South Dakota Counties by Population (2026)

2026 Pop.

20K

40K

60K

80K

100K

120K

140K

160K

180K

200K

Top 5 Most Populous Counties

South Dakota flag Minnehaha County

212,989

South Dakota flag Pennington County

116,269

South Dakota flag Lincoln County

79,448

South Dakota flag Brookings County

37,253

South Dakota flag Brown County

37,185

66 Counties

County
2026 Pop. ↓
Area (mi²)
Density
Change (2020)
Minnehaha County212,9898072647.72%
Pennington County116,2692.8K426.11%
Lincoln County79,44857713821.02%
Brookings County37,253792478.45%
Brown County37,1851.7K22-2.71%
Meade County30,8923.5K8.93.31%
Lawrence County30,2158003816.89%
Codington County29,930688445.55%
Yankton County23,509521450.96%
Davison County19,77543645-0.9%
Beadle County19,6171.3K162.35%
Union County17,834461395.8%
Hughes County17,34474223-2.24%
Clay County14,93941236-0.43%
Oglala Lakota County13,2662.1K6.3-2.8%
Lake County10,95256319-0.58%
Butte County10,9372.3K4.96.28%
Roberts County10,4051.1K9.51.39%
Custer County9,7561.6K6.316.95%
Charles Mix County9,4871.1K8.61.26%
Todd County9,1661.4K6.6-1.66%
Turner County9,157617155.42%
Grant County7,712681112.29%
Hutchinson County7,4028139.1-0.31%
Fall River County7,3391.7K4.25.25%
Bon Homme County7,037564120.93%
Hamlin County6,8885071411.8%
Moody County6,699519135.68%
Spink County6,0261.5K4.0-4.98%
Tripp County5,9371.6K3.75.89%
McCook County5,6955749.90.37%
Dewey County5,6082.3K2.47.33%
Day County5,3341K5.2-1.88%
Walworth County5,2827077.5-0.23%
Kingsbury County5,2598326.31%
Brule County5,1318176.3-2.27%
Marshall County4,4698385.33.98%
Deuel County4,3156236.90.3%
Gregory County4,2841K4.27.1%
Clark County4,0329584.24.7%
Edmunds County3,9471.1K3.5-1.25%
Corson County3,7292.5K1.5-4.09%
Lyman County3,7231.6K2.30.59%
Hanson County3,5174358.11.65%
Bennett County3,2431.2K2.7-4.39%
Hand County3,0631.4K2.1-2.67%
Stanley County2,9651.4K2.1-0.17%
Douglas County2,8594326.60.88%
Perkins County2,8502.9K0.990.04%
Jackson County2,6671.9K1.4-4.85%
Aurora County2,6647083.8-2.77%
Ziebach County2,6102K1.39.07%
Potter County2,3748612.8-4.04%
Sanborn County2,3625694.21.37%
Miner County2,3235704.10.82%
McPherson County2,2511.1K2.0-6.33%
Faulk County2,1389822.20.56%
Mellette County1,8161.3K1.4-5.52%
Haakon County1,7921.8K0.99-4.07%
Jerauld County1,7675263.47.55%
Buffalo County1,7074713.6-11.92%
Sully County1,4341K1.4-1.24%
Harding County1,3472.7K0.502.98%
Campbell County1,3127341.8-4.93%
Hyde County1,2658611.51.04%
Jones County8989700.93-2.71%

Overview of South Dakota Counties

There are 66 counties in South Dakota.

Minnehaha County is the largest county in the state, with a population of 212,989. The most recent census shows that its population has increased by 0.08% since the previous census.

A number of other South Dakota counties also boast relatively large populations for their state, though not able to match the density of Minnehaha County:

South Dakota Counties with the Fewest Residents

The smallest county in South Dakota is Jones County, with a population of just 898. This total represents a decrease of 0.0% since the last census count was performed.

Other small counties include:

South Dakota Counties with Rapid Growth

Lincoln County, with its current population of 79,448, has shown the largest population growth, with an increase of 0.2% since the last census.

On the other hand, Buffalo County has had the largest decrease in population, with its 1,707 current residents totalling 0.1% less than the previous census.

Sources

  1. US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  2. US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
  3. American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
  4. Census QuickFacts
  5. Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)

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