Spencer, South Dakota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1899 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Benton Township. It lies in ZIP code area 57374. The Survey maps it on the Spencer quadrangle. 136 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,385 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresSpencer fell from 154 to 136 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 154 | |
| 2020 | 136 | -18 (-12%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 11 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1899 USGS Alexandria quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1955 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1973 USGS Spencer quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Salem quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
43 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 43 fires within 5 miles of Spencer between 1999 and 2020, burning about 694 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 23 |
| Debris and open burning | 13 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | McCook County | GERLACH |
| 21 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | McCook County | WAGNER |
| 6 August 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | McCook County | BAILEY |
| 1 August 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | 305TH ST FIRE |
| 22 July 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 20 July 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Spencer Volunteer Fire Department | EXIT 353 I-90 |
| 15 July 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Spencer Volunteer Fire Department | CALVIN HEITZMAN |
| 9 June 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
32 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Spencer in 32 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 15 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 2 flood. The reports record 6 deaths and 150 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1998 | Tornado (F4) | Spencer | 6 killed, 150 hurt, $17,000,000 | The tornado from Hanson County destroyed most of Spencer as it strengthened and continued to grow. Most homes, other buildings, and other structures in Spencer were completely levelled. Debris and belongings were scattered over a large area, and one receipt blown from Spencer was found just west of Chandler, MN about 80 miles east of Spencer. The tornado killed 6 and injured 150 in Spencer. The tornado continued southeast from Spencer, widened, then weakened, and dissipated 4 miles southwest of Salem with another tornado then forming from the same storm. The tornado caused additional damage to trees, power lines, crops, and buildings on farms after moving southeast of Spencer. |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | $100,000 | Thunderstorm winds destroyed a grain bin, damaged other small farm buildings, and blew down signs. The winds also blew down power lines, causing power outages. The winds caused widespread tree damage, including several trees blown down. Vehicles were damaged by tree debris. The winds also caused crop damage, but the amount of crop damage could not be determined. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF2) | Spencer | $50,000 | A tornado damaged a house on the west side of Spencer and caused tree damage before crossing into western Hanson County. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | $20,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew over two semi trucks and a camper on Interstate 90. The winds also caused crop damage in the area. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew over billboards and caused tree damage. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Spencer | - | As a result of late evening rainfall from 3 to 5 inches in a couple hours, the city of Spencer lift stations could not keep up with water levels. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for areal and river flooding for McCook County. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Spencer | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | - | A stop sign was blown over by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | - | Multiple grain bins were heavily damaged. |
| August 2016 | Hail | Spencer | - | Large hail was accompanied by damaging winds. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including up to 6 inch diameter branches blown down. The winds were accompanied by large hail. |
| August 2015 | Hail | Spencer | - | Large hail caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles. The hail was accompanied by estimated 45 mph wind gusts. |
| April 2011 | Flood | Spencer | - | Flooding of lowlands and lakes continued into most of April, while flooding abated on the Vermillion River, but water was slow to recede from other areas. Some roads remained flooded. High water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010 contributed to the slow nature of abatement of the flooding. |
| March 2011 | Flood | Spencer | - | Melting of a heavy winter snow cover caused moderate flooding of the Little Vermillion River, as well as flooding of the East and West Fork Vermillion Rivers, and some small streams and lakes in the county. Farmland as well as other lowlands was flooded in some areas. The Little Vermillion River crested at 2.21 feet above flood stage near Salem on March 17th. A few roads were closed by the flooding, and water was running over other roads. A few roads were heavily damaged, but the amount of damage could not be determined before repairs began. The flooding onset was rapid for a snow melt flood due to high water and groundwater levels from record precipitation in the year 2010. The river flooding ended before the end of the month, but some lowland flooding continued. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Spencer | - | Large hail was wind driven and caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | - | Thunderstorm winds caused minor tree damage. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down tree branches. |
| August 2004 | Hail | Spencer | - | Large hail contributed to crop damage caused by strong winds. The amount of damage was not known. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Spencer | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| September 2010 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| October 2007 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Spencer | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Spencer | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden View Colony | 8.3 miles | 6 | |
| Unityville | 9.0 miles | 6 | |
| Salem | 10.8 miles | 6 | |
| Bridgewater | 13.0 miles | 11 | |
| Stanley Corner | 16.7 miles | 6 | |
| Canistota | 18.4 miles | 6 | |
| Orland Colony | 21.7 miles | 6 | |
| Montrose | 21.8 miles | 6 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Spencer | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2569304 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1258228. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




