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1889 SOUTH DAKOTA CONSTITUTION · 66 COUNTIES

South Dakota County Map: All 66 Counties

South Dakota is organized into 66 counties governed under Article IX of the 1889 South Dakota Constitution. Divided physically and culturally by the Missouri River into "East River" and "West River," South Dakota features a unique administrative arrangement where two tribal counties (Oglala Lakota and Todd) operate without their own county seats, contracting administrative duties to neighboring counties.

Data: 2020 Census & Census Gazetteer·Counties: 66

South Dakota at a Glance

Total Counties662020 Census units
State Population886,6682020 US Census Resident
Total Land Area75,811sq mi (196,350 km²)
Pop. Density11.7persons per sq mi
State CapitalPierreSeat of government
State FIPS CodeFIPS 46USPS: SD · Central Time (CT)

South Dakota County Map

Counties of South Dakota with the state capital, Pierre, marked. Hover a shape for its name or click it to jump to its row in the list below.

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South Dakota counties mapLawrence CountyMinnehaha CountyTurner CountyAurora CountyLake CountyHyde CountyBennett CountyBuffalo CountyMiner CountyClark CountyGregory CountyDouglas CountyMarshall CountyCodington CountyHutchinson CountyButte CountyHand CountyKingsbury CountyDavison CountyLyman CountyEdmunds CountyFall River CountyPotter CountySanborn CountyTodd CountyPerkins CountyHughes CountyCuster CountyBrule CountyPennington CountySpink CountyUnion CountyBon Homme CountyClay CountyGrant CountyDewey CountyYankton CountyJackson CountyLincoln CountyMeade CountyWalworth CountyJones CountyHarding CountyCorson CountyTripp CountyJerauld CountyMoody CountySully CountyFaulk CountyMcCook CountyMellette CountyRoberts CountyOglala Lakota CountyStanley CountyZiebach CountyCampbell CountyBrookings CountyHaakon CountyBeadle CountyHanson CountyHamlin CountyDay CountyMcPherson CountyCharles Mix CountyBrown CountyDeuel CountyPierre
Source: US Census Bureau 2017 cartographic boundary file, 1:10,000,000 (generalized; via us-atlas).
FREE PRINTABLE VECTOR BLANK MAP

Printable Blank Map of South Dakota with All Counties

Download the South Dakota outline as SVG or PNG, or print it to PDF, in several variants: blank boundary, with counties lines, color-filled and labeled. Free to use (CC0).

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LARGEST BY POPULATION & AREA

South Dakota County Rankings: Population & Land Area

Comparative demographic and territorial distribution across South Dakota's largest administrative subdivisions based on the 2020 US Census Decennial count.

Top 10 Most Populous Counties

22.2% in #1
#CountySeatPopulation% State
1Minnehaha CountySioux Falls197,20722.2%
2Pennington CountyRapid City109,22612.3%
3Lincoln CountyCanton65,1587.3%
4Brown CountyAberdeen38,3044.3%
5Brookings CountyBrookings34,3703.9%
6Meade CountySturgis29,8473.4%
7Codington CountyWatertown28,3213.2%
8Lawrence CountyDeadwood25,7712.9%
9Yankton CountyYankton23,3132.6%
10Davison CountyMitchell19,9532.3%

Top 10 Largest Counties by Land Area

4.6% in #1
#CountySeatLand Area% State
1Meade CountySturgis3,470.9 sq mi4.6%
2Perkins CountyBison2,870.5 sq mi3.8%
3Pennington CountyRapid City2,776.8 sq mi3.7%
4Harding CountyBuffalo2,671.6 sq mi3.5%
5Corson CountyMcIntosh2,469.7 sq mi3.3%
6Dewey CountyTimber Lake2,302.4 sq mi3.0%
7Butte CountyBelle Fourche2,250 sq mi3.0%
8Oglala Lakota CountyHot Springs2,093.6 sq mi2.8%
9Ziebach CountyDupree1,961.2 sq mi2.6%
10Jackson CountyKadoka1,863.9 sq mi2.5%
ADMINISTRATIVE FRAMEWORK & STATUTORY POWERS

How Local Government Operates in South Dakota: Board of County Commissioners & Contracted County Administrations

Counties are governed by 3- or 5-member Boards of County Commissioners. Uniquely, Oglala Lakota County contracts its auditor, treasurer, and deed registrar services to Fall River County, while Todd County contracts services to Tripp County.

Total Units66 CountiesIncludes 64 standard organized counties and 2 counties contracting administrative operations.
Most PopulousMinnehaha County (197,214)Seat: Sioux Falls. Healthcare, financial banking, and agricultural processing center.
Least PopulousJones County (917)Seat: Murdo. Central ranching county on Interstate 90 with fewer than 1,000 residents.
Largest Land AreaMeade County (3,471 sq mi)Seat: Sturgis. Expansive Black Hills foothills ranching county home to the world-famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Smallest Land AreaClay County (412 sq mi)Seat: Vermillion. Southeastern Missouri River county home to the University of South Dakota.
Contracted CountiesOglala Lakota & ToddContract county administration to neighboring Fall River and Tripp county courthouses.
IN-DEPTH STATUTORY & HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

Oglala Lakota and Todd: The Contracted County Administration Model

South Dakota features one of the most distinctive county administrative agreements in the United States.

Oglala Lakota County (formerly Shannon County, renamed in 2015 to honor the Oglala Lakota people) and Todd County lie entirely within sovereign Native American reservations: the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Rosebud Indian Reservation, respectively.

Historically organized as "unorganized counties" to provide state-level deed registration and voting services for non-reservation lands without duplicative government buildings, both counties today elect their own independent 5-member Boards of County Commissioners.

However, neither county maintains a physical county courthouse building. Instead, under formal intergovernmental contracts authorized by South Dakota Codified Laws Title 7, Oglala Lakota County contracts with the Fall River County courthouse in Hot Springs to maintain deed records, collect property taxes, and manage voter registration, while Todd County contracts with Tripp County in Winner.

SDCL Chapter 7-17 Contracts

South Dakota Codified Laws permit counties on tribal lands to share constitutional officers (auditor, treasurer, register of deeds) with adjacent counties while retaining an elected local county commission.

IN-DEPTH STATUTORY & HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

East River vs. West River: The Missouri River Divide

The Missouri River splits South Dakota into two starkly different ecological and cultural landscapes.

East River comprises 44 counties characterized by fertile glacial drift soils, corn and soybean agriculture, higher rainfall, and the state's primary population centers. Minnehaha County (Sioux Falls) and neighboring Lincoln County represent the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state, driven by regional healthcare systems (Sanford and Avera) and credit card financial institutions.

West River comprises 22 counties stretching across semi-arid shortgrass prairie, open rangeland cattle ranches, badlands formations, and the pine-covered peaks of the Black Hills (Pennington, Lawrence, Custer). Pennington County (Rapid City) serves as the commercial hub for Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Ellsworth Air Force Base.

Meade County, sprawling across 3,471 square miles around Sturgis and Bear Butte, is the largest county by land area in South Dakota, hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors every August for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Black Hills Geology

Rising to 7,242 feet at Black Elk Peak in Pennington County, the Black Hills form an isolated mountain uplift containing ancient granite cores, rich gold deposits, and vast ponderosa pine forests.

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COMPLETE LIST (66 COUNTIES)

List of All 66 Counties in South Dakota

Every county in South Dakota is listed below with its seat, 2020 Census population, land area and FIPS code. Search by name, seat or FIPS, sort any column, or export the full table as CSV.

All 66 counties
County
Seat
2020 Census Pop
Land Area (sq mi)
FIPS
Minnehaha County
Sioux Falls197,207807 sq mi46099
Pennington County
Rapid City109,2262,777 sq mi46103
Lincoln County
Canton65,158577 sq mi46083
Brown County
Aberdeen38,3041,713 sq mi46013
Brookings County
Brookings34,370792 sq mi46011
Meade County
Sturgis29,8473,471 sq mi46093
Codington County
Watertown28,321688 sq mi46029
Lawrence County
Deadwood25,771800 sq mi46081
Yankton County
Yankton23,313521 sq mi46135
Davison County
Mitchell19,953436 sq mi46035
Beadle County
Huron19,1511,259 sq mi46005
Hughes County
Pierre17,769742 sq mi46065
Union County
Elk Point16,818461 sq mi46127
Clay County
Vermillion14,967412 sq mi46027
Oglala Lakota County
Hot Springs13,6712,094 sq mi46102
Lake County
Madison11,067563 sq mi46079
Roberts County
Sisseton10,2711,101 sq mi46109
Butte County
Belle Fourche10,2442,250 sq mi46019
Charles Mix County
Lake Andes9,3821,098 sq mi46023
Todd County
Winner9,3241,389 sq mi46121
Turner County
Parker8,663617 sq mi46125
Custer County
Custer8,3201,557 sq mi46033
Grant County
Milbank7,561681 sq mi46051
Hutchinson County
Olivet7,426813 sq mi46067
Bon Homme County
Tyndall6,995564 sq mi46009
Fall River County
Hot Springs6,9691,740 sq mi46047
Spink County
Redfield6,3551,504 sq mi46115
Moody County
Flandreau6,332519 sq mi46101
Hamlin County
Hayti6,167507 sq mi46057
McCook County
Salem5,679574 sq mi46087
Tripp County
Winner5,6291,613 sq mi46123
Day County
Webster5,4531,029 sq mi46037
Walworth County
Selby5,318709 sq mi46129
Dewey County
Timber Lake5,2432,302 sq mi46041
Brule County
Chamberlain5,240817 sq mi46015
Kingsbury County
De Smet5,180832 sq mi46077
Marshall County
Britton4,310838 sq mi46091
Deuel County
Clear Lake4,294623 sq mi46039
Gregory County
Burke3,9961,015 sq mi46053
Edmunds County
Ipswich3,9871,126 sq mi46045
Corson County
McIntosh3,9032,470 sq mi46031
Clark County
Clark3,841958 sq mi46025
Lyman County
Kennebec3,7171,642 sq mi46085
Hanson County
Alexandria3,461435 sq mi46061
Bennett County
Martin3,3751,185 sq mi46007
Hand County
Miller3,1411,437 sq mi46059
Stanley County
Fort Pierre2,9811,444 sq mi46117
Perkins County
Bison2,8422,871 sq mi46105
Douglas County
Armour2,833432 sq mi46043
Jackson County
Kadoka2,8051,864 sq mi46071
Aurora County
Plankinton2,748709 sq mi46003
Potter County
Gettysburg2,473861 sq mi46107
Ziebach County
Dupree2,4141,961 sq mi46137
McPherson County
Leola2,4091,137 sq mi46089
Sanborn County
Woonsocket2,331569 sq mi46111
Miner County
Howard2,300570 sq mi46097
Faulk County
Faulkton2,130982 sq mi46049
Buffalo County
Gann Valley1,946471 sq mi46017
Mellette County
White River1,9191,307 sq mi46095
Haakon County
Philip1,8721,811 sq mi46055
Jerauld County
Wessington Springs1,663526 sq mi46073
Sully County
Onida1,4461,007 sq mi46119
Campbell County
Mound City1,376734 sq mi46021
Harding County
Buffalo1,3102,672 sq mi46063
Hyde County
Highmore1,261861 sq mi46069
Jones County
Murdo920970 sq mi46075
Data: US Census Bureau 2020 Decennial Census populations and Census Gazetteer land areas.
All 66 rows shown · sortable · CSV export
REGIONAL BORDERING JURISDICTIONS

Neighboring States Bordering South Dakota

County maps, lists and printable blank maps for the states that border South Dakota:

IA99 Counties

Iowa

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MN87 Counties

Minnesota

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MT56 Counties

Montana

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NE93 Counties

Nebraska

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ND53 Counties

North Dakota

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WY23 Counties

Wyoming

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Data Sources & FIPS Codes

South Dakota uses state FIPS code 46; each county adds a three-digit code to form the five-digit FIPS (now INCITS 31) identifiers in the table. Populations are 2020 Census counts and land areas come from the Census Gazetteer. The map above is drawn from the Census Bureau's generalized 2017 cartographic boundary file (1:10,000,000), so it suits overview and printing, not parcel-level or legal boundary questions; for those, check the local assessor or GIS office.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions About South Dakota Counties

Why do Oglala Lakota and Todd counties not have a county courthouse?

Oglala Lakota and Todd counties are coterminous with the Pine Ridge and Rosebud Indian reservations. To avoid duplicating government infrastructure, both counties elect local commissioners but contract administrative functions (such as deeds and tax records) to neighboring Fall River and Tripp county courthouses.

What is the largest county by land area in South Dakota?

Meade County is the largest county by land area in South Dakota, covering 3,471 square miles. Its county seat is Sturgis, famous for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

What is the least populous county in South Dakota?

Jones County is the least populous county in South Dakota, with approximately 917 residents across 971 square miles in the central West River region. Its county seat is Murdo.

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