Britton is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2020 census.

A weekly newspaper, the Britton Journal, is published in Britton.

History

Britton was founded in 1884 as a stop on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. In 1885, the town was designated county seat of the newly formed Marshall County. It received its city rights in 1906. The city is named after Isaac Britton, a railroad official.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Britton had a population of 1,215. The median age was 44.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.6 males age 18 and over.

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 522 households in Britton, of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.9% were married-couple households, 22.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 1,135 || 93.4%

|-

| Black or African American || 3 || 0.2%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 16 || 1.3%

|-

| Asian || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 16 || 1.3%

|-

| Two or more races || 44 || 3.6%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 32 || 2.6%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,241 people, 574 households, and 313 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 658 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.8% White, 0.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 574 households, of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.5% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.79.

The median age in the city was 48.6 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 27.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census

  • Frederic J. Brown II, U.S. Army lieutenant general
  • Frank Farrar, twenty-fourth Governor of South Dakota.
  • Dallas Goedert, NFL tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles.
  • Susan Wismer, State Senator and candidate for Governor of South Dakota in 2014

Footnotes

  • Marshall County Journal
  • Ivan Besse, Britton, South Dakota, 1938-39. <small>—Silent amateur film of daily life in Britton, SD in 1938.</small>
  • Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10