Ancestry for Spink County, SD - ERSys®
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Spink County – Ancestry

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Ancestry refers to the lineage or descent of a person, family, or group, tracing back through generations to identify their origins, heritage, and familial connections. It encompasses the genetic, cultural, and historical ties that link individuals to their forebears, shaping their identity and sense of belonging. Ancestry is a multifaceted concept, intertwining biology, genealogy, history, and culture, and it plays a significant role in how people understand themselves and their place in the world.

At its core, ancestry is rooted in genetics. Each individual inherits a unique combination of DNA from their parents, who in turn inherited their DNA from their own ancestors. This genetic material carries information about physical traits, predispositions to certain health conditions, and even behavioral tendencies. Advances in genetic testing, such as DNA analysis, have made it possible for individuals to trace their biological ancestry with remarkable precision. Companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA offer services that analyze genetic markers to provide insights into a person's ethnic composition and geographic origins, often revealing surprising connections to distant relatives or previously unknown heritage.

Beyond genetics, ancestry is deeply tied to genealogy, the study of family history and lineage. Genealogical research involves constructing family trees, documenting relationships, and uncovering historical records such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, census data, and immigration documents. This process often reveals stories of migration, resilience, and adaptation, offering a window into the lives of ancestors and the challenges they faced. For many, genealogy is a way to honor their forebears and preserve their legacy for future generations.

Cultural ancestry is another critical dimension, encompassing the traditions, languages, customs, and values passed down through generations. It connects individuals to their ethnic or national heritage, shaping their cultural identity and worldview. For example, someone with Irish ancestry might celebrate St. Patrick's Day, learn traditional Irish dance, or explore the Gaelic language, while someone with Japanese ancestry might practice tea ceremonies, study calligraphy, or observe Obon festivals. Cultural ancestry fosters a sense of continuity and belonging, linking individuals to a broader community with shared experiences and values.

Historical ancestry delves into the broader context of a family's or group's past, including significant events, social conditions, and historical movements that shaped their lives. For instance, the transatlantic slave trade, the Irish Potato Famine, or the Jewish diaspora have profoundly influenced the ancestry of millions of people, leaving lasting imprints on their descendants' identities. Understanding historical ancestry often involves grappling with complex narratives of triumph and tragedy, resilience and oppression, and the interplay of individual and collective experiences.

Ancestry also has a deeply personal and emotional dimension. For many, exploring their ancestry is a journey of self-discovery, offering insights into who they are and where they come from. It can foster a sense of pride, connection, and continuity, as well as a deeper appreciation for the struggles and achievements of those who came before. At the same time, it can raise questions about identity, belonging, and the complexities of heritage, particularly for individuals with mixed or multicultural backgrounds.

In a globalized world, ancestry serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting individuals to their roots while also highlighting the interconnectedness of human history. It underscores the diversity and richness of human experience, reminding us that every person's story is part of a larger tapestry woven over centuries. Whether through genetic testing, genealogical research, cultural practices, or historical exploration, ancestry offers a profound way to understand ourselves and our place in the world.

A diversification score measures the diversity of ancestries in the county. As the value appoaches 100, ancestry diversity decreases and therefore increasing the risk of a lack of cultural diversity. The ancestry diversification score for this county is:

19.41

Most common ancestry not including "Unknown" is:

German

 
Ancestry Report Part I
DescriptionTotal Population American Native American Hawaiian Caribbean (Latino) Mexican Central American South American Other Hispanic African American Sub- Saharan Caribbean (Black)

Spink County6,215248480010007453434
South Dakota (in 000's)930347305258131082
National (in 000's)343,25113,8902,21362611,32738,8796,1814,6443,68725,8937,8527,174
Brown County37,4831,4501,1584452181121905611614443
Beadle County19,407503340573391,3151,010117361352120
Day County5,389140512480541000130
Clark County3,939105221214702151070
Hand County3,06914690047006900
Faulk County2,11439430045001100
 
Per Cent to Total PopulationDiversity
Index
 

Spink County19.413.990.770.000.001.610.000.110.720.550.050.06
South Dakota12.273.667.820.050.552.660.830.140.281.040.830.18
National7.834.050.640.183.3011.331.801.351.077.542.292.09
Brown County16.893.873.090.121.392.160.580.000.150.310.380.11
Beadle County11.152.591.750.291.756.785.200.600.190.700.110.10
Day County14.322.609.500.071.481.000.190.000.000.020.060.00
Clark County17.292.670.560.030.053.730.000.530.130.250.180.00
Hand County20.954.760.290.000.001.530.000.000.200.290.000.00
Faulk County26.791.842.030.000.002.130.000.000.050.050.000.00
 
Comparisons to State Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Spink County 109.139.870.000.0060.580.0079.82255.6052.405.8135.52
South Dakota 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
National 110.678.24344.87598.70426.44217.74958.84379.16722.59275.161,153.35
Brown County 105.7939.49221.85252.1881.4670.640.0052.7429.6446.2163.30
Beadle County 70.8822.39555.07316.92255.11629.27427.2665.4866.6313.0256.87
Day County 71.05121.43140.28269.3337.7322.440.000.001.786.700.00
Clark County 72.907.1447.989.21140.500.00377.8344.8124.3221.380.00
Hand County 130.103.750.000.0057.660.000.0069.0128.090.000.00
Faulk County 50.4526.000.000.0080.140.000.0016.704.530.000.00
 
Comparisons to National Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Spink County 98.61119.780.000.0014.210.008.3267.417.252.113.08
South Dakota 90.361,213.4529.0016.7023.4545.9310.4326.3713.8436.348.67
National 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
Brown County 95.60479.1364.3342.1219.1032.440.0013.914.1016.795.49
Beadle County 64.05271.71160.9552.9359.82289.0044.5617.279.224.734.93
Day County 64.201,473.4840.6744.998.8510.300.000.000.252.430.00
Clark County 65.8786.6213.911.5432.950.0039.4011.823.377.770.00
Hand County 117.5645.480.000.0013.520.000.0018.203.890.000.00
Faulk County 45.59315.460.000.0018.790.000.004.400.630.000.00
 
Ancestry Report Part II
DescriptionTotal Population Canadian British Dutch French German Italian Polish Scandi­navian Scotish/ Irish Spanish Other European

Spink County6,2153357561182,081264862244562107
South Dakota (in 000's)93024023102157810256228
National (in 000's)343,2511,35018,0691,8283,64224,7089,0274,6675,96920,6251,1409,563
Brown County37,483751,56740636112,3561812634,0651,8060690
Beadle County19,407776484081884,39644951,24772123267
Day County5,3892517449471,30824381,0961580106
Clark County3,939519942541,145563799183583
Hand County3,069421190151,062616208211095
Faulk County2,11499615221,004011421300108
 
Per Cent to Total PopulationDiversity
Index
 

Spink County19.410.055.740.901.9033.480.420.7710.017.161.001.72
South Dakota12.270.264.292.501.1223.110.700.8311.006.010.193.02
National7.830.395.260.531.067.202.631.361.746.010.332.79
Brown County16.890.204.181.080.9632.960.480.7010.844.820.001.84
Beadle County11.150.403.342.100.9722.650.230.496.433.720.121.38
Day County14.320.463.230.910.8724.270.048.1320.342.930.001.97
Clark County17.290.135.051.071.3729.070.131.6020.284.650.132.11
Hand County20.950.136.882.930.4934.600.200.526.786.880.003.10
Faulk County26.790.434.540.711.0447.490.000.056.726.150.005.11
 
Comparisons to State Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Spink County 18.54134.0036.06168.94144.8659.6193.3191.01119.20535.5557.08
South Dakota 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
National 151.07122.8021.3194.4031.14374.71164.2615.81100.03178.3392.37
Brown County 76.8597.5343.3585.69142.6168.8084.7798.6280.210.0061.03
Beadle County 152.3877.8984.1486.1998.0032.3059.1458.4361.8563.6245.61
Day County 178.1775.3236.3977.60105.005.29981.97184.9448.810.0065.21
Clark County 48.75117.8642.68121.98125.7618.09193.24184.4577.3468.1569.86
Hand County 50.06160.39117.3743.49149.7127.8662.9961.63114.460.00102.63
Faulk County 163.51105.9428.4092.60205.460.005.7261.08102.370.00169.38
 
Comparisons to National Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Spink County 12.27109.12169.19178.95465.1615.9156.81575.56119.16300.3161.79
South Dakota 66.1981.43469.17105.93321.1226.6960.88632.4499.9756.07108.26
National 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
Brown County 50.8779.42203.3990.78457.9518.3651.61623.6880.190.0066.07
Beadle County 100.8763.43394.7791.31314.688.6236.00369.5361.8335.6849.38
Day County 117.9461.34170.7482.20337.191.41597.801,169.6148.790.0070.60
Clark County 32.2795.97200.22129.21403.824.83117.641,166.5477.3238.2175.63
Hand County 33.14130.61550.6646.07480.737.4338.35389.77114.420.00111.10
Faulk County 108.2386.27133.2498.09659.780.003.48386.30102.340.00183.36
 
Ancestry Report Part III
DescriptionTotal Population Chinese Filipino Japanese Korean Vietnamese South Central Asian South East Asian Other Asian Middle Eastern Other Ancestry Unknown

Spink County6,2150000000132951,502
South Dakota (in 000's)93012111331284170
National (in 000's)343,2514,4613,0107931,5411,9135,4521,6431,2291,93147,32251,000
Brown County37,483161167015045404080633,3846,733
Beadle County19,4071170004492906385102,2863,191
Day County5,389100000580516652
Clark County3,9391100500008284728
Hand County3,069801000036103813
Faulk County2,114000000015557345
 
Per Cent to Total PopulationDiversity
Index
 

Spink County19.410.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.020.054.7524.17
South Dakota12.270.150.240.060.120.130.330.310.130.189.0418.24
National7.831.300.880.230.450.561.590.480.360.5613.7914.86
Brown County16.890.430.450.000.400.120.111.090.000.179.0317.96
Beadle County11.150.010.880.000.002.310.014.671.980.0511.7816.44
Day County14.320.020.000.000.000.000.000.090.150.009.5812.10
Clark County17.290.280.000.000.130.000.000.000.000.207.2118.48
Hand County20.950.260.000.030.000.000.000.000.100.203.3626.49
Faulk County26.790.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.052.602.7016.32
 
Comparisons to State Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Spink County 0.000.000.000.000.000.000.0012.0726.8152.49132.52
South Dakota 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
National 842.70368.66410.66378.88418.89485.80154.31268.57312.42152.4581.47
Brown County 278.51187.280.00337.6690.2432.64350.940.0093.3699.8398.50
Beadle County 3.34368.220.000.001,739.073.151,505.121,487.5728.62130.2590.16
Day County 12.030.000.000.000.000.0029.91111.320.00105.8866.34
Clark County 181.070.000.00107.100.000.000.000.00112.8179.73101.34
Hand County 169.020.0057.930.000.000.000.0073.30108.5937.11145.26
Faulk County 0.000.000.000.000.000.000.0035.471,445.1129.8289.49
 
Comparisons to National Norms % to Total >= 150% % to Total < 50% 

Spink County 0.000.000.000.000.000.000.004.498.5834.43162.66
South Dakota 11.8727.1324.3526.3923.8720.5864.8037.2332.0165.60122.74
National 100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00100.00
Brown County 33.0550.800.0089.1221.546.72227.420.0029.8865.49120.90
Beadle County 0.4099.880.000.00415.160.65975.38553.889.1685.44110.66
Day County 1.430.000.000.000.000.0019.3841.450.0069.4581.43
Clark County 21.490.000.0028.270.000.000.000.0036.1152.30124.39
Hand County 20.060.0014.110.000.000.000.0027.2934.7624.34178.29
Faulk County 0.000.000.000.000.000.000.0013.21462.5619.56109.84


Sources: STI: PopStats, Circa April 2025