Faulk County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,125. Its county seat is Faulkton. The county was founded in 1873 and organized in 1883. It is named for Andrew Jackson Faulk, the third Governor of Dakota Territory.
The terrain of Faulk County consists of low rolling hills, largely devoted to agriculture, sloping to the east. The highest point of the terrain is the county's SW corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.
As of the 2020 census, there were 2,125 people, 761 households, and 476 families residing in the county. The population density was .
Of the residents, 22.3% were under the age of 18 and 27.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 46.4 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.8 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 2.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from some other race, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.2% of the population.
There were 761 households in the county, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 18.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,022 housing units, of which 25.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 81.6% were owner-occupied and 18.4% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 26.3%.
As of the 2010 census, there were 2,364 people, 869 households, and 532 families in the county. The population density was . There were 1,136 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.9% white, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% black or African American, 0.0% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 70.0% were German, 9.6% were Irish, 7.1% were English, 5.7% were Norwegian, and 4.3% were American.
Of the 869 households, 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.8% were non-families, and 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.79. The median age was 46.9 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,203 and the median income for a family was $55,234. Males had a median income of $40,641 versus $23,571 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,898. About 14.4% of families and 17.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Faulk County voters have largely voted Republican for several decades. In only two national elections since 1944 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).