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Pennington County, South Dakota

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Pennington County
County
Pennington County Courthouse in Rapid City
Pennington County Courthouse in Rapid City
Map of South Dakota highlighting Pennington County
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
Map of the United States highlighting South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°00′8.456″N 102°49′25.683″W / 44.00234889°N 102.82380083°W / 44.00234889; -102.82380083
Country United States
State South Dakota
FoundedJanuary 11, 1875 (created)
April 19, 1877 (organized)
Named afterJohn L. Pennington
SeatRapid City
Largest cityRapid City
Area
 • Total
2,784.459 sq mi (7,211.72 km2)
 • Land2,776.765 sq mi (7,191.79 km2)
 • Water7.694 sq mi (19.93 km2)  0.28%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
109,222
 • Estimate 
(2024)
115,979 Increase
 • Density41.777/sq mi (16.130/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districtAt-large
Websitepennco.org

Pennington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,222,[1] making it the second most populous county in South Dakota, and was estimated to be 115,979 in 2024.[2] Its county seat is Rapid City.[3] The county was created on January 11, 1875, and was organized on April 19, 1877.[4] It is named for John L. Pennington, fifth Governor of Dakota Territory, who held office in 1875 when the county was formed.[5] Pennington County is included in the Rapid City metropolitan statistical area. It is also the location of Mount Rushmore.

History

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In 1874, US Army commander George A. Custer led a group into the Black Hills area. He and some of his officers climbed the crest now called Black Elk Peak, and made a toast to US General William S. Harney. They named the peak for Harney, and this name was used until 2016. This expedition reported that gold could be found in the Black Hills, which spurred a gold rush into the future county area. The mining settlements that sprang up were in violation of the second Treaty of Fort Laramie signed with the Sioux Nation in 1868. By 1875, settlement was sufficient to justify creation of a local governing organization, so Pennington County was created on January 11, 1875, and it was fully organized by April 19, 1877. The county's boundaries were adjusted in 1877 and in 1898.

The county seat was initially at Sheridan, a mining camp.[6] (Sheridan is credited with hosting the first Federal Court west of the Missouri River.) In 1878, the county seat was moved to Rapid City.[7][8]

In 1923, Doane Robinson, superintendent of the SD State Historical Society, began promoting the concept of a giant sculpture carved from a Black Hills mountain. By 1927 this concept took substance, when work on Mount Rushmore began.

Shortly after the US entered World War II, an Army training airbase was established in Pennington County. It has continued until the present, now known as Ellsworth Air Force Base. Supporting this activity has provided a substantial portion of the county's economic base since that time.[7]

Geography

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Extinct Mesohippus horse, found in Pennington County, on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

Pennington County is located on the west line of South Dakota. Its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of Wyoming. Its west end contains the nation's highest peak east of the continental divide, Black Elk Peak. The rugged arid western end contains forest and gullies, descendending to rough rolling hill country in the east. The Cheyenne River flows north-northeastward through the center of the county and then along its northeastern border on its way to discharge in the Missouri River, while Rapid Creek flows east-southeastward through the western part, to discharge into the Cheyenne at the county's midpoint.[9] The county terrain varies in elevation from Black Elk Peak at 7,242 ft (2,207 m) to its NE corner, at 1,896 ft (578 m) ASL.[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,784.459 square miles (7,211.72 km2), of which 2,776.765 square miles (7,191.79 km2) is land and 7.694 square miles (19.93 km2) (0.28%) is water.[11] It is the third-largest county in South Dakota by total area, and is larger than the state of Delaware.

Major highways

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Transit

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Adjacent counties

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National protected areas

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Lakes and reservoirs[9]

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  • Deerfield Lake
  • Pactola Reservoir
  • Shearer Lake
  • Sheridan Lake

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18802,244—
18906,540191.4%
19005,610−14.2%
191012,453122.0%
192012,7202.1%
193020,07957.9%
194023,79918.5%
195034,05343.1%
196058,19570.9%
197059,3492.0%
198070,36118.6%
199081,34315.6%
200088,5658.9%
2010100,94814.0%
2020109,2228.2%
2024 (est.)115,979[12]6.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15]
1990–2000[16] 2010–2020[2]

As of the third quarter of 2024, the median home value in Pennington County was $326,400.[17]

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 45,698 estimated households in Pennington County with an average of 2.37 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $70,768. Approximately 11.6% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Pennington County has an estimated 63.0% employment rate, with 34.1% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.7% holding a high school diploma.[2]

The median age in the county was 40.2 years.

Pennington County, South Dakota – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 1980[18] Pop. 1990[19] Pop. 2000[20] Pop. 2010[21] Pop. 2020[22]
White alone (NH) 64,148
(91.17%)		 71,882
(88.37%)		 75,797
(85.58%)		 82,438
(81.66%)		 82,743
(75.76%)
Black or African American alone (NH) 875
(1.24%)		 1,249
(1.54%)		 722
(0.82%)		 1,013
(1.00%)		 1,363
(1.25%)
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 3,643
(5.18%)		 5,518
(6.78%)		 6,773
(7.65%)		 9,042
(8.96%)		 10,927
(10.00%)
Asian alone (NH) 360
(0.51%)		 884
(1.09%)		 763
(0.86%)		 1,041
(1.03%)		 1,463
(1.34%)
Pacific Islander alone (NH) — — 51
(0.06%)		 76
(0.08%)		 78
(0.07%)
Other race alone (NH) 91
(0.13%)		 33
(0.04%)		 66
(0.07%)		 71
(0.07%)		 411
(0.38%)
Mixed race or multiracial (NH) — — 2,052
(2.32%)		 3,223
(3.19%)		 6,662
(6.10%)
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,244
(1.77%)		 1,777
(2.18%)		 2,341
(2.64%)		 4,044
(4.01%)		 5,575
(5.10%)
Total 70,361
(100.00%)		 81,343
(100.00%)		 88,565
(100.00%)		 100,948
(100.00%)		 109,222
(100.00%)

2020 census

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As of the 2020 census, there were 109,222 people, 44,909 households, and 27,584 families residing in the county.[23] The population density was 39.3 inhabitants per square mile (15.2/km2). There were 49,153 housing units at an average density of 17.7 per square mile (6.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.42% White, 1.30% African American, 10.71% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.26% from some other races and 7.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.10% of the population.[24]

2010 census

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As of the 2010 census, there were 100,948 people, 41,251 households, and 26,323 families residing in the county. The population density was 36.4 inhabitants per square mile (14.1/km2). There were 44,949 housing units at an average density of 16.2 per square mile (6.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 83.56% White, 1.04% African American, 9.66% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from some other races and 3.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.01% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.0% were German, 14.3% were Irish, 11.0% were Norwegian, 10.2% were English, and 3.6% were American.

Of the 41,251 households, 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.2% were non-families, and 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 36.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $46,849 and the median income for a family was $57,278. Males had a median income of $38,626 versus $30,251 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,894. About 9.4% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Law enforcement & emergency services

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The Pennington County Sheriff's Office provides county-wide law enforcement services to the county. There are 118 deputies in the Patrol Division, in addition court services, investigations, and operation of the Pennington County Jail. The sheriff's office is headquartered in Rapid City.[25] The sheriff's office issues concealed pistol permits to county residents.[26] The current Sheriff is Brian Mueller.

The Sheriff's Office also operates the Pennington County Search and Rescue (PCSAR) team, a volunteer search and rescue (SAR) team based in Rapid City, was established in 1973, prompted by a 1972 flood in Rapid City. It serves residents and tourists in the county and the Black Hills area.[27]

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities[9]

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Ghost towns

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Townships

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  • Ash
  • Castle Butte
  • Cedar Butte
  • Conata
  • Crooked Creek
  • Fairview
  • Flat Butte
  • Huron
  • Imlay
  • Lake Creek
  • Lake Flat
  • Lake Hill
  • Owanka
  • Peno
  • Quinn
  • Rainy Creek/Cheyenne
  • Scenic
  • Shyne
  • Sunnyside
  • Wasta

Unorganized territories

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  • Central Pennington
  • Dalzell Canyon
  • East Central Pennington
  • Mount Rushmore
  • Northeast Pennington
  • Rapid City East
  • West Pennington

Politics

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Pennington County is very conservative for an urban county. It has been strongly Republican for decades, having voted Republican in all but one presidential election since 1936 (Johnson's landslide victory in 1964). Indeed, a Democrat has only garnered 40 percent of the county's vote three times since 1948.

United States presidential election results for Pennington County, South Dakota[28]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 35,009 61.88% 20,051 35.44% 1,520 2.69%
2020 35,063 60.96% 20,606 35.83% 1,849 3.21%
2016 29,804 62.43% 14,074 29.48% 3,865 8.10%
2012 28,232 63.49% 15,125 34.02% 1,107 2.49%
2008 27,603 59.64% 17,802 38.47% 875 1.89%
2004 29,976 66.66% 14,213 31.61% 779 1.73%
2000 24,696 67.55% 11,123 30.43% 738 2.02%
1996 19,293 54.32% 12,784 36.00% 3,439 9.68%
1992 18,052 47.92% 11,106 29.48% 8,511 22.59%
1988 19,510 61.44% 12,068 38.00% 179 0.56%
1984 21,947 72.22% 8,224 27.06% 218 0.72%
1980 18,991 67.33% 7,121 25.25% 2,092 7.42%
1976 13,352 56.34% 10,058 42.44% 289 1.22%
1972 13,654 61.16% 8,592 38.48% 80 0.36%
1968 9,671 53.29% 7,303 40.24% 1,174 6.47%
1964 8,926 47.46% 9,881 52.54% 0 0.00%
1960 11,364 60.31% 7,478 39.69% 0 0.00%
1956 10,955 67.26% 5,332 32.74% 0 0.00%
1952 11,029 71.16% 4,470 28.84% 0 0.00%
1948 6,392 56.01% 4,929 43.19% 92 0.81%
1944 5,246 59.87% 3,517 40.13% 0 0.00%
1940 6,603 57.51% 4,878 42.49% 0 0.00%
1936 4,442 42.60% 5,557 53.29% 429 4.11%
1932 3,638 40.99% 5,178 58.34% 59 0.66%
1928 4,645 66.97% 2,266 32.67% 25 0.36%
1924 3,201 63.57% 854 16.96% 980 19.46%
1920 2,568 64.23% 1,205 30.14% 225 5.63%
1916 1,108 42.73% 1,339 51.64% 146 5.63%
1912 0 0.00% 1,135 48.15% 1,222 51.85%
1908 1,702 57.38% 1,160 39.11% 104 3.51%
1904 1,126 69.00% 392 24.02% 114 6.99%
1900 898 52.92% 784 46.20% 15 0.88%
1896 739 41.40% 1,038 58.15% 8 0.45%
1892 959 50.66% 147 7.77% 787 41.57%

Education

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School districts include:[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Pennington County, South Dakota". www.census.gov. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  4. ^ "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 31, 2015.
  5. ^ "Pennington County, SD History" Archived October 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Pennington County official website. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  6. ^ Sheridan became a ghost town after the gold rush; it was inundated in 1939 by Sheridan Lake.
  7. ^ a b History - Pennington County (accessed February 8, 2019)
  8. ^ History of SD Counties/Pennington (accessed February 8, 2019)
  9. ^ a b c "Pennington County · South Dakota". Google Maps. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  10. ^ ""Find an Altitude" Google Maps (accessed 8 February 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  11. ^ "2024 County Gazetteer Files – South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  12. ^ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  13. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  14. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ "County Median Home Price". National Association of Realtors. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  18. ^ "Pennington County, South Dakota — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  19. ^ "Pennington County, South Dakota — Population by Race". CensusScope. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  20. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Pennington County, South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  21. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pennington County, South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  22. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pennington County, South Dakota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  23. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  24. ^ "How many people live in Pennington County, South Dakota". USA Today. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
  25. ^ "Sheriff's Office - Law Enforcement Division".
  26. ^ "Law Enforcement Division - Concealed Weapons Permits".
  27. ^ "Search & Rescue - Pennington County, South Dakota". www.pennco.org. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  28. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  29. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pennington County, SD" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 27, 2024. - Text list
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