Custer County, South Dakota

County in South Dakota, United States

For other uses, see Custer County.

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County in South Dakota

Custer County

County

Custer County Courthouse

Seal

Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota

South Dakota's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 43°41′N 103°28′W﻿ / ﻿43.68°N 103.46°W﻿ / 43.68; -103.46
Country|  United States
State|  South Dakota
Founded| 1875 (created)
1877 (organized)
Named after| George Armstrong Custer
Seat| Custer
Largest city| Custer
Area

• Total

| 1,559 sq mi (4,040 km2)
• Land| 1,557 sq mi (4,030 km2)
• Water| 2.1 sq mi (5 km2)  0.1%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 8,318

• Estimate

(2024)

| 9,330
• Density| 5.3/sq mi (2.1/km2)
Time zone| UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district| At-large
Website| www.custercountysd.com

Custer County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,318.[1] Its county seat is Custer.[2] The county was created in 1875, and was organized in 1877.[3] It was named after General George Armstrong Custer.

Custer County is home to two of the three longest caves in the United States: Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park.

## Geography

[edit]

Custer County lies on the west line of South Dakota. Its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of Wyoming. The Cheyenne River flows northeastward along the upper portion of the county's east boundary. Battle Creek flows southeastward in the upper eastern part of the county, discharging into Cheyenne River along the county's northeastern boundary line. Spring Creek flows northeastward through the upper eastern part of the county, discharging into the river just north of the county border. The county terrain is mountainous, especially its western portion.[4] The terrain slopes to the east; its lowest point is its NE corner at 2,461 ft (750 m) above sea level (ASL). Its highest point is a mountain crest along the north boundary line, at 6,657 ft (2,029 m) ASL.[5]

Custer County has a total area of 1,559 square miles (4,040 km2), of which 1,557 square miles (4,030 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.1%) is water.[6]

### Major highways

[edit]

Custer County sign on US16/US385

* U.S. Highway 16
* U.S. Highway 385
* U.S. Highway 16A
* South Dakota Highway 36
* South Dakota Highway 40
* South Dakota Highway 79
* South Dakota Highway 87
* South Dakota Highway 89

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Pennington County \- north
* Oglala Lakota County \- southeast
* Fall River County \- south
* Niobrara County, Wyoming \- southwest
* Weston County, Wyoming \- west

### Protected areas

[edit]

* Black Hills National Forest (part)
* Black Elk Wilderness (part)
* Buffalo Gap National Grassland (part)
* Custer State Park
* Jewel Cave National Monument
* Wind Cave National Park

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1880| 995| | —
1890| 4,891| | 391.6%
1900| 2,728| | −44.2%
1910| 4,458| | 63.4%
1920| 3,907| | −12.4%
1930| 5,353| | 37.0%
1940| 6,023| | 12.5%
1950| 5,517| | −8.4%
1960| 4,906| | −11.1%
1970| 4,698| | −4.2%
1980| 6,000| | 27.7%
1990| 6,179| | 3.0%
2000| 7,275| | 17.7%
2010| 8,216| | 12.9%
2020| 8,318| | 1.2%
2024 (est.)| 9,330| [7]| 12.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[1]

### 2020 census

[edit]

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,318 people, 3,794 households, and 2,552 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 5.3 inhabitants per square mile (2.0/km2). There were 4,837 housing units.

### 2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 census, there were 8,216 people, 3,636 households, and 2,427 families in the county. The population density was 5.3 inhabitants per square mile (2.0/km2). There were 4,628 housing units at an average density of 3.0 units per square mile (1.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% white, 2.9% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 42.1% were German, 13.1% were Irish, 11.4% were English, 10.8% were Norwegian, and 7.9% were American.

Of the 3,636 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.3% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.65. The median age was 50.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,743 and the median income for a family was $58,253. Males had a median income of $39,194 versus $29,375 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,353. About 4.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities

[edit]

### City

[edit]

* Custer (county seat)

### Towns

[edit]

* Buffalo Gap (Population: 131)
* Fairburn (Population: 60)
* Hermosa (Population: 382)
* Pringle (Population: 109)

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Dewey
* Four Mile

### Townships

[edit]

The county is divided into two areas of territory:

* East of Custer State Park
* West of Custer State Park

## Politics

[edit]

Custer County voters are strongly Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

United States presidential election results for Custer County, South Dakota[13] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2024 | 4,313  | 71.87% | 1,567  | 26.11%  | 121  | 2.02%
2020 | 3,852  | 70.11% | 1,522  | 27.70%  | 120  | 2.18%
2016 | 3,293  | 69.75% | 1,121  | 23.74%  | 307  | 6.50%
2012 | 3,062  | 67.74% | 1,335  | 29.54%  | 123  | 2.72%
2008 | 2,909  | 64.54% | 1,475  | 32.73%  | 123  | 2.73%
2004 | 2,922  | 67.89% | 1,272  | 29.55%  | 110  | 2.56%
2000 | 2,495  | 69.83% | 955  | 26.73%  | 123  | 3.44%
1996 | 1,740  | 51.83% | 1,122  | 33.42%  | 495  | 14.75%
1992 | 1,422  | 42.28% | 1,078  | 32.05%  | 863  | 25.66%
1988 | 1,806  | 59.49% | 1,180  | 38.87%  | 50  | 1.65%
1984 | 2,183  | 71.27% | 858  | 28.01%  | 22  | 0.72%
1980 | 2,057  | 69.61% | 708  | 23.96%  | 190  | 6.43%
1976 | 1,373  | 57.09% | 995  | 41.37%  | 37  | 1.54%
1972 | 1,476  | 64.48% | 798  | 34.86%  | 15  | 0.66%
1968 | 1,143  | 55.38% | 727  | 35.22%  | 194  | 9.40%
1964 | 1,142  | 49.27%  | 1,176  | 50.73% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 1,533  | 63.58% | 878  | 36.42%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 1,514  | 63.96% | 853  | 36.04%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 1,725  | 72.57% | 652  | 27.43%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 1,217  | 56.66% | 917  | 42.69%  | 14  | 0.65%
1944 | 1,288  | 64.40% | 712  | 35.60%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 1,796  | 60.94% | 1,151  | 39.06%  | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 1,365  | 46.88%  | 1,519  | 52.16% | 28  | 0.96%
1932 | 977  | 38.05%  | 1,548  | 60.28% | 43  | 1.67%
1928 | 1,464  | 66.85% | 715  | 32.65%  | 11  | 0.50%
1924 | 833  | 53.36% | 236  | 15.12%  | 492  | 31.52%
1920 | 784  | 60.82% | 383  | 29.71%  | 122  | 9.46%
1916 | 392  | 42.11%  | 488  | 52.42% | 51  | 5.48%
1912 | 0  | 0.00%  | 419  | 45.89% | 494  | 54.11%
1908 | 487  | 49.39% | 428  | 43.41%  | 71  | 7.20%
1904 | 536  | 65.53% | 228  | 27.87%  | 54  | 6.60%
1900 | 483  | 53.37% | 415  | 45.86%  | 7  | 0.77%
1896 | 429  | 45.30%  | 515  | 54.38% | 3  | 0.32%
1892 | 503  | 49.27% | 166  | 16.26%  | 352  | 34.48%

## Education

[edit]

School districts include:[14]

* Custer School District 16-1
* Elk Mountain School District 16-2
* Hot Springs School District 23-2

## See also

[edit]

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

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Custer County, South Dakota
* Crazy Horse Memorial

## 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. ^ Custer County SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)
5. ^ ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
7. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". Retrieved March 15, 2025.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
10. ^ 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.
11. ^ "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.
12. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
13. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
14. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Custer County, SD" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2024. \- Text list

Places adjacent to Custer County, South Dakota

|  | Pennington County |

|
|

|  |
Weston County, Wyoming |

Custer County, South Dakota

|  |
Niobrara County, Wyoming | Fall River County | Oglala Lakota County

* v
* t
* e

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

County seat: Custer

City|

* Custer

Towns|

* Buffalo Gap
* Fairburn
* Hermosa
* Pringle

Unincorporated
communities|

* Blue Bell
* Dewey
* Folsom
* Four Mile
* Sanator
* Vestal Springs

Ghost towns|

* Bismuth
* Melvin
* Spokane
* Urban

* South Dakota portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of South Dakota

Pierre (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Cities
* Climate change
* Famous South Dakotans
* Geography
* Government
* Delegations
* Elections
* History
* Bibliography
* Timeline
* State Parks
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions
* Towns and villages
* Townships
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Cannabis
* Culture
* Crime
* Demographics
* African Americans
* Economy
* Education
* Colleges and universities
* Gun laws
* LGBT rights
* Politics

Regions|

* Badlands
* Black Hills
* Coteau des Prairies
* Missouri Coteau
* Dissected Till Plains
* Drift Prairie
* East River
* Pine Ridge
* Siouxland
* West River

Larger incorporated places
pop. over 5,000|

* Aberdeen
* Belle Fourche
* Box Elder
* Brandon
* Brookings
* Harrisburg
* Huron
* Madison
* Mitchell
* Pierre
* Rapid City
* Sioux Falls
* Spearfish
* Sturgis
* Tea
* Vermillion
* Watertown
* Yankton

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

* Aurora
* Baltic
* Beresford
* Britton
* Canton
* Chamberlain
* Clark
* Clear Lake
* Crooks
* Custer
* De Smet
* Deadwood
* Dell Rapids
* Eagle Butte
* Elk Point
* Flandreau
* Fort Pierre
* Freeman
* Garretson
* Gettysburg
* Gregory
* Groton
* Hartford
* Hot Springs
* Lead
* Lemmon
* Lennox
* Milbank
* Miller
* Mission
* Mobridge
* North Sioux City
* Parker
* Parkston
* Piedmont
* Platte
* Redfield
* Salem
* Sisseton
* Springfield
* Summerset
* Tyndall
* Volga
* Wagner
* Webster
* Winner

Largest CDPs
pop. over 1,000|

* Blackhawk
* Colonial Pine Hills
* Dakota Dunes
* Fort Thompson
* Green Valley
* North Eagle Butte
* North Spearfish
* Oglala
* Pine Ridge
* Rapid Valley
* Rosebud

Counties|

* Aurora
* Beadle
* Bennett
* Bon Homme
* Brookings
* Brown
* Brule
* Buffalo
* Butte
* Campbell
* Charles Mix
* Clark
* Clay
* Codington
* Corson
* Custer
* Davison
* Day
* Deuel
* Dewey
* Douglas
* Edmunds
* Fall River
* Faulk
* Grant
* Gregory
* Haakon
* Hamlin
* Hand
* Hanson
* Harding
* Hughes
* Hutchinson
* Hyde
* Jackson
* Jerauld
* Jones
* Kingsbury
* Lake
* Lawrence
* Lincoln
* Lyman
* Marshall
* 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

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

43°41′N 103°28′W﻿ / ﻿43.68°N 103.46°W﻿ / 43.68; -103.46
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