Hutchinson County, South Dakota

Hutchinson County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,427. Its county seat is Olivet. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1871; it was named for John Hutchinson, first territorial secretary.

History

Hutchinson County was created by act of the territorial legislature on May 8, 1862. Its boundaries included portions of present-day Davison and Hanson Counties, and part of what is presently Hutchinson County was within the boundaries of Jayne County. Maxwell City was established as the county seat, and it remained there until October 1873 when it was moved to Olivet following an election. On 13 January 1871, the territorial legislature established the present county boundaries and completed its governing organization. In two actions in January 1873, the legislature divided Hutchinson County into two counties - the northern half was named Armstrong County, with Milltown as the seat. However, in 1879, Armstrong County was dissolved and its area re-annexed into Hutchinson County.

Geography

The James River flows south-southeasterly through the central part of Hutchinson County. The county's terrain consists of rolling hills, with the area largely devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the river valley from both sides, with the county's highest point at its southwest corner: 1,880' (573m) ASL.

Hutchinson County has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.

Major highways

20px U.S. Highway 18
20px U.S. Highway 81
20px South Dakota Highway 25
20px South Dakota Highway 37
20px South Dakota Highway 44

Adjacent counties

Hanson County – north
McCook County – northeast
Turner County – east
Yankton County – southeast
Bon Homme County – south
Charles Mix County – southwest
Douglas County – west
Davison County – northwest

Protected areas

Mogck Slough State Public Shooting Area

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 7,427 people, 2,797 households, and 1,802 families residing in the county, and the population density was .

Of the residents, 25.4% were under the age of 18 and 23.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 42.4 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.7 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 95.2% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 1.1% from some other race, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.

There were 2,797 households in the county, of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 21.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. South Dakota has the nation's largest population of Hutterites, a communal Anabaptist group that emigrated also from Russia during the same period as the Mennonites, with whom they share the Anabaptist faith. Hutterites live in communities each of about 150 people. Wolf Creek Colony is in Hutchinson County, where the Wolf meets the James River. This colony is west of Freeman and north of Olivet and Menno. Other Hutterite communities in the county are Maxwell Colony, New Elm Spring Colony, Old Elm Spring Colony, and Tschetter Colony.

Communities

Cities

Freeman
Parkston

Towns

Dimock
Menno
Olivet (county seat)
Tripp

Census-designated places

Kaylor
Maxwell Colony
Milltown
New Elm Spring Colony
Old Elm Spring Colony
Tschetter Colony
Wolf Creek Colony