Potter County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,472. Its county seat is Gettysburg. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1883.

Geography

The Missouri River flows southward along the west boundary line of Potter County. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture. The county generally slopes to the south, although the western portion slopes into the river valley. The county has a total area of 899 sqmi, of which 861 sqmi is land and 38 sqmi (4.2%) is water. The eastern portion of South Dakota's counties (48 of 66) observe Central Time; the western counties (18 of 66) observe Mountain Time. Potter County is the westernmost of the SD counties to observe Central Time.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,472 people, 1,127 households, and 753 families residing in the county. The population density was 2.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,569 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,329 people, 1,062 households, and 648 families in the county. The population density was 2.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,500 housing units at an average density of 1.7 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.6% white, 0.9% American Indian, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.2% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 65.3% were German, 11.1% were Irish, 8.2% were Norwegian, 8.0% were English, and 3.9% were American. Of the 1,062 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.0% were non-families, and 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age was 50.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $42,422 and the median income for a family was $53,214. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $29,792 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,986. About 5.4% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Towns

Unincorporated area

Townships

The county has no organized townships. It is divided into three areas of unorganized territory: West Potter, Central Potter, and East Potter.

Politics

Like most of South Dakota outside of Native American counties, Potter County has been predominantly Republican throughout most of the state's history. Only three Democrats – William Jennings Bryan, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson – have carried the county as of 2024, and since Jimmy Carter in 1976 no Democrat has passed forty percent of the county's vote.