Hanson County, South Dakota

Hanson County, South Dakota
Location in the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	1873
Seat	Alexandria
Largest city	Alexandria
Area
• Total	435 sq mi (1,127 km2)
• Land	435 sq mi (1,127 km2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2 km2), 0.2%
Population
• (2010)	3,331
• Density	7.7/sq mi (3/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Hanson County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,331. Its county seat is Alexandria. The county was founded in 1871 and organized in 1873. It was named for Joseph R. Hanson, clerk of the first legislature.

Hanson County is part of the Mitchell, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 435 square miles (1,130 km²), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) (0.2%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in South Dakota by area.

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• South Dakota Highway 25
• South Dakota Highway 38
• South Dakota Highway 42
• South Dakota Highway 262

Adjacent counties

• Miner County, South Dakota - north
• McCook County, South Dakota - east
• Hutchinson County, South Dakota - south
• Davison County, South Dakota - west
• Sanborn County, South Dakota - northwest

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	1,301		—
1890	4,267		228.0%
1900	4,947		15.9%
1910	6,237		26.1%
1920	6,202		−0.6%
1930	6,131		−1.1%
1940	5,400		−11.9%
1950	4,896		−9.3%
1960	4,584		−6.4%
1970	3,781		−17.5%
1980	3,415		−9.7%
1990	2,994		−12.3%
2000	3,139		4.8%
2010	3,331		6.1%
Est. 2014	3,419		2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,139 people, 1,115 households, and 848 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 1,218 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.52% White, 0.10% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.03% from other races, and 0.19% from two or more races. 0.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Hanson County was mentioned as an "Extreme Whitopia" in Rich Benjamin's book, Searching for Whitopia.

There were 1,115 households out of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.40% were married couples living together, 3.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.90% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county, the population was spread out with 29.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 26.10% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $33,049, and the median income for a family was $39,500. Males had a median income of $27,112 versus $20,216 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,778. About 12.50% of families and 16.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.30% of those under age 18 and 15.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Alexandria (county seat)
• Emery

Towns

• Farmer
• Fulton

Unincorporated community

• Rockport Colony

Townships

The county is divided into twelve townships:

• Beulah
• Edgerton
• Emery
• Fairview
• Hanson
• Jasper
• Plano
• Rosedale
• Springlake
• Taylor
• Wayne
• Worthen

See also

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