Brule County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,247. Its county seat is Chamberlain.

History

Brule County was created on January 14, 1875, of territory partitioned from Charles Mix County. Its governing structure was also created at that time. However, in May 1875, Brule County was withdrawn from settlement, by order of US President Grant. This order was later annulled, and the organization of Brule County governing structure was completed in September 1879. On March 9, 1883, the area of Brule County was slightly increased by an addition of former Buffalo County lands. The total area of Brule County was further increased on June 4, 1891, when American Island (in the Missouri River) was attached to the county (from the Sioux Reservation). Its boundaries have remained unchanged since that date.

Geography

The Missouri River flows southward along the western boundary line of Brule County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, partially dedicated to agriculture. The county has a total area of 846 sqmi, of which 817 sqmi is land and 29 sqmi (3.5%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,247 people, 2,024 households, and 1,271 families residing in the county. The population density was 6.4 PD/sqmi. There were 2,344 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 5,255 people, 2,136 households, and 1,375 families in the county. The population density was 6.4 PD/sqmi. There were 2,433 housing units at an average density of 3.0 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 8.5% American Indian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 51.7% were German, 11.7% were Irish, 11.5% were Czech, 10.9% were Norwegian, 6.2% were English, and 1.3% were American. Of the 2,136 households, 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were non-families, and 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 41.3 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,277 and the median income for a family was $58,363. Males had a median income of $33,958 versus $25,051 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,779. About 9.8% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Town

Census-designated places

Unincorporated community

Townships

Politics

For the first century of South Dakota statehood, the predominately white voters of Brule County favored the Democratic Party. The county favored a Republican presidential candidate on just three occasions between 1896 and 1976. In the national landslide victories of Theodore Roosevelt, Harding and Dwight D. Eisenhower, when each candidate swept every other county in South Dakota, none obtained more than 53.1 percent of Brule County's vote. Richard Nixon, running against favorite son George McGovern in 1972, did not gain 46 percent in Brule County, while he was sweeping all but 129 other counties nationwide. Since the "Reagan Revolution", voters in Brule County have shifted to favor Republican presidential candidates. Michael Dukakis in 1988 was the last Democrat to win a majority in Brule County, although Bill Clinton twice obtained a plurality. Four of the past five Republican nominees have won over 58 percent of Brule County's vote.