Perkins County, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Perkins County
U.S. county
Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon, South Dakota
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	South Dakota
Founded	November 3, 1908 (established) 1909 (organized)
Named for	Henry E. Perkins
Seat	Bison
Largest city	Lemmon
Area
• Total	2,891 sq mi (7,490 km2)
• Land	2,870 sq mi (7,400 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (50 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,835
• Estimate  (2023)	2,834
• Density	0.9806/sq mi (0.37862/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Perkins County is a county located in the state of South Dakota, USA. In 2020, about 2,835 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Bison.

Perkins County was created in 1908 and officially started in 1909. It was named after Henry E. Perkins, an important person from Sturgis, South Dakota.

Geography of Perkins County

Perkins County is located in the northern part of South Dakota. Its northern border touches the state of North Dakota. Two important rivers, the Grand River and the Moreau River, flow eastward through the county. Shadehill Reservoir is a large lake on the Grand River.

The county's land has rolling hills and is mostly dry. It has some farms and slopes gently towards the east. The highest point is about 3,097 feet (944 meters) above sea level. Perkins County covers a total area of 2,890 square miles (7,485 km²). Most of this is land, with only a small part being water. It is the second-largest county in South Dakota by area.

The "McFarthest Spot"

In 2009, Perkins County became famous for a fun fact. Someone calculated that a spot in the county was the farthest place from any McDonald's restaurant in the continental United States. It was about 107 miles (172 km) away by air. Later, in 2010, this "McFarthest Spot" was updated to be in the middle of the Nevada Desert.

Main Roads in Perkins County

These are the major highways that pass through Perkins County:

Neighboring Counties

Perkins County shares borders with these other counties:

Protected Natural Areas

Perkins County has several protected natural areas where people can enjoy the outdoors:

Lakes and Reservoirs

Here are some of the lakes and reservoirs in Perkins County:

People of Perkins County (Demographics)

2020 Census Information

According to the 2020 census, 2,835 people lived in Perkins County. There were 1,257 households and 784 families. The population density was about 1 person per square mile.

2010 Census Information

In 2010, there were 2,982 people living in the county. Most residents (96.9%) were white. About 1.3% were Native American. Many people had German (47.4%) or Norwegian (26.2%) backgrounds. The average age of people in the county was 48.5 years old.

The average income for a household was $33,361. About 18.7% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Towns and Communities

Cities

• Lemmon

Towns

• Bison (this is the county seat)

Census-Designated Places

• Prairie City

Small Unincorporated Communities

These are small places that are not officially organized as cities or towns:

Ghost Towns

These are towns that used to exist but are now abandoned:

Townships

Townships are smaller local government areas within the county:

Unorganized Territories

These areas are not part of any township:

Education

Students in Perkins County attend schools in these districts:

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

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Perkins (Dakota del Sur) para niños