# Lyman County, South Dakota

Lyman County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,718. Its county seat is Kennebec.
Lyman County was created by the Dakota Territorial Legislature on January 8, 1873, but was not organized until May 21, 1893. Its boundaries were altered in 1891, 1897, 1898, and 1916. The county was named for W. P. Lyman, a politician.

## History

Lyman County was created in 1873 and organized in 1893. Oacoma served as its first county seat in 1891; in 1922 the seat was transferred to Kennebec.

## Geography

Lyman County is bordered on the north and east by the Missouri River, which flows southerly along its edge, and the western portion of its south line is also delineated by the White River, which then continued flowing eastward through the county's eastern area to discharge into the Missouri. Its upper central portion is drained by the Bad Horse Creek, which discharges into the Missouri near the midpoint of the county's north boundary.
The county terrain consists of rolling hills, sloping to the river drainages. Its area is largely devoted to agriculture. The county has a total area of 1,707 square miles (4,420 km$^2$), of which 1,642 square miles (4,250 km$^2$) is land and 65 square miles (170 km$^2$) (3.8%) is water.

### Major highways

* Interstate 90
* U.S. Highway 83
* U.S. Highway 183
* South Dakota Highway 47
* South Dakota Highway 49
* South Dakota Highway 53
* South Dakota Highway 273
* South Dakota Highway 1806

### Transit

* Jefferson Lines

### Adjacent counties

* Hughes County - north
* Hyde County - northeast
* Buffalo County - northeast
* Brule County - east
* Charles Mix County - southeast
* Gregory County - south
* Tripp County - south
* Mellette County - southwest
* Jones County - west
* Stanley County - northwest

### Protected areas

Source:
* Brakke State Game Production Area
* Brye Bottom State Game Production Area
* Bull Creek State Game Production Area
* Carpenter State Game Production Area
* Cedar Creek Recreation Area
* Counselor Creek Recreation Area
* Dude Ranch State Lakeside Use Area
* Fate Dam State Game Production Aea
* Fort Pierre National Grassland (part)
* Good Soldier Creek Recreation Area
* Iona State Game Production Area
* Iron Nation Recreation Area
* Lindely State Game Production Area
* Lower Brule Recreation Area
* Narrows Recreation Area
* Neugebauer State Game Production Area
* Reis Bottom State Game Production Area
* Salzmann State Game Production Area

### Lakes

* Lake Francis Case (part)
* Lake Sharpe (part)

## Demographics
### 2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,718 people, 1,303 households, and 892 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.3 inhabitants per square mile (0.89/km$^2$). There were 1,546 housing units.

### 2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,755 people, 1,392 households, and 967 families in the county. The population density was 2.3 inhabitants per square mile (0.89/km$^2$). There were 1,704 housing units at an average density of 1.04 units per square mile (0.40 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 58.3% white, 38.2% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.1% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.3% were German, 9.2% were Irish, 9.1% were Norwegian, and 1.0% were American.
Of the 1,392 households, 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.5% were non-families, and 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.19. The median age was 36.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,323 and the median income for a family was $45,045. Males had a median income of $32,760 versus $25,512 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,930. About 17.4% of families and 18.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.4% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities
### City

* Presho

### Towns

* Kennebec (county seat)
* Oacoma
* Reliance

### Census-designated places

* Lower Brule
* Vivian
* West Brule

### Other unincorporated communities

Source:
* Iona
* Lyman

### Townships

* Bailey
* Butte
* Dorman
* Fairland
* Iona
* Morningside
* Oacoma
* Pleasant
* Pratt
* Reliance
* Rex
* Rose
* Rowe
* Sioux
* Stony Butte

### Unorganized territories

* Black Dog
* Lafayette
* Lower Brule
* McClure
* Northwest Lyman
* South Lyman

## Politics

Lyman County voters have been Republican for decades. In no national election has the county selected a Democratic Party candidate since 1964, although Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Barack Obama have all managed to exceed forty percent. When Hillary Clinton ran on the Democratic ticket in 2016, she won 26 percent of the county's vote, for the lowest Democratic result since Alton B. Parker in 1904 (22 percent).
United States presidential election results for Lyman County, South Dakota :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 993 | 68.62% | 422 | 29.16% | 32 | 2.21% |
| 2020 | 1,042 | 65.25% | 525 | 32.87% | 30 | 1.88% |
| 2016 | 977 | 68.75% | 369 | 25.97% | 75 | 5.28% |
| 2012 | 933 | 59.46% | 605 | 38.56% | 31 | 1.98% |
| 2008 | 894 | 54.48% | 710 | 43.27% | 37 | 2.25% |
| 2004 | 1,029 | 53.04% | 872 | 44.95% | 39 | 2.01% |
| 2000 | 875 | 63.13% | 482 | 34.78% | 29 | 2.09% |
| 1996 | 726 | 47.67% | 646 | 42.42% | 151 | 9.91% |
| 1992 | 669 | 45.20% | 486 | 32.84% | 325 | 21.96% |
| 1988 | 843 | 56.96% | 631 | 42.64% | 6 | 0.41% |
| 1984 | 1,120 | 69.78% | 478 | 29.78% | 7 | 0.44% |
| 1980 | 1,256 | 66.88% | 486 | 25.88% | 136 | 7.24% |
| 1976 | 892 | 51.29% | 831 | 47.79% | 16 | 0.92% |
| 1972 | 1,166 | 59.98% | 774 | 39.81% | 4 | 0.21% |
| 1968 | 1,063 | 57.87% | 643 | 35.00% | 131 | 7.13% |
| 1964 | 862 | 44.92% | 1,057 | 55.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 1,166 | 57.78% | 852 | 42.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 1,151 | 56.87% | 873 | 43.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 1,561 | 70.09% | 666 | 29.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 993 | 51.94% | 904 | 47.28% | 15 | 0.78% |
| 1944 | 867 | 57.92% | 630 | 42.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 1,409 | 56.05% | 1,105 | 43.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 1,090 | 44.67% | 1,321 | 54.14% | 29 | 1.19% |
| 1932 | 811 | 29.71% | 1,879 | 68.83% | 40 | 1.47% |
| 1928 | 1,488 | 54.75% | 1,222 | 44.96% | 8 | 0.29% |
| 1924 | 1,061 | 44.30% | 387 | 16.16% | 947 | 39.54% |
| 1920 | 1,050 | 59.63% | 463 | 26.29% | 248 | 14.08% |
| 1916 | 981 | 45.65% | 1,052 | 48.95% | 116 | 5.40% |
| 1912 | 0 | 0.00% | 766 | 39.79% | 1,159 | 60.21% |
| 1908 | 1,524 | 53.12% | 1,183 | 41.23% | 162 | 5.65% |
| 1904 | 986 | 73.53% | 306 | 22.82% | 49 | 3.65% |
| 1900 | 429 | 66.61% | 210 | 32.61% | 5 | 0.78% |
| 1896 | 114 | 59.07% | 78 | 40.41% | 1 | 0.52% |