Brule County, South Dakota

Brule County, South Dakota
Location in the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	1879
Named for	Brulé subtribe of Lakota people
Seat	Chamberlain
Largest city	Chamberlain
Area
• Total	846 sq mi (2,191 km2)
• Land	817 sq mi (2,116 km2)
• Water	29 sq mi (75 km2), 3.5%
Population (est.)
• (2013)	5,366
• Density	6.4/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.brulecounty.org

Brule County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,255. Its county seat is Chamberlain. The county was created in 1875 and organized in 1879.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 846 square miles (2,190 km²), of which 817 square miles (2,120 km²) is land and 29 square miles (75 km²) (3.5%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• South Dakota Highway 45
• South Dakota Highway 50

Adjacent counties

• Buffalo County - north
• Jerauld County - northeast
• Aurora County - east
• Charles Mix County - south
• Lyman County - west

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	238		—
1890	6,737		2,730.7%
1900	5,401		−19.8%
1910	6,451		19.4%
1920	7,141		10.7%
1930	7,416		3.9%
1940	6,195		−16.5%
1950	6,076		−1.9%
1960	6,319		4.0%
1970	5,870		−7.1%
1980	5,245		−10.6%
1990	5,485		4.6%
2000	5,364		−2.2%
2010	5,255		−2.0%
Est. 2014	5,309		1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,364 people, 1,998 households, and 1,328 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 2,272 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.91% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 8.28% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 39.6% were of German, 9.5% Czech, 8.6% Norwegian, 7.8% Irish and 6.6% United States or American ancestry.

There were 1,998 households out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.50% were non-families. 29.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the county, the population was spread out with 30.50% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,370, and the median income for a family was $37,361. Males had a median income of $26,698 versus $20,094 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,874. About 8.10% of families and 14.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.30% of those under age 18 and 20.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Chamberlain (county seat)
• Kimball

Town

• Pukwana

Census-designated places

• Bijou Hills
• Ola

Townships

The county is divided into twenty-two townships:

• America
• Brule
• Chamberlain
• Cleveland
• Eagle
• Highland
• Kimball
• Lyon
• Ola
• Plainfield
• Pleasant Grove
• Plummer
• Pukwana
• Red Lake
• Richland
• Smith
• Torrey Lake
• Waldro
• West Point
• Wilbur
• Willow Lake
• Union

Unorganized territory

Brule County has a single unorganized territory: Grandview.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Brule County, South Dakota