Minnehaha County, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minnehaha County
U.S. county
Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1862 (created) 1868 (organized)
Named for	"rapid water"
Seat	Sioux Falls
Largest city	Sioux Falls
Area
• Total	814 sq mi (2,110 km2)
• Land	807 sq mi (2,090 km2)
• Water	6.7 sq mi (17 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	197,214
• Estimate  (2023)	206,930
• Density	239/sq mi (92/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Minnehaha County is a county on the eastern border of the state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 197,214, making it the state's most populous county. It contains over 20% of the state's population. Its county seat is Sioux Falls, South Dakota's most populous city. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1868. Its name was derived from the Sioux word Mnihaha, meaning "rapid water," or "waterfall" (often incorrectly translated as "laughing water").

Minnehaha County is part of the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, the state's largest.

Geography

The falls of the Big Sioux River at Falls Park

County Administration Building

Minnehaha County lies on the east side of South Dakota. Its eastern boundary abuts Minnesota as well as the northern and western boundaries of Iowa. The Big Sioux River flows south-southeast through the east central part of the county. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, devoted to agriculture except around built-up areas, and dotted with lakes and ponds in its western portion. Its terrain generally slopes southward, and the east and west edges slope to the river valley through the center of the county. Its highest point is in the northwest corner, at 1,752 ft (534 m) ASL.

Minnehaha County has an area of 814 square miles (2,110 km²), of which 807 square miles (2,090 km²) is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km²) (0.8%) is water.

Major highways

Transit

• Jefferson Lines at Sioux Falls Bus Station
• Sioux Area Metro

Airports

• Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD)
• Wheelborg Landing Field, a small airport in Dell Rapids

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes, rivers and streams

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 197,214 people, 78,715 households, and 48,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 244.4 inhabitants per square mile (94.4/km²). There were 83,717 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 169,468 people, 67,028 households, and 42,052 families in the county. The population density was 210.0 inhabitants per square mile (81.1/km²). There were 71,557 housing units at an average density of 88.7 per square mile (34.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% white, 3.8% Black or African American, 2.5% American Indian, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.8% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 43.8% were German, 17.7% were Norwegian, 11.6% were Irish, 6.8% were Dutch, 6.3% were English, and 3.2% were American.

Of the 67,028 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.3% were non-families, and 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 34.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,799 and the median income for a family was $64,645. Males had a median income of $40,187 versus $31,517 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,392. About 6.9% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

• Humboldt
• Sherman

Census-designated places

• Anderson
• Lyons
• Meadow View Addition
• Pine Lakes Addition
• Renner Corner
• Rowena

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Historical townsites

Sign marking the site of the former town of East Sioux Falls

• East Sioux Falls
• Eminija
• South Sioux Falls
• West Sioux Falls
• Wingert

Education

School districts in the county include:

Various rural schools operated in the county's history.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Minnehaha para niños