Clark County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,837. Its county seat is Clark. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1881. It was named for Newton Clark, a Dakota Territory legislator in 1873.

Geography Clark County terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds especially in the east central portion. The area is mostly devoted to agriculture.Clark County SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 212 South Dakota Highway 20 South Dakota Highway 25 South Dakota Highway 28

Adjacent counties

Day County – north Codington County – east Hamlin County – southeast Kingsbury County – south Beadle County – southwest Spink County – west

Protected areas

Christopherson State Public Shooting AreaChristopherson State Public Shooting Area, Vienna SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Dry Lake Number Two State Public Shooting AreaDry Lake Number 2 State Public Shooting Area, Willow Lake SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Fordham State Public Shooting AreaFordham State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) McPeek State Public Shooting AreaMcPeek State Public Shooting Area, Willow Lake SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Stairs Slough State Public Shooting AreaStairs Slough State Public Shooting Area, Clark SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Willow Lake State Public Shooting AreaWillow Lake State Public Shooting Area, Willow Lake SD Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019)

Lakes and reservoirs

Baileys LakeBaileys Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Dry Lake Number OneDry Lake Number One Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Dry Lake Number TwoDry Lake Number Two Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Mud LakeMud Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Reid LakeReid Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Swan LakeSwan Lake Google Maps (accessed January 31, 2019) Willow LakeWillow Lake SD Google Maps (accessedJanuary 31, 2019)

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 3,837 people, 1,361 households, and 853 families residing in the county. Of the residents, 27.6% were under the age of 18 and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.8 years. For every 100 females there were 105.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.4 males.

The population density was . There were 1,603 housing units, of which 15.1% were vacant; among occupied housing units, 76.6% were owner-occupied and 23.4% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 1.1% and a rental vacancy rate of 5.1%.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 1.7% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.4% of the population.

Of the 1,361 households, 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 20.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 3,691 people, 1,445 households, and 929 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,710 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 52.0% were German, 29.4% were Norwegian, 9.7% were Irish, 7.8% were English, 5.4% were Swedish, and 3.5% were American.

Of the 1,445 households, 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.7% were non-families, and 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 45.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,894 and the median income for a family was $55,575. Males had a median income of $33,606 versus $24,952 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,909. About 7.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities Cities Clark (county seat) Willow Lake

Towns

Bradley Garden City Naples Raymond Vienna

Census-designated place Collins Colony Crocker Fordham Colony Hillcrest Colony Mayfield Colony Silver Lake Colony

Unincorporated communities Carpenter Elrod

Townships

Ash Blaine Collins Cottonwood Darlington Day Eden Fordham Foxton Garfield Hague Lake Lincoln Logan Maydell Merton Mount Pleasant Pleasant Raymond Richland Rosedale Spring Valley Thorp Warren Washington Woodland

Politics Clark County is a strongly Republican county. The last time it voted Democratic was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Education School districts include: - Text list

Clark School District 12-2 De Smet School District 38-2 Doland School District 56-2 Groton Area School District 06-6 Hamlin School District 28-3 Henry School District 14-2 Webster School District 18-5 Willow Lake School District 12-3

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Clark County, South Dakota

References