Clark County, South Dakota: Heartland Swing county. In 2024, voted R+52%. Republican peak: R+59 in 1904.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+52MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Heartland SwingAkashic typology
- Population
- 3,9172024 5-year
- Median household income
- $70,7262024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 90.8%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.5%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 5.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+38 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+59 in 1904MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Bon Homme County, SD · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Clark CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Clark County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
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Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −34.5% |
| 1896 | +7.8% |
| 1900 | −13.3% |
| 1904 | −59.4% |
| 1908 | −35.3% |
| 1912 | +38.5% |
| 1916 | +9.0% |
| 1920 | −45.2% |
| 1924 | −45.9% |
| 1928 | −31.8% |
| 1932 | +25.0% |
| 1936 | +3.7% |
| 1940 | −23.5% |
| 1944 | −23.1% |
| 1948 | −2.1% |
| 1952 | −42.9% |
| 1956 | −17.7% |
| 1960 | −22.1% |
| 1964 | +7.9% |
| 1968 | −8.9% |
| 1972 | −9.5% |
| 1976 | −2.6% |
| 1980 | −40.8% |
| 1984 | −29.0% |
| 1988 | −3.4% |
| 1992 | −0.2% |
| 1996 | −1.9% |
| 2000 | +22.8% |
| 2004 | −24.1% |
| 2008 | −12.1% |
| 2012 | −19.4% |
| 2016 | −44.7% |
| 2020 | −50.6% |
| 2024 | −52.5% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 415 | 1,382 | 1,842 | ||
| R | 437 | 1,373 | 1,850 | ||
| R | 398 | 1,139 | 1,657 | ||
| R | 713 | 1,067 | 1,821 | ||
| R | 830 | 1,065 | 1,940 | ||
| R | 875 | 1,435 | 2,327 | ||
| D | 1,272 | 791 | 2,108 | ||
| R | 956 | 998 | 2,242 | ||
| R | 799 | 803 | 2,375 | ||
| R | 1,164 | 1,247 | 2,424 | ||
| R | 960 | 1,748 | 2,718 | ||
| R | 774 | 1,963 | 2,911 | ||
| R | 1,376 | 1,449 | 2,838 | ||
| R | 1,336 | 1,617 | 2,962 | ||
| R | 1,325 | 1,596 | 3,040 | ||
| D | 1,771 | 1,511 | 3,282 | ||
| R | 1,406 | 2,204 | 3,610 | ||
| R | 1,521 | 2,173 | 3,694 | ||
| R | 1,076 | 2,692 | 3,768 | ||
| R | 1,559 | 1,625 | 3,212 | ||
| R | 1,209 | 1,936 | 3,145 | ||
| R | 1,624 | 2,622 | 4,246 | ||
| D | 2,036 | 1,883 | 4,087 | ||
| D | 2,649 | 1,572 | 4,300 | ||
| R | 1,370 | 2,665 | 4,071 | ||
| R | 325 | 1,684 | 2,962 | ||
| R | 437 | 1,753 | 2,910 | ||
| D | 1,226 | 1,016 | 2,326 | ||
| O | 668 | 0 | 1,736 | ||
| R | 557 | 1,234 | 1,917 | ||
| R | 276 | 1,409 | 1,908 | ||
| R | 752 | 996 | 1,839 | ||
| D | 816 | 695 | 1,544 | ||
| R | 197 | 731 | 1,549 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
40.2%
Irish
7.3%
English
6.6%
American
4.1%
Polish
1.9%
French
1.8%
Scottish
1.0%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
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. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 40.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$70,726
Clark County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Clark County$70,726
South Dakota$75,081
United States$80,734
Clark County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
10.9%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 185.6%
Working age (18–64)13.0%
Seniors (65+)12.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.2%
speak English only
Other Indo-European4.2%
Spanish2.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 33.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Clark County's sparse, agriculture-dependent population of roughly 4,100 has delivered lopsided Republican presidential margins for decades, with 2024's R+52.5 result consistent with the broader trend across the state's rural Great Plains interior.
The Democratic margin here peaked at thirty-eight points in 1912. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was fifty-two points.
A population of 3,917, a 91% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $70,726 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Bon Homme County and Grant County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Clark County, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/46025/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in South Dakota
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Frequently asked questions
How did Clark County, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Clark County, South Dakota voted Republican by 52.5 points (R+52), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,842 votes cast, 415 went Democratic and 1,382 went Republican.
What is Clark County, South Dakota's political typology?
Akashic places Clark County, South Dakota in the "Heartland Swing" typology — Industrial Midwest swing counties drifting steadily toward the Republican Party. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.
When did Clark County, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Clark County, South Dakota voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in Clark County, South Dakota?
Clark County, South Dakota has a population of 3,917 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Clark County, South Dakota?
Median household income in Clark County, South Dakota is $70,726 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of Clark County, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Clark County, South Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The county's typology — "Heartland Swing" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.