{"id":7496,"date":"2023-09-01T22:50:06","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T22:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=7496"},"modified":"2026-08-21T16:17:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:17:26","slug":"faulk-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/faulk-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Faulk County, South Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Faulk County is a county in South Dakota, United States, on the Missouri Coteau plateau in the north-central part of the state. It had a population of 2,125 at the 2020 census and covers 1,006 square miles (2,610 km2), of which 982 square miles are land and 24 square miles are water, centred near 45\u00b004\u2032N 99\u00b009\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Faulkton is the county seat, and its postal code is 57438. The county has one city, six towns, four census-designated places and several unincorporated communities; South Dakota does not organize active civil government at the township level here, so places are listed without a township column. Faulk County sits in the Central time zone.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Faulk County<\/h2>\n<p>Faulk County has 16 named places on record: one city, six incorporated towns, four Hutterite-colony census-designated places, and five unincorporated communities. CDPs are Hutterite colonies counted separately by the Census Bureau; Unincorp. places have no municipal government of their own.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Faulkton<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>57438<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cresbard<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>57435<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Onaka<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>57466<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Orient<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Rockham<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>57470<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Seneca<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>57473<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Chelsea<\/td>\n<td>Town<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Blumengard Colony<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Brentwood Colony<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Evergreen Colony<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Thunderbird Colony<\/td>\n<td>CDP<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Burkmere<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Miranda<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Norbeck<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wecota<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Zell<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>57438 &mdash; Faulkton (also serves Chelsea)<\/li>\n<li>57435 &mdash; Cresbard<\/li>\n<li>57466 &mdash; Onaka<\/li>\n<li>57470 &mdash; Rockham<\/li>\n<li>57473 &mdash; Seneca<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Orient and the county&#8217;s Hutterite colonies and unincorporated communities do not carry their own ZIP code and use the nearest post office town listed above.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Faulk County sits on rolling, glaciated plains that slope generally toward the east, with prairie pothole wetlands scattered across the landscape. The county&#8217;s highest point, at 1,916 feet above sea level, is in the southwest corner; most of the land is farmed for small grains, corn and soybeans, with cattle grazing on the rougher ground. No major river runs through the county; drainage is toward tributaries of the James River basin to the east.<\/p>\n<p>Faulk County borders <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/edmunds-county\/\">Edmunds County<\/a> to the north, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/brown-county-south-dakota\/\">Brown County<\/a> to the northeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/spink-county\/\">Spink County<\/a> to the east, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/hand-county\/\">Hand County<\/a> to the south, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/hyde-county-south-dakota\/\">Hyde County<\/a> to the southwest, and <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/potter-county-south-dakota\/\">Potter County<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Faulk County&#8217;s population was 2,125 at the 2020 census, down from a historical peak of roughly 6,895 in 1930 as farm consolidation and rural outmigration reshaped the county over the 20th century. Faulkton and Cresbard are the county&#8217;s two largest communities. Median household income in Faulk County trails the South Dakota median of $71,810, typical of a sparsely populated farm county. With about 982 square miles of land, the county&#8217;s population density is roughly two people per square mile, among the lowest in the state.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Agriculture drives the county economy, dominated by wheat, corn, soybean and sunflower production alongside cattle ranching. Faulkton, the seat, hosts the county&#8217;s schools, hospital and grain elevators, which anchor most local employment. The Hutterite colonies at Blumengard, Brentwood, Evergreen and Thunderbird operate as communal farming and livestock operations and are significant agricultural employers in their own right.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Faulk County was created by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1873 and organized as a functioning county government in 1883. It is named for Andrew Jackson Faulk, the third governor of Dakota Territory, who served in the early 1870s. Faulkton was platted as the county seat during the county&#8217;s organization and has held that role ever since.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>U.S. Route 212 and South Dakota Highway 45 are the main roads serving the county.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aberdeen, South Dakota &mdash; 40 miles northeast<\/li>\n<li>Huron, South Dakota &mdash; 55 miles south<\/li>\n<li>Pierre, South Dakota &mdash; 65 miles southwest<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The nearest commercial airport is Aberdeen Regional Airport, roughly 40 miles northeast of Faulkton.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Faulk County located?<\/strong><br \/>Faulk County is in north-central South Dakota, on the Missouri Coteau plateau between the James and Missouri River basins.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Faulk County?<\/strong><br \/>Faulk County had a population of 2,125 at the 2020 census.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Faulk County?<\/strong><br \/>Faulk County covers 1,006 square miles (2,610 km2), of which 982 square miles are land.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Faulk County?<\/strong><br \/>Faulkton is the county seat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns are in Faulk County?<\/strong><br \/>Faulk County has one city, six incorporated towns, four census-designated Hutterite colonies, and five unincorporated communities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes are in Faulk County?<\/strong><br \/>Faulk County&#8217;s ZIP codes are 57438 (Faulkton), 57435 (Cresbard), 57466 (Onaka), 57470 (Rockham) and 57473 (Seneca).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why is Faulk County named that?<\/strong><br \/>It is named for Andrew Jackson Faulk, the third governor of Dakota Territory.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/south-dakota\/\">Towns and villages in South Dakota<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Faulk County is a county in South Dakota, United States, on the Missouri Coteau plateau in the north-central part of the state. It had a population of 2,125 at the 2020 census and covers 1,006 square miles (2,610 km2), of which 982 square miles are land and 24 square miles are water, centred near 45\u00b004\u2032N [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Faulk County, South Dakota","_seopress_titles_desc":"Faulk County, South Dakota: population, towns, ZIP codes, geography, history and FAQs for Faulkton, Cresbard, Onaka, Orient, Rockham and Seneca.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-7496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-south-dakota","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7496"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11078,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7496\/revisions\/11078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}