Retiring Guy's Digest: Population loss in South Dakota: Kingsbury County

Friday, July 19, 2019

Population loss in South Dakota: Kingsbury County

It all started here.

Population loss as in major -- 50% or more.

Source: Wikipedia (Kingsbury County, De Smet)

De Smet is the county seat of Kingsbury County.

Population loss by degrees: 80-89%, 70-79%, 60-69%, 50-59%.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts

Percentage of population 25 and older with a bachelor's degree:

22.2% - Kingsbury County
27.8% - South Dakota
30.9% - U.S.

Percentage of population 65 and older:

23.2% - Kingsbury County
16.6% - South Dakota
15.6% - U.S.

The last time a Democratic candidate for president won Kingsbury County was in 1996, the fourth time such a thing happened.

Hazel L. Meyer Memorial Library, De Smet

Related reading:

Trading Tiaras for Calico on the Prairie. (The New York Times, 8/5/2011)

Set amid expansive, undulating pastures of tallgrass prairie and cornfields in eastern South Dakota, De Smet has long been a popular family destination as a historic Laura Ingalls Wilder site. Lately, though, traffic is up. And according to those who operate the museums, historic sites and the homestead here, a lot of the increase is because of little girls — and there’s not even a sparkly tiara or tulle tutu in sight.