Codington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,325, making it the 7th most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Watertown. The county was created in 1877 and organized in 1878. It is named for Rev. George S. S. Codington, Dakota Territory legislator.
Codington County comprises the Watertown, SD Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
thumb|right|Native vegetation based on NRCS soils information
Codington County terrain consists of rolling hills dotted with lakes and ponds, especially in the southwest portion. The land is largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain is higher on the county's east and west sides, and generally slopes to the south. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.0%) is water.
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 29
- 20px U.S. Highway 81
- 23px U.S. Highway 212
- 20px South Dakota Highway 20
- South Dakota Highway 20P
Transit
- Jefferson Lines
Adjacent counties
- Grant County – northeast
- Deuel County – southeast
- Hamlin County – south
- Clark County – west
- Day County – northwest
Protected areas
- American Game Association State Game Production Area
- Blythe State Game Production Area
- Christopherson Game Production Area
- Clarksean State Game Production Area
- Codington County State Game Production Area
- Curley State Game Production Area
- Elmore State Game Production Area
- Gilbert State Game Production Area
- Goose Lake State Game Production Area
- Hanson State Game Production Area
- Horseshoe Lake State Game Production Area
- Larson State Game Production Area
- McKillicans Lake State Game Production Area
- North Nichols State Game Production Area
- North Stink Lake State Game Production Area
- Pelican Lake State Recreation Area
- Punished Womans Lake State Game Production Area
- Sandy Shore State Recreation Area
- Spencer State Game Production Area
- Spoonbill Pass State Game Production Area
- Thompson's Point State Lakeside Use Area
- Warner Lake State Game Production Area
- Wolf State Game Production Area (partial)
Major lakes
- Cottonwood Lake
- Dry Lake
- Goose Lake
- Grass Lake
- Horseshoe Lake
- Kings Lake
- Lake Kampeska
- Lake Nicholson
- Long Lake
- McKillicans Lake
- Medicine Lake
- Pelican Lake
- Punished Womans Lake
- Round Lake
- Still Lake
- Warner Lake
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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br>1790–1960 1900–1990<br>1990–2000 2010–2020 The population density was . There were 13,211 housing units, of which 9.0% were vacant; 66.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied and 33.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.7%.
Of the residents, 23.4% were under the age of 18 and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.1 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 101.9 males.
Of those households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 24.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
- Grover
- Kampeska
- Rauville
Townships
- Dexter
- Eden
- Elmira
- Fuller
- Germantown
- Graceland
- Henry
- Kampeska
- Kranzburg
- Lake
- Leola
- Pelican
- Phipps
- Rauville
- Richland
- Sheridan
- Waverly
Politics
Codington County voters have been reliably Republican for several decades. In no national election since 1976 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate.
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Education
School districts include:
- Castlewood School District 28-1
- Florence School District 14-1
- Hamlin School District 28-3
- Henry School District 14-2
- Watertown School District 14-4
- Waverly School District 14-5
- Webster School District 18-5
See also
- Codington County Courthouse
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Codington County, South Dakota