Custer County, South Dakota

Custer County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,318.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Custer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county was created in 1875, and was organized in 1877.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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

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.<ref>Custer County SD Google Maps (accessed February 1, 2019)</ref> The terrain slopes to the east; its lowest point is its NE corner at Template:Convert above sea level (ASL). Its highest point is a mountain crest along the north boundary line, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Custer County has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.1%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Major highways

File:Custer County SD sign US16 US385.jpg

Custer County sign on US16/US385

• File:US 16.svg U.S. Highway 16
• File:US 385.svg U.S. Highway 385
• File:US 16A.svg U.S. Highway 16A
• File:SD 36.svg South Dakota Highway 36
• File:SD 40.svg South Dakota Highway 40
• File:SD 79.svg South Dakota Highway 79
• File:SD 87.svg South Dakota Highway 87
• File:SD 89.svg South Dakota Highway 89

Adjacent counties

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

Protected areas

• 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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 8,318 people, 3,794 households, and 2,552 families residing in the county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,837 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 8,216 people, 3,636 households, and 2,427 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,628 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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

City

• Custer (county seat)

Towns

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

Unincorporated communities

• Dewey
• Four Mile

Townships

The county is divided into two areas of territory:

• East of Custer State Park
• West of Custer State Park

Politics

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

Education

School districts include:<ref>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref>

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

See also

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