Perkins County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,835. Its county seat is Bison. The county was established in 1908 and organized in 1909. It was named for Sturgis, South Dakota, official Henry E. Perkins.

Geography

Perkins County lies on the north edge of South Dakota. Its north boundary line abuts the south boundary line of the state of North Dakota. The Grand River flows eastward through the upper part of the county, and the Moreau River flows eastward through the lower part of the county. Shadehill Reservoir is a large impoundment on the Grand River in the county.

Perkins County terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, carved by drainage creeks, sparsely dedicated to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east; its highest point is on its lower west boundary line, at 3,097 ft (944 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 2,890 square miles (7,500 km), of which 2,870 square miles (7,400 km) is land and 20 square miles (52 km) (0.7%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in South Dakota. Meade County is the state's largest county by area.

Perkins County came to media attention in 2009 when Stephen Von Worley calculated that it was the site of the "McFarthest Spot" — the point in the continental United States that is most distant from a McDonald's restaurant: 107 mi (172 km) as the crow flies and 145 mi (233 km) by car. However, it was updated in 2010 and the spot was updated to the middle of the Nevada Desert.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	11,348		—
1920	7,993		−29.6%
1930	8,717		9.1%
1940	6,585		−24.5%
1950	6,776		2.9%
1960	5,977		−11.8%
1970	4,769		−20.2%
1980	4,700		−1.4%
1990	3,932		−16.3%
2000	3,363		−14.5%
2010	2,982		−11.3%
2020	2,835		−4.9%
2023 (est.)	2,834		0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,835 people, 1,257 households, and 784 families residing in the county. The population density was 1.0 inhabitant per square mile (0.39/km). There were 1,710 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,982 people, 1,291 households, and 838 families in the county. The population density was 1.0 inhabitant per square mile (0.39/km). There were 1,739 housing units at an average density of 0.6 units per square mile (0.23 units/km). The racial makeup of the county was 96.9% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 47.4% were German, 26.2% were Norwegian, 10.8% were English, 8.7% were Irish, 8.4% were Swedish, and 5.8% were American.

Of the 1,291 households, 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.1% were non-families, and 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 48.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,361 and the median income for a family was $55,313. Males had a median income of $30,255 versus $27,361 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,780. About 11.2% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.6% of those under age 18 and 21.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Lemmon

Town

• Bison (county seat)

Census-designated place

• Prairie City

Unincorporated Communities

Ghost Towns

Townships

Unorganized territories

Politics

Like most of South Dakota, Perkins County is overwhelmingly Republican. No Democratic presidential candidate has won Perkins County since Franklin D. Roosevelt did so during his 46-state landslide in 1936. Jimmy Carter in 1976 came within 36 votes of carrying the county, but since then the only Democrat to gain even 29 percent of the county's vote has been Michael Dukakis during the drought-affected 1988 election.

United States presidential election results for Perkins County, South Dakota

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	1,401	83.94%	239	14.32%	29	1.74%
2016	1,333	83.00%	188	11.71%	85	5.29%
2012	1,205	75.79%	319	20.06%	66	4.15%
2008	1,102	65.36%	499	29.60%	85	5.04%
2004	1,329	73.30%	418	23.06%	66	3.64%
2000	1,237	76.64%	297	18.40%	80	4.96%
1996	983	58.10%	460	27.19%	249	14.72%
1992	872	43.80%	566	28.43%	553	27.77%
1988	1,326	60.36%	851	38.73%	20	0.91%
1984	1,686	69.93%	714	29.61%	11	0.46%
1980	1,931	72.73%	595	22.41%	129	4.86%
1976	1,298	50.08%	1,262	48.69%	32	1.23%
1972	1,691	65.09%	900	34.64%	7	0.27%
1968	1,498	60.38%	869	35.03%	114	4.59%
1964	1,409	52.89%	1,255	47.11%	0	0.00%
1960	1,767	60.29%	1,164	39.71%	0	0.00%
1956	1,743	59.41%	1,191	40.59%	0	0.00%
1952	2,160	71.78%	849	28.22%	0	0.00%
1948	1,424	55.04%	1,096	42.37%	67	2.59%
1944	1,325	57.11%	995	42.89%	0	0.00%
1940	1,777	57.36%	1,321	42.64%	0	0.00%
1936	1,408	41.11%	1,940	56.64%	77	2.25%
1932	1,406	40.90%	1,852	53.87%	180	5.24%
1928	2,262	68.57%	1,010	30.62%	27	0.82%
1924	1,421	59.21%	277	11.54%	702	29.25%
1920	1,326	60.41%	417	19.00%	452	20.59%
1916	890	45.41%	939	47.91%	131	6.68%
1912	0	0.00%	832	39.60%	1,269	60.40%

Education

School districts in the county include:

• Bison School District 52-1
• Faith School District 46-2
• Lemmon School District 52-4

See also

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