Mellette County, South Dakota


Mellette County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,918. Its county seat is White River. The county was created in 1909, and was organized in 1911. It was named for Arthur C. Mellette, the last Governor of the Dakota Territory and the first Governor of the state of South Dakota.
Historically territory of the Sioux/Lakota peoples, 33.35 percent of the county's land is trust land associated with the Rosebud Indian Reservation in the neighboring county to the south. According to the 2000 United States census, 52.2% of the population is Native American, mostly the federally recognized Sicangu Oyate and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, a branch of the Lakota people.
WWW mellettecounty.org

Geography

The White River flows eastward along the north boundary line of Mellette County. The [Little White River, South Dakota|White River (South Dakota)|Little White River] flows northward through central Mellette County, discharging into White River. The terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, the northern portion dotted with ponds and small lakes. The area is mostly devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the northeast; its highest point is the SW corner at ASL. The county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties observe Central Time; the western counties observe Mountain Time. Mellette County is the westernmost of the SD counties to observe Central Time.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,918 people, 651 households, and 419 families residing in the county; the population density was and there were 775 housing units.
Of the residents, 33.0% were under the age of 18 and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.7 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 34.2% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% from some other race, and 7.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.0% of the population.
Of the 651 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 28.0% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 775 housing units, of which 16.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.8% were owner-occupied and 31.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.2%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,048 people, 693 households, and 493 families in the county. The population density was. There were 838 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 54.1% American Indian, 39.7% white, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.6% were German, 8.4% were Irish, 6.1% were English, and 0.6% were American.
Of the 693 households, 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.9% were non-families, and 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.38. The median age was 34.2 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $34,055 and the median income for a family was $35,781. Males had a median income of $31,625 versus $30,956 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,971. About 23.4% of families and 27.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Town

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

  • Mosher

Townships

Unorganized territories

  • Cedarbutte
  • Central Mellette.

Politics

Like most of South Dakota, Mellette County is solidly Republican. It has not been carried by a Democrat since Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 landslide, although Barack Obama came within six votes of doing so in the 2012 election.