Hughes County, South Dakota

The Missouri River forms the southwestern boundary line of Hughes County. The county's terrain consists of rolling hills cut by gullies and drainages. The area is partially dedicated to agriculture, including the use of center pivot irrigation. The county terrain generally slopes to the southeast, although the hills along the west fall off into the river valley. The county's highest point is on the upper part of the east boundary line, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (7.4%) is water. Major highways • U.S. Highway 14 • U.S. Highway 83 • South Dakota Highway 34 • South Dakota Highway 1804 Airport Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) serves Hughes County and the surrounding communities. Adjacent counties • Sully County – north • Hyde County – east • Lyman County – south • Stanley County – west Protected areas Source: • Arikara State Game Production Area • Buckeye State Game Production Area • Cowan State Game Production Area • DeGrey State Game Production Area • DeGrey State Lakeside Use Area • Dry Run State Game Production Area • East Shore State Lakeside Use Area • Farm Island State Recreation Area • Fort George State Game Production Area • Fort George State Lakeside Use Area • Gutenkauf State Game Production Area • Joe Creek Recreation Area • LaFramboise Island State Nature Area • North Bend State Lakeside Use Area • North Big Bend State Game Production Area • Oahe Mission Recreation Area • Peoria Flats State Game Production Area • Peoria Flats State Lakeside Use Area • Rousseau State Game Production Area • Rousseau State Lakeside Use Area • Sand Creek State Game Production Area • Spring Creek State Recreation Area • Tailrace Recreation Area • Valley state Game Production Area • West Bend State Recreation Area • West Big Bend State Game Production Area • West DeGrey State Game Production Area • Woodruff Lake State Game Production Area Lakes Source: • Lake Oahe (part) • Lake Sharpe (part) • Woodruff Lake ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, there were 17,765 people, 7,240 households, and 4,506 families residing in the county. The population density was . Of the residents, 24.0% were under the age of 18 and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.3 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.4 males. The racial makeup of the county was 80.1% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 12.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% Asian, 1.0% from some other race, and 5.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.8% of the population. There were 7,240 households in the county, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 7,922 housing units, of which 8.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.5% were owner-occupied and 32.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.3%. 2010 census As of the 2010 census, there were 17,022 people, 7,066 households, and 4,435 families in the county. The population density was . There were 7,623 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.7% white, 10.5% American Indian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 42.7% were German, 12.4% were Norwegian, 9.8% were Irish, 9.7% were English, and 3.8% were American. Of the 7,066 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.2% were non-families, and 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age was 39.8 years. The median income for a household in the county was $53,501 and the median income for a family was $70,881. Males had a median income of $42,701 versus $32,265 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,236. About 7.1% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over. ==Politics==

Hughes is a strongly Republican county in Presidential and Congressional elections. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. In 2012, Republican Mitt Romney won 64% of the county's vote. In the South Dakota Senate Hughes is part of the 24th Senate district, which is held by Republican Bob Gray. In the State House Hughes is part of district 24, which is held by Republicans Tad Perry and Mark Venner. ==Communities==

Cities • Blunt • Pierre (county seat) Town • Harrold Census-designated place • Oahe Acres Unincorporated communities • Canning Townships • Raber • Valley Unorganized territories • Crow Creek • North Hughes • West Hughes ==Education==

School districts include: • Agar-Blunt-Onida School District 58-3 • Highmore-Harrold School District 34-2 • Pierre School District 32-2 ==See also==