Day County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,449. Its county seat is Webster. The county is named for Merritt H. Day, pioneer and 1879 Dakota Territory legislator.<Legislative Manual 2005, p. 596
Geography
The terrain of Day County consists of rolling hills, partly devoted to agriculture. It is dotted with numerous lakes and ponds, especially its eastern portion. The terrain slopes to the west; its highest point is the northeast corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.8%) is water.
Lakes
Amsden Antelope Bitter Blue Dog Enemy Swim Horseshoe Lynn Minnewaste Pickerel Lake Reetz Rush Sweetwater Waubay
Major highways U.S. Highway 12 South Dakota Highway 25 South Dakota Highway 27
Adjacent counties
Marshall County – north Roberts County – east Grant County – southeast Codington County – southeast Clark County – south Spink County – southwest Brown County – west
Protected areas
Buchner Slough State Public Shooting AreaBuchner Slough State Public Shooting Area, Webster SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Holmquist Slough State Public Shooting AreaHolmquist Slough State Public Shooting Area, Webster SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Lily State Public Shooting AreaLily State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Myland Pass State Public Shooting AreaMyland Pass State Public Shooting Area, Webster SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Nelson Slough State Public Shooting AreaNelson Slough State Public Shooting Area, Webster SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Pickerel Lake State Recreation AreaPickerel Lake State Recreation Area Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Pierpont Lake Recreation AreaPierpont Lake Recreation Area, Pierpont SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Waubay National Wildlife Refuge
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 5,449 people, 2,370 households, and 1,451 families residing in the county. The population density was .
Of the residents, 23.1% were under the age of 18 and 26.3% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 47.2 years. For every 100 females there were 103.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.7 males.
There were 2,370 households in the county, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 22.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 3,395 housing units, of which 30.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.8% were owner-occupied and 22.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.1%.
The racial makeup of the county was 84.9% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 9.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.8% of the population.
The median income for a household in the county was $57,558 and the median income for a family was $76,583. About 13.1% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 5,710 people, 2,504 households, and 1,561 families in the county. The population density was . There were 3,630 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% white, 9.5% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 43.8% were German, 25.1% were Norwegian, 12.8% were Polish, 8.8% were Irish, and 6.1% were American.
Of the 2,504 households, 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.7% were non-families, and 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 47.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,818 and the median income for a family was $47,949. Males had a median income of $36,549 versus $25,750 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,542. About 10.7% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities Cities Bristol Waubay Webster (county seat)
Towns
Andover Butler Grenville Pierpont Roslyn
Census-designated place Enemy Swim
Unincorporated communities
AmsdenAmsden, Groton SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019) Crandall Holmquist Lily
Townships
Andover Bristol Butler Central Point Egeland Farmington Grenville Highland Homer Independence Kidder Kosciusko Liberty Lynn Morton Nutley Oak Gulch Racine Raritan Rusk Scotland Troy Union Valley Waubay Webster Wheatland York
Politics Day County voters have tended to vote Democratic for the past several decades. Since 1948 the county has selected the Democratic Party candidate in 71% of national elections. However, the county swung hard to Donald Trump in 2016, and in 2020 Trump posted the best percentage in the county by a Republican presidential candidate since Theodore Roosevelt in 1904.
See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Day County, South Dakota Historic Mapworks: Day County 1929 Township Maps
References
External links Day County, South Dakota website