Deuel County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,295. Its county seat is Clear Lake. The county was created in 1862, and was organized in 1878. It is named for Jacob Deuel, a legislator in 1862.

Geography

Deuel County lies on the east boundary line of South Dakota. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary line of the state of Minnesota. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, sloped to the northeast. The area is largely devoted to agriculture. The county's highest elevation occurs on its upper west boundary line, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 29 U.S. Highway 212 South Dakota Highway 15 South Dakota Highway 22 South Dakota Highway 28 South Dakota Highway 101

Adjacent counties

Grant County – north Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota – northeast Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota – east Lincoln County, Minnesota – southeast Brookings County – south Hamlin County – southwest Codington County – northwest

Lakes

Bullhead Lake Briggs Lake Clear Lake East Coteau Lake Fish Lake Fox Lake Lake Alice Lake Cochrane Lake Francis Lake Ketchum Lake Oliver Lake Milk Lone Tree Lake North Coteau Lake Round Lake Rush Lake Salt Lake (part) School Lake Slough Up’Nort South Coteau Lake Wigdale Lake

Protected areas

Altamont State Public Shooting AreaAltamond State Public Shooting Areas, Clear Lake SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Astoria State Wildlife Management AreaAstoria State Wildlife Management Area, Astoria SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Briggs Lake State Public Shooting AreaBriggs Lake State Public Shooting Area, Gary SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Crystal Springs State Public Shooting AreaCrystal Springs State Public Shooting Area, Clear Lake SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Lake Cochrane State Recreation AreaLake Cochrane State Recreation Area Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Lake Francis State Public Shooting AreaLake Francis State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Lone Tree Lake State Public Shooting AreaLone Tree Lake State Public Shooting Area Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Mitchell State Public Shooting AreaMitchell State Public Shooting Area, Revillo SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Mud Lake State Public Shooting AreaMud Lake State Public Shooting Area, Gary SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Nelson State Wildlife Management AreaNelson State Wildlife Management Area, Clear Lake SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Rome State Wildlife Management AreaRome State Wildlife Management Area, Strandburg SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Round Lake State Wildlife Management AreaRound Lake State Wildlife Management Area, Strandburg SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Runge State Wildlife Management AreaRunge State Wildlife Management Area, Gary SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Rush Lake State Public Shooting AreaRush Lake State Public Shooting Area, Clear Lake SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Sharp State Public Shooting AreaSharp State Public Shooting Area, Clear Lake SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Singsaas Slough State Wildlife Management AreaSingsaas Slough State Wildlife Management Area, Astoria SD Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019) Sokota State Wildlife Management Area (partial)Sokota State Wildlife Management Area, Hendricks MN Google Maps (accessed February 2, 2019)

Demographics

2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 4,295 in 1,786 households and 1,177 families. The population density was . Of the residents, 23.9% were under the age of 18 and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females there were 107.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.7 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.7% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.0% Asian, 1.7% from some other race, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.2% of the population.

There were 1,786 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 16.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 2,132 housing units, of which 16.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 79.8% were owner-occupied and 20.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.6%.

2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 4,364 people, 1,819 households, and 1,228 families in the county. The population density was . There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.5% white, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 50.4% were German, 25.4% were Norwegian, 8.0% were Irish, 6.6% were Dutch, 5.5% were English, and 2.9% were American.

Of the 1,819 households, 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age was 43.9 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,000 and the median income for a family was $55,439. Males had a median income of $35,197 versus $26,020 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,276. About 3.0% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities Cities Clear Lake (county seat) Gary

Towns

Altamont Astoria Brandt Goodwin Toronto

Unincorporated communities Bemis Johnsonville Moritz Tunerville

Townships

Altamont Antelope Valley Blom, Brandt Clear Lake Glenwood Goodwin Grange Havana Herrick Hidewood Lowe Norden Portland Rome Scandinavia

Politics Deuel County is a typical eastern South Dakota county in its political history, which is somewhat akin to the Midwestern states of Iowa and Minnesota. It was strongly Republican in its early years, with no Democrat except William Jennings Bryan gaining forty percent up to 1928. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 became the first Democrat to carry the county, but lost it to Alf Landon in 1936, whilst – like most of the Midwest – the county showed a powerful anti-Roosevelt trend in 1940 and 1944 due to opposition to World War II. From 1964, the county showed a strong trend towards the Democratic Party – so much so that it was one of only 130 counties nationwide to support South Dakota native George McGovern in 1972 against Richard Nixon, and one of only five nationwide to have supported both landslide losers Landon and McGovern.

Between 1976 and 2010, Deuel was a competitive swing county, voting for the winning candidate in every election until 2008 when Barack Obama lost by 34 votes. Over the past three elections, however, Deuel – in common with many rural counties nationwide – has shown an abrupt swing towards the Republican Party. Donald Trump’s 2016 win was the largest since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952.

See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Deuel County, South Dakota

Notes

References