South Dakota Counties by Population (2026)
2026 Pop.
20K
40K
60K
80K
100K
120K
140K
160K
180K
200K
Top 5 Most Populous Counties
215,966
117,272
79,167
38,456
37,501
| County | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Area (mi²) | Density (/mi²) | Change (2020) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County | 215,966 | 807 | 268 | 9.25% |
| Pennington County | 117,272 | 2.8K | 42 | 7.03% |
| Lincoln County | 79,167 | 577 | 137 | 20.59% |
| Brookings County | 38,456 | 792 | 49 | 11.99% |
| Brown County | 37,501 | 1.7K | 22 | -1.91% |
| Meade County | 30,547 | 3.5K | 8.8 | 2.17% |
| Lawrence County | 30,209 | 800 | 38 | 16.88% |
| Codington County | 29,854 | 688 | 43 | 5.29% |
| Yankton County | 23,693 | 521 | 45 | 1.73% |
| Davison County | 20,148 | 436 | 46 | 0.94% |
| Beadle County | 19,726 | 1.3K | 16 | 2.94% |
| Hughes County | 17,583 | 742 | 24 | -0.85% |
| Union County | 17,431 | 461 | 38 | 3.42% |
| Clay County | 14,872 | 412 | 36 | -0.88% |
| Oglala Lakota County | 13,260 | 2.1K | 6.3 | -2.84% |
| Lake County | 10,942 | 563 | 19 | -0.66% |
| Butte County | 10,827 | 2.3K | 4.8 | 5.2% |
| Roberts County | 10,232 | 1.1K | 9.3 | -0.33% |
| Custer County | 9,538 | 1.6K | 6.1 | 14.46% |
| Turner County | 9,391 | 617 | 15 | 8.14% |
| Charles Mix County | 9,330 | 1.1K | 8.5 | -0.25% |
| Todd County | 8,813 | 1.4K | 6.3 | -5.4% |
| Fall River County | 7,521 | 1.7K | 4.3 | 7.89% |
| Grant County | 7,455 | 681 | 11 | -1.09% |
| Hutchinson County | 7,425 | 813 | 9.1 | 0.01% |
| Bon Homme County | 7,337 | 564 | 13 | 5.1% |
| Hamlin County | 7,070 | 507 | 14 | 14.61% |
| Moody County | 6,665 | 519 | 13 | 5.03% |
| Spink County | 6,156 | 1.5K | 4.1 | -2.95% |
| McCook County | 6,047 | 574 | 11 | 6.63% |
| Tripp County | 5,678 | 1.6K | 3.5 | 1.28% |
| Day County | 5,521 | 1K | 5.4 | 1.45% |
| Dewey County | 5,456 | 2.3K | 2.4 | 4.46% |
| Kingsbury County | 5,288 | 832 | 6.4 | 1.69% |
| Brule County | 5,259 | 817 | 6.4 | 0.1% |
| Walworth County | 5,190 | 707 | 7.3 | -1.91% |
| Deuel County | 4,440 | 623 | 7.1 | 3.35% |
| Marshall County | 4,417 | 838 | 5.3 | 2.7% |
| Clark County | 4,062 | 958 | 4.2 | 5.51% |
| Edmunds County | 4,013 | 1.1K | 3.6 | 0.78% |
| Gregory County | 4,003 | 1K | 3.9 | 0.25% |
| Corson County | 3,785 | 2.5K | 1.5 | -2.72% |
| Lyman County | 3,696 | 1.6K | 2.3 | -0.03% |
| Hanson County | 3,411 | 435 | 7.8 | -1.59% |
| Bennett County | 3,308 | 1.2K | 2.8 | -2.62% |
| Hand County | 3,124 | 1.4K | 2.2 | -0.64% |
| Stanley County | 3,035 | 1.4K | 2.1 | 2.33% |
| Douglas County | 2,908 | 432 | 6.7 | 2.61% |
| Perkins County | 2,873 | 2.9K | 1.0 | 1.56% |
| Aurora County | 2,811 | 708 | 4.0 | 2.97% |
| Jackson County | 2,616 | 1.9K | 1.4 | -6.54% |
| Sanborn County | 2,399 | 569 | 4.2 | 2.96% |
| Ziebach County | 2,397 | 2K | 1.2 | 0.25% |
| McPherson County | 2,362 | 1.1K | 2.1 | -1.54% |
| Potter County | 2,353 | 861 | 2.7 | -4.81% |
| Miner County | 2,283 | 570 | 4.0 | -0.74% |
| Mellette County | 2,225 | 1.3K | 1.7 | 16.07% |
| Faulk County | 2,176 | 982 | 2.2 | 2.26% |
| Buffalo County | 1,795 | 471 | 3.8 | -7.14% |
| Haakon County | 1,780 | 1.8K | 0.98 | -4.76% |
| Jerauld County | 1,633 | 526 | 3.1 | -0.67% |
| Sully County | 1,485 | 1K | 1.5 | 2.34% |
| Campbell County | 1,411 | 734 | 1.9 | 2.39% |
| Harding County | 1,350 | 2.7K | 0.51 | 3.61% |
| Hyde County | 1,173 | 861 | 1.4 | -6.01% |
| Jones County | 928 | 970 | 0.96 | 0.11% |
Sources
- US Census State Population Estimates - Most recent state estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
- US Census County Population Estimates - Most recent county estimates from the Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program
- American Community Survey (2009 - 2013)
- Census QuickFacts
- Historical Populations of States and Counties (1790 - 1990)