Pennington County, South Dakota Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Pennington County
U.S. county
Pennington County Courthouse in Rapid City
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	1875 (created) 1877 (organized)
Named for	John L. Pennington
Seat	Rapid City
Largest city	Rapid City
Area
• Total	2,784 sq mi (7,210 km²)
• Land	2,777 sq mi (7,190 km²)
• Water	7.7 sq mi (20 km²) 0.3%
Population (2020)
• Total	109,222
• Estimate (2021)	111,806
• Density	40/sq mi (20/km²)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Pennington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 109,222, making it the second-most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Rapid City. The county was created in 1875, and was organized in 1877. It is named for John L. Pennington, fifth Governor of Dakota Territory, who held office in 1875 when the county was formed.

Pennington County is included in the Rapid City, SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also the location of Mount Rushmore.

Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Search and rescue
Communities
See also

Geography

Extinct Mesohippus horse, found in Pennington County, on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,784 square miles (7,210 km²), of which 2,777 square miles (7,190 km²) is land and 7.7 square miles (20 km²) (0.3%) is water. It is the third-largest county in South Dakota by area. Mount Rushmore National Memorial lies in the county. Black Elk Peak, South Dakota's highest mountain, is located in the county. At 7,242 feet (2,208 m) it is the highest natural point between the Rocky Mountains and the French Alps. Part of Badlands National Park lies within the county. The park also extends into neighboring Oglala Lakota and Jackson counties.

Major highways

Interstate 90
U.S. Highway 14
U.S. Highway 16
U.S. Highway 16A
U.S. Highway 385
South Dakota Highway 40
South Dakota Highway 44
South Dakota Highway 240
South Dakota Highway 244

Adjacent counties

Meade County, South Dakota – north
Haakon County, South Dakota – northeast
Jackson County, South Dakota – southeast
Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota – south
Custer County, South Dakota – southwest
Weston County, Wyoming – west
Lawrence County, South Dakota – northwest

National protected areas

Badlands National Park (part)
Black Hills National Forest (part)
Buffalo Gap National Grassland (part)
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site (part)
Mount Rushmore National Memorial

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	2,244	—
1890	6,540	191.4%
1900	5,610	−14.2%
1910	12,453	122.0%
1920	12,720	2.1%
1930	20,079	57.9%
1940	23,799	18.5%
1950	34,053	43.1%
1960	58,195	70.9%
1970	59,349	2.0%
1980	70,361	18.6%
1990	81,343	15.6%
2000	88,565	8.9%
2010	100,948	14.0%
2020	109,222	8.2%
2021 (est.)	111,806	10.8%
US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 100,948 people, 41,251 households, and 26,323 families in the county. The population density was 36.4 inhabitants per square mile (14.1/km²). There were 44,949 housing units at an average density of 16.2 per square mile (6.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 83.6% white, 9.7% American Indian, 1.0% black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.8% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.0% were German, 14.3% were Irish, 11.0% were Norwegian, 10.2% were English, and 3.6% were American.

Of the 41,251 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.2% were non-families, and 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 36.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,849 and the median income for a family was $57,278. Males had a median income of $38,626 versus $30,251 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,894. About 9.4% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Search and rescue

The Pennington County Search and Rescue (PCSAR) team is a volunteer search and rescue (SAR) team based in Rapid City, South Dakota. The team was established in October 1973, prompted by a 1972 flood in Rapid City. PCSAR trains for and performs vehicle extrication, vertical rescue, searches, communication support, Fire Department and dive team air supply support, trench rescue, mass casualty support, and emergency winter weather transportation.

Communities

Pennington County vote
by party in presidential elections
Year	Republican	Democratic
2016	62.4% 29,804	29.5% 14,074
2012	63.5% 28,232	34.0% 15,125
2008	59.6% 27,603	38.5% 17,802
2004	66.7% 29,976	31.6% 14,213
2000	67.6% 24,696	30.4% 11,123
1996	54.3% 19,293	36.0% 12,784
1992	47.9% 18,052	29.5% 11,106
1988	61.4% 19,510	38.0% 12,068
1984	72.2% 21,947	27.1% 8,224
1980	67.3% 18,991	25.2% 7,121
1976	56.3% 13,352	42.4% 10,058
1972	61.2% 13,654	38.5% 8,592
1968	53.3% 9,671	40.2% 7,303
1964	47.5% 8,926	52.5% 9,881
1960	60.3% 11,364	39.7% 7,478

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Townships

The county is divided into 20 townships:

Ash
Castle Butte
Cedar Butte
Conata
Crooked Creed
Fairview
Flat Butte
Huron
Imlay
Lake Creek
Lake Flat
Lake Hill
Owanka
Peno
Quinn
Rainy Creek/Cheyenne
Scenic
Shyne
Sunnyside
Wasta

Unorganized territories

The county contains seven areas of unorganized territory:

Central Pennington
Dalzell Canyon
East Central Pennington
Mount Rushmore
Northeast Pennington
Rapid City East
West Pennington

Pennington County, South Dakota facts for kids

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