Union County, South Dakota

Union County
Union County
U.S. county
	Location within the U.S. state of South Dakota
	South Dakota's location within the U.S.
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Country	United States ;
State	Template:Country data South Dakota
Founded	1862
Seat	Elk Point
Area
• Total	467 sq mi (1,210 km2)
• Land	461 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Water	6 sq mi (20 km2)
Population (2020)
• Total	16,811
• Density	36.5/sq mi (14.1/km2)

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Union County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,811. Its county seat is Elk Point. The county was created in 1862 and was originally named Cole County, but it was renamed to Union County in 1864 to honor the preservation of the Union.

Geography[edit | edit source]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 467 square miles (1,210 km²), of which 461 square miles (1,190 km²) is land and 6.3 square miles (16 km²) (1.3%) is water. The Missouri River forms the county's western boundary.

Adjacent counties[edit | edit source]

Demographics[edit | edit source]

As of the 2020 census, there were 16,811 people, 6,500 households, and 4,500 families residing in the county. The population density was 36.5 inhabitants per square mile (14.1/km²). There were 7,000 housing units at an average density of 15.2 per square mile (5.9/km²).

Communities[edit | edit source]

Cities[edit | edit source]

Towns[edit | edit source]

Jefferson

Unincorporated communities[edit | edit source]

Richland

Politics[edit | edit source]

Union County is a swing county in presidential elections, having voted for the winning candidate in most elections since 1960. The county government is headed by a board of commissioners, with other elected officials including the sheriff, auditor, and treasurer.