Jones County, South Dakota

Jones County, South Dakota
Location in the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 15, 1917
Named for	George W. Jones
Seat	Murdo
Largest city	Murdo
Area
• Total	971 sq mi (2,515 km2)
• Land	970 sq mi (2,512 km2)
• Water	1.2 sq mi (3 km2), 0.1%
Population (est.)
• (2014)	975
• Density	1.0/sq mi (0/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Jones County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,006, making it the least populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Murdo. Created in 1916 and organized in 1917, it is the most recently established county in South Dakota.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 971 square miles (2,510 km²), of which 970 square miles (2,500 km²) is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) (0.1%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 90
• U.S. Highway 83

Adjacent counties

• Stanley County, South Dakota - north
• Lyman County, South Dakota - east
• Mellette County, South Dakota - south
• Jackson County, South Dakota - southwest
• Haakon County, South Dakota - northwest

National protected area

• Fort Pierre National Grassland (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	3,004		—
1930	3,177		5.8%
1940	2,509		−21.0%
1950	2,281		−9.1%
1960	2,066		−9.4%
1970	1,882		−8.9%
1980	1,463		−22.3%
1990	1,324		−9.5%
2000	1,193		−9.9%
2010	1,006		−15.7%
Est. 2014	975		−3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2014

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,193 people, 509 households, and 327 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile (0/km²). There were 614 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.81% White, 2.43% Native American, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. 0.34% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 509 households out of which 29.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.20% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 33.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 25.50% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 103.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,288, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $23,289 versus $17,143 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,896. About 11.90% of families and 15.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.60% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

• Murdo (county seat)

Town

• Draper

Census-designated place

• Okaton

Unincorporated community

• Capa

Townships

The county is divided into thirteen townships:

• Buffalo
• Draper
• Dunkel
• Grandview
• Kolls
• Morga
• Mullen
• Mussman
• Okaton
• Scovil
• South Creek
• Williams Creek
• Zickrick

Unorganized territories

The county contains four areas of unorganized territory:

• Central Jones
• North Jones
• Rich Valley
• Westover

See also

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