akashic
1876–2024
Potter County, South Dakota
Potter County·South Dakota

Potter County has voted Republican for as long as anyone can remember.

One of the Great Plains' most lopsided presidential counties

18762024·38 elections
Potter County, South Dakota · JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+65
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
2,388
2024 ACS
Most similar
Brunswick County
NC · similarity 0.99
26 precincts · 1,298 votes cast
Trump · R+65
0102030405060708091011121314151617181920212223242526
Precinct
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Hover precincts for detail. Real precinct boundaries forthcoming.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−65.1%
2141,0591,298
2020R
−66.1%
2271,1391,380
2016R
−64.0%
2151,0711,337
2012R
−50.0%
3391,0291,381
2008R
−31.6%
4829371,440
2004R
−42.0%
4631,1431,618
2000D
+13.2%
2,2371,7004,074
1996D
+12.5%
2,1861,6464,333
1992D
+6.8%
1,7161,4374,121
1988R
−25.0%
7011,1751,893
1984R
−52.5%
4821,5512,035
1980R
−55.2%
4361,6332,169
1976R
−11.1%
9081,1362,052
1972R
−23.6%
8581,3892,253
1968R
−22.4%
7801,2732,202
1964D
+13.8%
1,2609542,214
1960R
−13.8%
1,0041,3262,330
1956R
−26.3%
8431,4452,288
1952R
−47.5%
5791,6252,204
1948R
−0.2%
1,0391,0442,101
1944R
−16.5%
7171,0011,718
1940R
−9.6%
1,0541,2782,332
1936D
+18.4%
1,3389142,306
1932D
+42.9%
1,6686602,350
1928R
−6.0%
1,1001,2402,350
1924R
−44.1%
2831,0751,797
1920R
−55.1%
2551,0731,484
1916D
+11.1%
512408938
1912D
+46.9%
4230901
1908R
−20.2%
4006141,057
1904R
−29.9%
275525836
1900D
+0.8%
381375782
1896D
+7.8%
390333728
1892R
−42.0%
57320626
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
1.2%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
48.5%
Mainline Protestant
14.8%
Methodist
10.8%
Other Christian
9.5%
Pentecostal & Holiness
2.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 14.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With fewer than 2,700 residents spread across nearly 900 square miles of central South Dakota rangeland, Potter County has delivered Republican presidential margins exceeding 60 points in recent cycles, making it a reliable data point for studying rural Plains voting patterns.

The Republican margin in Potter County reached its widest at sixty-six points in 2020. The margin in 2024 was sixty-five points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.

Potter County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $72,045, a 93% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 2,388 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Brunswick County and Pender County.