Minnehaha County, South Dakota
Minnehaha County Courthouse in Sioux Falls
Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
South Dakota's location within the U.S.
|Named for||"rapid water"|
|Largest city||Sioux Falls|
|• Total||814 sq mi (2,110 km2)|
|• Land||807 sq mi (2,090 km2)|
|• Water||6.7 sq mi (17 km2) 0.8%|
| • Estimate |
|• Density||239/sq mi (92/km2)|
|Time zone||UTC−6 (Central)|
|• Summer (DST)||UTC−5 (CDT)|
Minnehaha County is a county on the eastern border of the state of South Dakota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 169,468, making it the state's most populous county. It contains over 20% of the state's population. Its county seat is Sioux Falls, South Dakota's largest city. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1868. Its name was derived from the Sioux word Mnihaha, meaning "rapid water," or "waterfall" (often incorrectly translated as "laughing water").
Minnehaha County is part of the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, the state's largest.
Minnehaha County lies on the east side of South Dakota. Its eastern boundary abuts Minnesota as well as the northern and western boundaries of Iowa. The Big Sioux River flows south-southeast through the east central part of the county. Its terrain consists of rolling hills, devoted to agriculture except around built-up areas, and dotted with lakes and ponds in its western portion. Its terrain generally slopes southward, and the east and west edges slope to the river valley through the center of the county. Its highest point is in the northwest corner, at 1,752' (534m) ASL.
Minnehaha County has an area of 814 square miles (2,110 km2), of which 807 square miles (2,090 km2) is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km2) (0.8%) is water.
- Beaver Creek State Recreation Area
- Big Sioux State Recreation Area
- Diamond Lake State Game Production Area
- Falls Park
- Island Lake State Game Production Area (part)
- Palisades State Park
- Pederson State Game Production Area
- Scott Lake State Game Production Area
- Twin Lakes State Game Production Area
- Wall Lake State Lakeside Use Area
|US Decennial Census|
197,418 population on
January 1, 2021 Estimate
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 148,281 people, 57,996 households, and 37,581 families in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile (71/km2). There were 60,237 housing units at an average density of 74 per square mile (29/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.03% White, 1.51% Black or African American, 1.85% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. 2.15% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 57,996 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.80% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.20% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.
The county population contained 26.20% under the age of 18, 10.80% from 18 to 24, 32.00% from 25 to 44, 20.00% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,566, and the median income for a family was $52,031. Males had a median income of $32,208 versus $24,691 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,713. About 5.00% of families and 7.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.90% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 169,468 people, 67,028 households, and 42,052 families in the county. The population density was 210.0 inhabitants per square mile (81.1/km2). There were 71,557 housing units at an average density of 88.7 per square mile (34.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.1% white, 3.8% black or African American, 2.5% American Indian, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.8% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 43.8% were German, 17.7% were Norwegian, 11.6% were Irish, 6.8% were Dutch, 6.3% were English, and 3.2% were American.
Of the 67,028 households, 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.3% were non-families, and 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 34.5 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,799 and the median income for a family was $64,645. Males had a median income of $40,187 versus $31,517 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,392. About 6.9% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Minnehaha is a fairly Republican county with only one Democratic presidential candidate, Michael Dukakis in 1988, receiving an absolute majority in the last fifty years.
- Clear Lake
- Dell Rapids
- Grand Meadow
- Red Rock
- Sioux Falls
- Split Rock
- Valley Springs
- Wall Lake
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In the language of the Sioux, a waterfall was haha; water itself was minne. White men by a misunderstanding had coupled the two words, and produced Minnehaha Falls, a name thus meaning "water-waterfalls-falls". By a complete though natural misunderstanding of haha, the name had been romantically translated as Laughing Water
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|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Minnehaha County, South Dakota.|
- Minnehaha County, SD government website
- Envision 2035 Comprehensive Plan webpage
- Capture Minnehaha County website
- The American Cyclopædia. 1879. .