Armour is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 698 at the 2020 census.

History

Armour was founded in 1885. The city was named after Philip Danforth Armour, who was the founder of Armour and Company, a meat packing company. Contrary to popular belief, Armour was never home to a meat packing plant; the town was so named because Mr. Armour was also the chairman of the railroad that went through Armour and donated a bell to the local congregational church. The athletic teams of Armour High School were formerly known as the "Packers" in reference to the well known packing company, although today the high school plays its sports jointly with Tripp-Delmont High School as the "Armour/Tripp-Delmont Nighthawks."

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Armour had a population of 698. The median age was 51.2 years. 20.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 30.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.1 males age 18 and over.

There were 290 households in Armour, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.7% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 623 || 89.3%

|-

| Black or African American || 2 || 0.3%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 19 || 2.7%

|-

| Asian || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 11 || 1.6%

|-

| Two or more races || 42 || 6.0%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 30 || 4.3%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 699 people, 325 households, and 181 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 378 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.7% White, 2.7% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 325 households, of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.3% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.72.

The median age in the city was 52.4 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 33.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.1% male and 53.9% female.

thumb|right|The Douglas County Courthouse in Armour 1995

2000 census

As of the census

Education

It is in the Armour School District 21-1.<!--UNI 03780-->

Notable people

  • Benjamin H. Adams, Rear Admiral and medical officer in the United States Navy
  • Philip Danforth Armour
  • Peirson M. Hall, federal judge born in Armour
  • Edwin S. Johnson, United States Senator buried in Armour
  • Emily St. James, novelist, television writer and former critic-at-large at Vox, born in Armour
  • Tony Venhuizen, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, born in Armour

See also

  • List of cities in South Dakota

References

  • Armour population 2023