Codington County, South Dakota

County in South Dakota, United States

County in South Dakota

Codington County

County

Codington County Courthouse in July 2013

Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota

South Dakota's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 44°59′N 97°11′W﻿ / ﻿44.98°N 97.18°W﻿ / 44.98; -97.18
Country|  United States
State|  South Dakota
Founded| 1877 (created)
1878 (organized)
Named after| Reverend George S. S. Codington
Seat| Watertown
Largest city| Watertown
Area

• Total

| 717 sq mi (1,860 km2)
• Land| 688 sq mi (1,780 km2)
• Water| 29 sq mi (80 km2)  4.0%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 28,325

• Estimate

(2024)

| 29,278
• Density| 40/sq mi (15/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| At-large
Website| www.codington.org

Codington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,325, making it the 7th most populous county in South Dakota.[1] Its county seat is Watertown.[2] The county was created in 1877 and organized in 1878.[3] It is named for Rev. George S. S. Codington, Dakota Territory legislator.[4]

Codington County comprises the Watertown, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.

## Geography

[edit]

Native vegetation based on NRCS soils information

Codington County terrain consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes and ponds, especially in the southwest portion. The land is largely devoted to agriculture.[5] The terrain is higher on the county's east and west sides, and generally slopes to the south.[6] The county has a total area of 717 square miles (1,860 km2), of which 688 square miles (1,780 km2) is land and 29 square miles (75 km2) (4.0%) is water.[7]

### Major highways

[edit]

* Interstate 29
* U.S. Highway 81
* U.S. Highway 212
* South Dakota Highway 20
* South Dakota Highway 20P

### Transit

[edit]

* Jefferson Lines

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Grant County \- northeast
* Deuel County \- southeast
* Hamlin County \- south
* Clark County \- west
* Day County \- northwest

### Protected areas

[edit]

* American Game Association State Game Production Area[8]
* Blythe State Game Production Area[9]
* Christopherson Game Production Area[10]
* Clarksean State Game Production Area[11]
* Codington County State Game Production Area[12]
* Curley State Game Production Area[13]
* Elmore State Game Production Area[14]
* Gilbert State Game Production Area[15]
* Goose Lake State Game Production Area[16]
* Hanson State Game Production Area[17]
* Horseshoe Lake State Game Production Area[18]
* Larson State Game Production Area[19]
* McKillicans Lake State Game Production Area[20]
* North Nichols State Game Production Area[21]
* North Stink Lake State Game Production Area[22]
* Pelican Lake State Recreation Area
* Punished Womans Lake State Game Production Area[23]
* Sandy Shore State Recreation Area
* Spencer State Game Production Area[24]
* Spoonbill Pass State Game Production Area[25]
* Thompson's Point State Lakeside Use Area[26]
* Warner Lake State Game Production Area[27]
* Wolf State Game Production Area (partial)[28]

### Major lakes

[edit]

* Cottonwood Lake
* Dry Lake
* Goose Lake
* Grass Lake
* Horseshoe Lake
* Kings Lake
* Lake Kampeska
* Lake Nicholson
* Long Lake
* McKillicans Lake
* Medicine Lake
* Pelican Lake
* Punished Womans Lake
* Round Lake
* Still Lake
* Warner Lake

[5]

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1880| 2,156| | —
1890| 7,037| | 226.4%
1900| 8,770| | 24.6%
1910| 14,092| | 60.7%
1920| 16,549| | 17.4%
1930| 17,457| | 5.5%
1940| 17,014| | −2.5%
1950| 18,944| | 11.3%
1960| 20,220| | 6.7%
1970| 19,140| | −5.3%
1980| 20,885| | 9.1%
1990| 22,698| | 8.7%
2000| 25,897| | 14.1%
2010| 27,227| | 5.1%
2020| 28,325| | 4.0%
2024 (est.)| 29,278| [29]| 3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[30]
1790–1960[31] 1900–1990[32]
1990–2000[33] 2010–2020[1]

### 2020 census

[edit]

As of the 2020 census, there were 28,325 people, 12,026 households, and 7,199 families residing in the county.[34] The population density was 41.2 inhabitants per square mile (15.9/km2). There were 13,211 housing units.

### 2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 census, there were 27,227 people, 11,432 households, and 7,216 families in the county. The population density was 39.5 inhabitants per square mile (15.3/km2). There were 12,397 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (6.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% white, 2.0% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.6% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 54.3% were German, 22.6% were Norwegian, 9.6% were Irish, 6.7% were English, and 3.3% were American.

Of the 11,432 households, 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 37.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,275 and the median income for a family was $60,202. Males had a median income of $39,076 versus $26,945 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,781. About 8.9% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities

[edit]

### City

[edit]

* Watertown (county seat)

### Towns

[edit]

* Florence
* Henry
* Kranzburg
* South Shore
* Wallace

### Census-designated place

[edit]

* Waverly

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Appleby[35]
* Grover
* Kampeska
* Rauville[36]

### Townships

[edit]

* Dexter
* Eden
* Elmira
* Fuller
* Germantown
* Graceland
* Henry
* Kampeska
* Kranzburg
* Lake
* Leola
* Pelican
* Phipps
* Rauville
* Richland
* Sheridan
* Waverly

## Politics

[edit]

Codington County voters have been reliably Republican for several decades. In no national election since 1976 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

United States presidential election results for Codington County, South Dakota[37] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 9,349  | 69.20% | 3,840  | 28.42%  | 321  | 2.38%
2020 | 8,958  | 68.06% | 3,837  | 29.15%  | 366  | 2.78%
2016 | 7,764  | 66.54% | 3,174  | 27.20%  | 731  | 6.26%
2012 | 6,696  | 58.10% | 4,588  | 39.81%  | 240  | 2.08%
2008 | 6,374  | 52.31% | 5,595  | 45.92%  | 216  | 1.77%
2004 | 7,778  | 61.00% | 4,803  | 37.67%  | 170  | 1.33%
2000 | 6,718  | 60.32% | 4,192  | 37.64%  | 228  | 2.05%
1996 | 4,995  | 45.18% | 4,722  | 42.71%  | 1,338  | 12.10%
1992 | 3,943  | 36.03% | 3,701  | 33.82%  | 3,299  | 30.15%
1988 | 5,050  | 51.99% | 4,570  | 47.05%  | 94  | 0.97%
1984 | 6,108  | 63.11% | 3,528  | 36.45%  | 42  | 0.43%
1980 | 5,903  | 59.09% | 3,353  | 33.56%  | 734  | 7.35%
1976 | 4,504  | 48.89%  | 4,680  | 50.80% | 29  | 0.31%
1972 | 4,936  | 51.61% | 4,601  | 48.11%  | 27  | 0.28%
1968 | 3,929  | 46.49%  | 4,235  | 50.11% | 288  | 3.41%
1964 | 3,593  | 40.16%  | 5,353  | 59.84% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 5,309  | 55.23% | 4,304  | 44.77%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 5,150  | 57.72% | 3,772  | 42.28%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 5,750  | 65.91% | 2,974  | 34.09%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 3,349  | 45.01%  | 4,042  | 54.32% | 50  | 0.67%
1944 | 3,348  | 51.76% | 3,120  | 48.24%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 4,320  | 53.83% | 3,705  | 46.17%  | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 3,005  | 39.44%  | 4,256  | 55.85% | 359  | 4.71%
1932 | 2,538  | 34.32%  | 4,806  | 64.98% | 52  | 0.70%
1928 | 3,762  | 53.08% | 3,299  | 46.55%  | 26  | 0.37%
1924 | 1,862  | 41.38%  | 627  | 13.93%  | 2,011  | 44.69%
1920 | 2,706  | 59.84% | 867  | 19.17%  | 949  | 20.99%
1916 | 1,550  | 51.82% | 1,344  | 44.93%  | 97  | 3.24%
1912 | 0  | 0.00%  | 1,111  | 45.03%  | 1,356  | 54.97%
1908 | 1,618  | 63.30% | 831  | 32.51%  | 107  | 4.19%
1904 | 1,741  | 72.18% | 582  | 24.13%  | 89  | 3.69%
1900 | 1,225  | 58.28% | 805  | 38.30%  | 72  | 3.43%
1896 | 1,041  | 57.10% | 759  | 41.63%  | 23  | 1.26%
1892 | 882  | 52.16% | 408  | 24.13%  | 401  | 23.71%

## Education

[edit]

School districts include:[38]

* Castlewood School District 28-1
* Florence School District 14-1
* Hamlin School District 28-3
* Henry School District 14-2
* Watertown School District 14-4
* Waverly School District 14-5
* Webster School District 18-5

## See also

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Codington County, South Dakota.

* Codington County Courthouse
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Codington County, South Dakota

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2006. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 86.
5. ^ a b Codington County SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
6. ^ ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
8. ^ American Game Association State Public Shooting Area, Florence SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
9. ^ Blythe State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
10. ^ Christopherson State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
11. ^ Clarksean State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
12. ^ Codington County State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
13. ^ Curley State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
14. ^ Elmore State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
15. ^ Gilbert State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
16. ^ Goose Lake State Public Shooting Area, Watertown SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
17. ^ Hanson State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
18. ^ Horseshoe Lake State Public Shooting Area, Florence SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
19. ^ Larson State Public Shooting Area, South Shore SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
20. ^ McKillicans Lake State Public Shooting Area, Florence SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
21. ^ North Nichols State Public Shooting Area, Florence SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
22. ^ North Stink Lake State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
23. ^ Punished Womans Lake State Shooting Area, South Shore SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
24. ^ Spencer State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
25. ^ Spoonbill Pass State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
26. ^ Thompson's Point State Lakeside Use Area Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
27. ^ Warner Lake State Public Shooting Area, Henry SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
28. ^ Wolf State Public Shooting Area, Hazel SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
29. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". Retrieved March 15, 2025.
30. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
31. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
32. ^ Forstall, Richard L. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 19, 1999. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
33. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
34. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
35. ^ Appleby SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
36. ^ Rauville SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
37. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
38. ^ Geography Division (January 14, 2021). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Codington County, SD (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 18, 2025. \- Text list

Places adjacent to Codington County, South Dakota

| Day County |
| Grant County

|
|

|  |
Clark County |

Codington County, South Dakota

|  |
| Hamlin County | Deuel County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Codington County, South Dakota, United States

County seat: Watertown

City|

* Watertown

Towns|

* Florence
* Henry
* Kranzburg
* South Shore
* Wallace

CDP|

* Waverly

Other
communities|

* Appleby
* Grover
* Kampeska

Indian reservation|

* Lake Traverse Indian Reservation‡

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* South Dakota portal
* United States portal

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* e

State of South Dakota

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Larger incorporated places
pop. over 5,000|

* Aberdeen
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Smaller incorporated places
pop. 1,000 - 5,000|

* Aurora
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Largest CDPs
pop. over 1,000|

* Blackhawk
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* Rosebud

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* Aurora
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* McCook
* McPherson
* Meade
* Mellette
* Miner
* Minnehaha
* Moody
* Oglala Lakota
* Pennington
* Perkins
* Potter
* Roberts
* Sanborn
* Spink
* Stanley
* Sully
* Todd
* Tripp
* Turner
* Union
* Walworth
* Yankton
* Ziebach

South Dakota portal

44°59′N 97°11′W﻿ / ﻿44.98°N 97.18°W﻿ / 44.98; -97.18

Authority control databases

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