Gregory County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,994. Its county seat is Burke. The county was created in 1862 and organized in 1898. It was named for the politician J. Shaw Gregory.

Geography

Gregory County lies on the south line of South Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of Nebraska. The Missouri River flows southeastward along its east boundary line. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, sloping to the southeast. The eastern part of the county is etched with gullies and drainages, flowing to the river basin. The county's highest point is in the SW corner, at 2,247 ft ASL. Gregory County has a total area of 1054 sqmi, of which 1015 sqmi is land and 39 sqmi (3.7%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Source:

Lakes

Source:

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,994 people, 1,721 households, and 1,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 3.9 PD/sqmi. There were 2,186 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 4,271 people, 1,936 households, and 1,172 families in the county. The population density was 4.2 PD/sqmi. There were 2,503 housing units at an average density of 2.5 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 89.6% white, 7.5% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 54.5% were German, 11.4% were Irish, 10.9% were Czech, 7.1% were English, 6.0% were Norwegian, and 2.4% were American. Of the 1,936 households, 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.5% were non-families, and 36.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 48.2 years. The median income for a household in the county was $33,940 and the median income for a family was $44,333. Males had a median income of $30,401 versus $25,804 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,311. About 10.7% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.1% of those under age 18 and 19.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Unorganized territories

Economy

Farming and ranching are two main economic factors of the county.

Politics

Like all of South Dakota outside Native American counties, Gregory County is powerfully Republican. No Democrat has carried Gregory County since Jimmy Carter in 1976. Like almost all of rural America, recent swings away from the Democratic Party have been very rapid: Donald Trump's 79.0 percent of the county's vote is the largest any candidate has obtained in the county since South Dakota statehood.

National Register of Historic Places sites