McPherson County, South Dakota

McPherson County population, land area and income

McPherson County had 2,307 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 1,136.7 square miles of land. It ranks 55th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 24th by land area. That works out to 2.0 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Dakota has 5,296 residents, so McPherson County has 44% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $55,704 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

How McPherson County's population changed since 2020

McPherson County lost 96 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 4.0%. That ranks 63rd of 66 in South Dakota for growth. The median South Dakota county changed by +0.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, McPherson County recorded 88 births and 161 deaths, a natural change of -73. Net international migration added +0 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -27. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 73 people.

Where McPherson County is

The Census internal point of McPherson County is at 45.784200, -99.211400. It sits in UTM zone 14N. The map shades South Dakota's 66 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with McPherson County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Towns in McPherson County

No incorporated place of 1,000 or more people has residents in McPherson County. Its 2,307 residents live in smaller towns, census-designated places, or unincorporated land, which the subcounty estimates do not list at this size.

Counties bordering McPherson County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for McPherson County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Brown County, SD, with 37,495 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

• Brown County

  37,495 people

  44 mi ESE

• Walworth County

  5,270 people

  47 mi WSW

• ND

  Dickey County, ND

  4,930 people

  41 mi ENE

• Edmunds County

  4,027 people

  26 mi S

• ND

  McIntosh County, ND

  2,461 people

  24 mi NNW

• Campbell County

  1,342 people

  38 mi W

Distance to Pierre and the nearest big city

Pierre is 112.5 miles SSW of McPherson County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Fargo, ND (population 136,285), 136.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Aberdeen, SD (population 27,919), 42.1 miles away.

McPherson County FIPS code

The FIPS code of McPherson County is 46089: state code 46 for South Dakota plus county code 089. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $55,704.