Lake County, South Dakota
Precinct data
Results by precinct
20 precincts · 5,906 votes
Precinct boundaries and identifiers are cycle-specific. This table does not join rows across years without a validated crosswalk.
| Precinct -WARD 1WARD 1 | 550 | 753 | 31 | 1,334 | 41.2% | 56.4% | R+15.2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precinct -WARD 2WARD 2 | 290 | 421 | 21 | 732 | 39.6% | 57.5% | R+17.9 |
| Precinct -WARD 3WARD 3 | 280 | 422 | 13 | 715 | 39.2% | 59.0% | R+19.9 |
| Precinct -WENTWORTH-RUTLANDWENTWORTH-RUTLAND | 174 | 420 | 8 | 602 | 28.9% | 69.8% | R+40.9 |
| Precinct -LAKEVIEWLAKEVIEW | 211 | 372 | 6 | 589 | 35.8% | 63.2% | R+27.3 |
| Precinct -CHESTER-FRANKLINCHESTER-FRANKLIN | 145 | 430 | 4 | 579 | 25.0% | 74.3% | R+49.2 |
| Precinct -HERMAN-WINFREDHERMAN-WINFRED | 123 | 350 | 10 | 483 | 25.5% | 72.5% | R+47.0 |
| Precinct -FARMINGTON-LEROY-CLARNO-ORLANDFARMINGTON-LEROY-CLARNO-ORLAND | 86 | 294 | 7 | 387 | 22.2% | 76.0% | R+53.7 |
| Precinct -CONCORD-BADUS-WAYNE/RAMONACONCORD-BADUS-WAYNE/RAMONA | 81 | 191 | 5 | 277 | 29.2% | 69.0% | R+39.7 |
| Precinct -NUNDA-SUMMITNUNDA-SUMMIT | 38 | 166 | 4 | 208 | 18.3% | 79.8% | R+61.5 |
| Chester-Franklin precinct46_460794301 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Concord-Badus-Wayne-Ramona Town precinct46_460794304 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Farmington-LeRoy-Clarno-Orland precinct46_460794306 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Herman-Winfred precinct46_460794305 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Lakeview precinct46_460794307 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Madison ward 146_460794308 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Madison ward 246_460794309 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Madison ward 346_460794310 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Nunda-Summit-Nunda Town precinct46_460794303 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
| Wentworth-Rutland-Wentworth Village precinct46_460794302 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | Even |
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | −32.0% |
| 1896 | +7.2% |
| 1900 | −12.8% |
| 1904 | −67.0% |
| 1908 | −36.1% |
| 1912 | +33.5% |
| 1916 | −14.6% |
| 1920 | −58.0% |
| 1924 | −38.2% |
| 1928 | −27.1% |
| 1932 | +16.1% |
| 1936 | −11.0% |
| 1940 | −37.7% |
| 1944 | −31.4% |
| 1948 | −14.9% |
| 1952 | −46.6% |
| 1956 | −24.6% |
| 1960 | −22.6% |
| 1964 | +10.6% |
| 1968 | −10.9% |
| 1972 | −0.6% |
| 1976 | +7.3% |
| 1980 | −15.1% |
| 1984 | −12.2% |
| 1988 | +4.4% |
| 1992 | +8.9% |
| 1996 | +11.0% |
| 2000 | −7.6% |
| 2004 | −14.2% |
| 2008 | +0.6% |
| 2012 | −11.1% |
| 2016 | −25.4% |
| 2020 | −27.5% |
| 2024 | −31.2% |
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | R | 23.2%1,139 | 73.5%3,615 | 4,918 |
| 2020 | R | 35.2%2,069 | 64.8%3,816 | 5,885 |
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 4.8 points more Republican.
7,714 registered voters · 2026
Who moves in and out
Net migration over time, and who arrivals are — where they came from and what those places vote
−56 net domestic migration · 2025
Net +1,231 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
Arrivals reported $71,188 in average income, against $96,043 for residents who stayed — 26% lower. (IRS SOI, 2022–23)
The places arrivals came from lean R+16.8 on average — 14 points more Democratic-leaning than Lake County, SD itself (R+31.2).
Where arrivals came from lean of each source
- Minnehaha County, SD63R+12.7
- Brookings County, SD28R+17.4
- Lincoln County, SD25R+26.5
Where departures went households, 2022–23
- Minnehaha County, SD103
- Lincoln County, SD20
Migration is one input to a place’s political change, not its cause — a shift can also come from residents changing their minds, generational turnover, or turnout. These figures describe the places people moved between; they do not measure how any mover voted.
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | +252 |
| 2012 | +117 |
| 2013 | +143 |
| 2014 | +158 |
| 2015 | +229 |
| 2016 | +244 |
| 2017 | +190 |
| 2018 | +245 |
| 2019 | −273 |
| 2021 | −148 |
| 2022 | +88 |
| 2023 | +88 |
| 2024 | −46 |
| 2025 | −56 |
Lake County anchors the Coteau des Prairies plateau in eastern South Dakota, where agricultural economies and a stable rural electorate have produced consistent Republican presidential margins exceeding 25 points across the last four election cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 33.5 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 67.0 points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved 3.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 31.2 points.
A population of 10,972, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $76,808 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Winneshiek County and Winnebago County.
The counties whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Browse places by community — income, education, race & ethnicity, language — all community cuts →
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 →
Lake County, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/46079/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.