Jackson County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,806. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Kadoka. The county was created in 1883, and was organized in 1915. Washabaugh County was merged into Jackson County in 1983.

Geography

The terrain of Jackson County consists of mountains rising from rolling hills. The ground is arid and carved with drainages. The White River flows eastward, cutting a meandering channel through the central part.''Jackson County SD'' Google Maps (accessed February 4, 2019)
/ref> The terrain generally slopes to the NE; its highest point is a ridge near the SW corner, at 3,274' (998m) ASL. Jackson County has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water. About 57 percent of its land, the portion south of White River, is on the

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

. The county includes the easternmost portion of

Badlands National Park Badlands National Park ( lkt, Makȟóšiča) is an American national park located in southwestern South Dakota. The park protects of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United Sta ...

South Dakota's eastern counties (48 of 66) observe Central Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observe

Mountain Time The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The cloc ...

. Jackson County is the easternmost of the state's counties to observe Mountain Time.

Major highways

* Interstate 90 * U.S. Highway 14 *

South Dakota Highway 44 South Dakota Highway 44 (SD 44) is a state highway in southern South Dakota that runs from U.S. Route 385 (US 385) west of Rapid City to Interstate 29 (I-29) south of Sioux Falls. It is just more than long. Route description SD 4 ...

South Dakota Highway 63 South Dakota Highway 63 (SD 63) is a state highway in central South Dakota, United States, that connects U.S. Route 18 (US 18) south-southeast of Parmelee with the North Dakota state line north of McLaughlin. It consists ...

South Dakota Highway 73 South Dakota Highway 73 (SD 73) is a state route that runs across western South Dakota. It begins at the Nebraska border north of Merriman, Nebraska, as a continuation of Nebraska Highway 61. It runs to the North Dakota border, where it continu ...

* South Dakota Highway 377

Adjacent counties

* Haakon County - north * Jones County - northeast (observes Central Time) * Mellette County - east (observes Central Time) * Todd County - southeast (observes Central Time) * Bennett County - south *

Oglala Lakota County Oglala Lakota County (known as Shannon County until May 2015) is a county in southwestern South Dakota, United States. The population was 13,672 at the 2020 census. Oglala Lakota County does not have a functioning county seat; Hot Springs in ne ...

- southwest * Pennington County - northwest

Lakes

* Kadoka Lake * Wanblee Lake

National protected areas

(part) *

Buffalo Gap National Grassland Buffalo Gap National Grassland is a National Grassland located primarily in southwestern South Dakota, United States. It is also the second largest National Grassland, after Little Missouri National Grassland in North Dakota. Characteristics of t ...

(part) *

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is an American national historic site established in 1999 near Wall, South Dakota to illustrate the history and significance of the Cold War, the arms race, and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

(part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

, there were 2,930 people, 945 households, and 675 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 1,173 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.2/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 50.07% White, 0.03% Black or African American, 47.85% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. 0.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 945 households, out of which 38.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.40% were married couples living together, 14.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.73. The county population contained 36.50% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 20.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $23,945, and the median income for a family was $25,161. Males had a median income of $22,460 versus $17,895 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $9,981. About 29.50% of families and 36.50% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 46.10% of those under age 18 and 20.10% of those age 65 or over. The county's

per-capita income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

makes it one of the poorest counties in the United States.

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servi ...

, there were 3,031 people, 996 households, and 703 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 1,193 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 52.0% American Indian, 42.7% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.7% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 12.3% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 10.1% were

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

, 5.7% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and 0.2% were American. Of the 996 households, 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.4% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.65. The median age was 31.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $36,354 and the median income for a family was $41,838. Males had a median income of $32,377 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,568. About 20.6% of families and 30.0% of the population were below the

, including 35.9% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Kadoka (county seat) (Pop:543)

Towns

* Belvidere (Population:46) * Cottonwood (Population:12) * Interior (Population:65)

Census-designated place

* Wanblee (Population:674)

Unincorporated communities

* Cactus Flat * Hisle * Long Valley * Potato Creek * Stamford * Weta

Townships

* Grandview II * Interior * Jewett * Wall * Weta

Unorganized territories

* East Jackson * Northwest Jackson * Southeast Jackson * Southwest Jackson

Politics

Jackson County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.

References

{{Coord, 43.70, -101.64, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-SD_source:UScensus1990 1915 establishments in South Dakota Populated places established in 1915