004	68.1% 6,017	30.5% 2,697	1.4% 121
2000	68.9% 5,188	29.4% 2,212	1.8% 134
1996	56.8% 4,469	35.4% 2,788	7.7% 611
1992	53.3% 4,325	31.7% 2,578	15.0% 1,218
1988	61.1% 4,545	38.3% 2,853	0.6% 44
1984	70.3% 4,985	29.2% 2,072	0.5% 32
1980	66.0% 4,652	24.8% 1,751	9.2% 645
1976	61.2% 3,997	38.3% 2,506	0.5% 33
1972	67.4% 4,231	32.4% 2,037	0.2% 14
1968	61.5% 3,204	32.0% 1,666	6.6% 343
1964	51.2% 2,732	48.8% 2,606	0.0% 0
1960	62.0% 3,320	38.0% 2,036	0.0% 0

Hughes is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and Congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won 64% of the county's vote.

In the South Dakota Senate Hughes is part of the 24th Senate district, which is held by Republican Bob Gray. In the State House Hughes is part of district 24, which is held by Republicans Tad Perry and Mark Venner.

Communities

Cities

• Blunt
• Pierre (county seat)

Town

• Harrold

Unincorporated communities

• Canning

Townships

The county is divided into two townships: Raber and Valley.

Unorganized territories

The county contains three areas of unorganized territory: West Hughes, North Hughes, and Crow Creek.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Hughes County, South Dakota

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
3. "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 162.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
6. "County Totals Dataset: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
9. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
11. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
12. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
13. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
14. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
15. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2016-03-12.

Coordinates: 44°23′N 99°59′W / 44.39°N 99.99°W