Clark County, South Dakota

Clark County, South Dakota
Clark County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,837. Its county seat is Clark. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1881. It was named for Newton Clark, a Dakota Territory legislator in 1873.
Geography
Clark County terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds especially in the east central portion. The area is mostly devoted to agriculture. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 212
South Dakota Highway 20
South Dakota Highway 25
South Dakota Highway 28
Adjacent counties
Day County - north
Codington County - east
Hamlin County - southeast
Kingsbury County - south
Beadle County - southwest
Spink County - west
Protected areas
Christopherson State Public Shooting Area
Dry Lake Number Two State Public Shooting Area
Fordham State Public Shooting Area
McPeek State Public Shooting Area
Stairs Slough State Public Shooting Area
Willow Lake State Public Shooting Area
Lakes and reservoirs
Baileys Lake
Dry Lake Number One
Dry Lake Number Two
Mud Lake
Reid Lake
Swan Lake
Willow Lake
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 3,837 people.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,691 people, 1,445 households, and 929 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 1,710 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.8% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 52.0% were German, 29.4% were Norwegian, 9.7% were Irish, 7.8% were English, 5.4% were Swedish, and 3.5% were American.
Of the 1,445 households, 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.7% were non-families, and 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 45.7 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,894 and the median income for a family was $55,575. Males had a median income of $33,606 versus $24,952 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,909. About 7.5% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 12.6% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Clark (county seat)
Willow Lake
Towns
Bradley
Garden City
Naples
Raymond
Vienna
Census-designated place
Collins Colony
Crocker
Fordham Colony
Hillcrest Colony
Mayfield Colony
Silver Lake Colony
Unincorporated communities
Carpenter
Elrod
Townships
Ash
Blaine
Collins
Cottonwood
Darlington
Day
Eden
Fordham
Foxton
Garfield
Hague
Lake
Lincoln
Logan
Maydell
Merton
Mount Pleasant
Pleasant
Raymond
Richland
Rosedale
Spring Valley
Thorp
Warren
Washington
Woodland
Politics
Clark County is a reliable state bellwether, having voted for South Dakota's statewide winner in every presidential election since statehood, similar to Jackson County and Jones County. It is a strongly Republican county, having voted for the Republican candidate in presidential election since 1968.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Clark County, South Dakota
References
1881 establishments in Dakota Territory
Populated places established in 1881