• county
  • FIPS 46019
  • Largest town: Belle Fourche

Butte County, South Dakota

Butte County had 10,891 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,250.0 square miles of land. It ranks 17th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 7th by land area.

Population
10,891
#17 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,352 in US
Area
2,250.0 sq mi
#7 of 66 in South Dakota · #247 in US
Density
4.8 / sq mi
#36 of 66 in South Dakota · #2,782 in US
Median household income
$62,368
#44 of 66 in South Dakota · #1,612 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Butte County within South Dakota. Pin: Pierre.

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Butte County population, land area and income

Butte County had 10,891 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 2,250.0 square miles of land. It ranks 17th of 66 in South Dakota by population and 7th by land area. That works out to 4.8 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in South Dakota has 5,296 residents, so Butte County is 2.1 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $62,368 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

10,891

3144th1st

2352nd of 3,144 (US)

Land area

2,250 sq mi

3144th1st

247th of 3,144 (US)

Density

4.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

2782nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$62,368

3143rd1st

1612th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within South Dakota (66)

Population

10,891

66th1st

17th of 66 (SD)

Land area

2,250 sq mi

66th1st

7th of 66 (SD)

Density

4.8 / sq mi

66th1st

36th of 66 (SD)

Median household income

$62,368

66th1st

44th of 66 (SD)

How Butte County's population changed since 2020

Butte County gained 600 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.8%. That ranks 7th of 66 in South Dakota for growth. The median South Dakota county changed by +0.8%, and the state as a whole by +4.1%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Butte County recorded 557 births and 474 deaths, a natural change of +83. Net international migration added -7 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +570. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 570 people.

10.3k202010.5k202110.8k202210.9k202310.9k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
557
Deaths
474
Net international migration
-7
Net domestic migration
+570
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+23

Where Butte County is

The Census internal point of Butte County is at 44.896200, -103.501400. It sits in UTM zone 13N. The map shades South Dakota's 66 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Butte County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Davison County: -0.2%Minnehaha County: +5.5%Bennett County: -3.0%Clark County: +3.2%Hamlin County: +7.1%Jerauld County: +2.8%Brule County: +0.2%Aurora County: +0.4%Turner County: +4.6%Beadle County: +1.5%Hand County: -1.6%Kingsbury County: +1.0%McCook County: +1.7%Miner County: -0.0%Lyman County: +0.5%Codington County: +3.3%Deuel County: +0.8%Sully County: +1.1%Oglala Lakota County: -2.1%Edmunds County: +0.8%Sanborn County: +2.7%Spink County: -3.7%Lake County: -0.1%Hyde County: -3.0%Potter County: -2.9%Perkins County: -0.6%Faulk County: +0.5%Day County: -0.5%Clay County: +1.6%Hanson County: +0.5%Fall River County: +5.5%Brookings County: +5.9%Yankton County: +1.0%Hutchinson County: -0.1%Butte County: +5.8%Custer County: +11.8%Lawrence County: +11.5%Hughes County: -1.2%Grant County: +1.0%Brown County: -1.9%Gregory County: +2.8%Campbell County: -2.8%Bon Homme County: +1.4%McPherson County: -4.0%Lincoln County: +14.6%Stanley County: +1.5%Walworth County: -0.5%Harding County: +1.3%Marshall County: +2.3%Union County: +3.2%Pennington County: +5.8%Buffalo County: -5.8%Moody County: +3.0%Tripp County: +2.0%Roberts County: +0.2%Charles Mix County: -0.3%Meade County: +3.4%Haakon County: -1.8%Jones County: -5.3%Douglas County: +0.5%Dewey County: +1.9%Corson County: -3.6%Mellette County: -4.6%Todd County: -1.6%Jackson County: -2.4%Ziebach County: +1.0%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.8%
  2. < +0.2%
  3. < +1.3%
  4. < +3.2%
  5. ≥ +3.2%
no data

Orange pin: Butte County internal point. Dark pin: Pierre.

Internal point

Decimal
44.896200, -103.501400
DMS
44°53'46.32"N 103°30'5.04"W
UTM
13N 618325.7E 4972512.0N
Geohash
9xyrkv0e6
Plus code
85PRVFWX+FC

Towns in Butte County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Butte County, 5,855 people together, or 54% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Butte County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Belle Fourche with 5,855.

  1. 01Belle Fourche5,855
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Butte County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Butte County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Meade County, SD, with 30,918 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Pierre and the nearest big city

Pierre is 159.4 miles ESE of Butte County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Billings, MT (population 121,483), 252.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Spearfish, SD (population 13,803), 31.9 miles away.

Butte County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Butte County is 46019: state code 46 for South Dakota plus county code 019. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $62,368.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Butte County, South Dakota?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 10,891. That is up 600 people (5.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 10,291.

What is the FIPS code of Butte County?

46019. The first two digits (46) are South Dakota; the last three (019) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Butte County?

Belle Fourche, with 5,855 residents inside Butte County in 2024.

Which counties border Butte County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Meade County, SD; Lawrence County, SD; Crook County, WY; Perkins County, SD; Carter County, MT; Harding County, SD.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.