Founded 1880 Congressional district At-large Website www.hughescounty.org Population 17,508 (2013) Largest city Pierre | Seat Pierre Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Area 2,075 km² Unemployment rate 2.9% (Apr 2015) Cities Pierre, Harrold, Blunt | |
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Rivers Missouri River, Chaney Rush Creek, Spring Creek Points of interest Farm Island Recreatio, South Dakota Discovery, Farm Island, Oahe Chapel, West Bend State Recreation | ||
Hughes County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,022, making it the least populous capital county in the nation. Its county seat is Pierre, the state capital. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1880. It was named for Alexander Hughes, a legislator.
Contents
- Map of Hughes County SD USA
- Geography
- Major highways
- Airport
- Adjacent counties
- 2000 census
- 2010 census
- Politics
- Cities
- Town
- Unincorporated communities
- Townships
- Unorganized territories
- References
Map of Hughes County, SD, USA
Hughes County is part of the Pierre, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 801 square miles (2,070 km2), of which 742 square miles (1,920 km2) is land and 59 square miles (150 km2) (7.4%) is water.
Major highways
Airport
Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) serves Hughes county and the surrounding communities.
Adjacent counties
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,481 people, 6,512 households, and 4,310 families residing in the county. The population density was 22 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 7,055 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.91% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 8.70% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 1.22% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,512 households out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.00% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.80% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the county, the population was spread out with 27.80% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,970, and the median income for a family was $51,235. Males had a median income of $32,228 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,689. About 6.00% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.80% of those under age 18 and 10.90% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 17,022 people, 7,066 households, and 4,435 families residing in the county. The population density was 23.0 inhabitants per square mile (8.9/km2). There were 7,623 housing units at an average density of 10.3 per square mile (4.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 85.7% white, 10.5% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 42.7% were German, 12.4% were Norwegian, 9.8% were Irish, 9.7% were English, and 3.8% were American.
Of the 7,066 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 39.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,501 and the median income for a family was $70,881. Males had a median income of $42,701 versus $32,265 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,236. About 7.1% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Hughes is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and Congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won 64% of the county's vote.
In the South Dakota Senate Hughes is part of the 24th Senate district, which is held by Republican Bob Gray. In the State House Hughes is part of district 24, which is held by Republicans Tad Perry and Mark Venner.
Cities
Town
Unincorporated communities
Townships
The county is divided into two townships: Raber and Valley.
Unorganized territories
The county contains three areas of unorganized territory: West Hughes, North Hughes, and Crow Creek.