South Dakota county map

South Dakota population and land area

South Dakota had 924,669 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimates, the sum of its counties. That ranks 46th of the 50 states and DC. Its 75,808 square miles of land rank 16th. South Dakota averages 12.2 people per square mile of land, about 7.9 times sparser than the national figure of 96.3. By density it ranks 47th.

South Dakota counties by population, density and income

Each shape is shaded by quintile, darker for higher values. Switch the measure above the map. Select a shape to open that county's page. The pin marks the capital, Pierre.

Largest county in South Dakota by land area

Meade County ranks first at 3,471 square miles and Clay County last at 412 square miles. The top value is 8.4 times the bottom one.

Most populous county in South Dakota

Minnehaha County ranks first at 208,639 residents and Jones County last at 874 residents. The gap is more than a hundredfold.

Least populous county in South Dakota

The smallest populations, fewest first. Estimates for small counties carry more uncertainty than those for large ones.

Most densely populated county in South Dakota

Minnehaha County ranks first at 258.6 people per square mile and Harding County last at 0.5 people per square mile. The gap is more than a hundredfold.

Highest median household income in South Dakota

Lincoln County ranks first at $102,130 and Buffalo County last at $32,803. The top value is 3.1 times the bottom one.

Towns and cities in South Dakota

The Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates list 64 incorporated places in South Dakota with 1,000 or more residents, holding 600,590 people together, or 65% of the state total. 18 of them have 5,000 or more. The northernmost is Lemmon at 45.938° N and the southernmost is North Sioux City at 42.536° N. Among places of 5,000+, Harrisburg grew fastest from July 2020 to July 2024, by 49.0%.

Pierre, the capital

5.4% of South Dakota's place population, 32,725 of 600,590 people, lives in places within 100 miles of Pierre. That ranks 50th of 51 for how central the capital is. The most remote town of 1,000 to 9,999 people is Mobridge, 81 miles in a straight line from the nearest place of 10,000+ (Pierre).

See all states in the capital radius ranking and the most remote towns ranking. Sunrise and sunset times for Pierre, month by month, are on the Pierre daylight page.

States bordering South Dakota

South Dakota borders 6 states or districts. The nearest neighboring capital is Bismarck, 171 miles N of Pierre in a straight line.

UTM zones in South Dakota

The internal points of South Dakota's counties fall in UTM zones 13, 14. Zones are 6 degrees of longitude wide, numbered from 180° W: zone = floor((longitude + 180) / 6) + 1. Because South Dakota spans 2 zones, no single UTM zone covers the whole state.

All 66 counties in South Dakota

Sort by any column. The small orange number marks the top 3 in the state by population.

Download all 66 counties as CSV