There are 66countiesin theU.S. stateofSouth DakotawithFIPS codes.
Counties of South Dakota | |
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Location | State of South Dakota |
Number | 66 |
Populations | 855 (Jones) – 206,930 (Minnehaha) |
Areas | 412 square miles (1,070 km2) (Clay) – 3,471 square miles (8,990 km2) (Meade) |
Government | |
Subdivisions |
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Todd County and Oglala Lakota County are the only counties in South Dakota which do not have their owncounty seats.Hot Springs in Fall River County serves as the administrative center for Oglala Lakota County. Winner in Tripp County serves as the administrative center for Todd County.[1]These are two of six counties in South Dakota which are entirely within anIndian reservation.(The other four counties are Bennett, Corson, Dewey, and Ziebach.)
South Dakota'spostal abbreviationisSDand itsFIPS state codeis46.
Table of counties
editCounty |
FIPScode[2] | County seat[3] | Est.[3] | Formed from | Etymology | Population[4] | Area[3] | Map |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aurora County | 003 | Plankinton | 1881 | Cragin and Wetmore Counties | Aurora,Roman goddess of dawn | 2,782 | 708sq mi (1,834km2) |
|
Beadle County | 005 | Huron | 1879 | Buchard, Clark, Kingsbury, and Spink Counties | William Henry Harrison Beadle,chief surveyor ofDakota Territory | 19,591 | 1,259sq mi (3,261km2) |
|
Bennett County | 007 | Martin | 1909 | Lugenbeel, Oglala Lakota, Washabaugh, and Washington Counties | Granville G. Bennett,justice of the Supreme Court for the Dakota Territory | 3,305 | 1,185sq mi (3,069km2) |
|
Bon Homme County | 009 | Tyndall | 1862 | Unorganized territory | Frenchphrase meaning "good man" | 7,065 | 563sq mi (1,458km2) |
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Brookings County | 011 | Brookings | 1862 | Unorganized territory | Wilmot Brookings(1830 - 1905), Dakota Territory Supreme Court justice | 35,980 | 794sq mi (2,056km2) |
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Brown County | 013 | Aberdeen | 1879 | Beadle County | Alfred Brown, territorial legislator | 37,733 | 1,713sq mi (4,437km2) |
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Brule County | 015 | Chamberlain | 1875 | Charles Mix County | BruléSioux Native Americans | 5,311 | 819sq mi (2,121km2) |
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Buffalo County | 017 | Gann Valley | 1873 | Unorganized territory | American Bison | 1,884 | 471sq mi (1,220km2) |
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Butte County | 019 | Belle Fourche | 1883 | Harding County | Buttesin the region | 10,863 | 2,249sq mi (5,825km2) |
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Campbell County | 021 | Mound City | 1873 | Buffalo County | Norman B. Campbell, territorial legislator | 1,340 | 736sq mi (1,906km2) |
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Charles Mix County | 023 | Lake Andes | 1862 | Unorganized territory | Charles Eli Mix,commissioner of Indian Affairs | 9,240 | 1,098sq mi (2,844km2) |
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Clark County | 025 | Clark | 1873 | Hanson County | Newton Clark (1838-1918), territorial legislator | 3,948 | 958sq mi (2,481km2) |
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Clay County | 027 | Vermillion | 1862 | Unorganized territory | Henry Clay(1777 - 1852),U.S. SenatorfromKentuckyand prominent 19th Century political figure | 15,431 | 412sq mi (1,067km2) |
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Codington County | 029 | Watertown | 1877 | Indian lands | George S. S. Codington,territorial legislator | 28,971 | 688sq mi (1,782km2) |
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Corson County | 031 | McIntosh | 1909 | Indian lands | Dighton Corson,a Justice of theSouth Dakota Supreme Court | 3,782 | 2,473sq mi (6,405km2) |
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Custer County | 033 | Custer | 1875 | Indian lands | GeneralGeorge Armstrong Custer(1839 - 1876), key figure in theIndian Wars | 9,117 | 1,558sq mi (4,035km2) |
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Davison County | 035 | Mitchell | 1873 | Hanson County | Henry C. Davison (1840-1880), prominent merchant and early settler | 19,922 | 436sq mi (1,129km2) |
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Day County | 037 | Webster | 1879 | Clark County | Merritt H. Day,territorial legislator | 5,451 | 1,029sq mi (2,665km2) |
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Deuel County | 039 | Clear Lake | 1862 | Brookings County | Jacob S. Deuel, territorial legislator | 4,354 | 624sq mi (1,616km2) |
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Dewey County | 041 | Timber Lake | 1873 | Armstrong County and Indian lands | William P. Dewey (1833-1905), territorial surveyor-general | 5,208 | 2,303sq mi (5,965km2) |
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Douglas County | 043 | Armour | 1873 | Charles Mix County | Stephen A. Douglas(1813 - 1861), U.S. Senator fromIllinoisand advocate ofpopular sovereigntyas a middle ground in the slavery debate | 2,838 | 434sq mi (1,124km2) |
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Edmunds County | 045 | Ipswich | 1873 | Buffalo County | Newton Edmunds,GovernorofDakota Territory | 4,057 | 1,146sq mi (2,968km2) |
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Fall River County | 047 | Hot Springs | 1883 | Custer County | Fall River | 7,393 | 1,740sq mi (4,507km2) |
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Faulk County | 049 | Faulkton | 1873 | Unorganized territory | Andrew Jackson Faulk,GovernorofDakota Territory | 2,151 | 1,000sq mi (2,590km2) |
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Grant County | 051 | Milbank | 1873 | Codington and Deuel Counties | Ulysses S. Grant(1822 - 1885), U.S. President and American Civil War general | 7,553 | 682sq mi (1,766km2) |
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Gregory County | 053 | Burke | 1862 | Unorganized territory | John Shaw Gregory (1829-1881), territorial legislator | 4,018 | 1,016sq mi (2,631km2) |
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Haakon County | 055 | Philip | 1914 | Stanley County | King Haakon VII of Norway | 1,851 | 1,813sq mi (4,696km2) |
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Hamlin County | 057 | Hayti | 1873 | Deuel County | Hannibal Hamlin,Vice-President and United States Senator fromMaine | 6,451 | 511sq mi (1,323km2) |
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Hand County | 059 | Miller | 1873 | Buffalo County | George H. Hand (1837-1891), territorial legislator | 3,107 | 1,437sq mi (3,722km2) |
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Hanson County | 061 | Alexandria | 1873 | Buffalo and Deuel Counties | Joseph R. Hanson (1836-1917), army major in the Indian Wars and early settler | 3,471 | 435sq mi (1,127km2) |
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Harding County | 063 | Buffalo | 1909 | Unorganized territory | John A. Harding (1832-1902), Speaker of the House for Dakota Territory | 1,324 | 2,671sq mi (6,918km2) |
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Hughes County | 065 | Pierre | 1880 | Buffalo County | Alexander Hughes (1846-1907), territorial legislator | 17,624 | 741sq mi (1,919km2) |
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Hutchinson County | 067 | Olivet | 1862 | Unorganized territory | John Hutchinson (1830-1887) territorial legislator | 7,394 | 813sq mi (2,106km2) |
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Hyde County | 069 | Highmore | 1873 | Buffalo County | James Hyde (1842–1902), territorial legislator | 1,186 | 861sq mi (2,230km2) |
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Jackson County | 071 | Kadoka | 1914 | Stanley County | J.R. Jackson, territorial legislator | 2,776 | 1,869sq mi (4,841km2) |
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Jerauld County | 073 | Wessington Springs | 1883 | Aurora County | H.J. Jerauld, territorial legislator | 1,660 | 530sq mi (1,373km2) |
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Jones County | 075 | Murdo | 1916 | Lyman County | George Wallace Jones,territorial legislator | 855 | 971sq mi (2,515km2) |
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Kingsbury County | 077 | De Smet | 1873 | Hanson County | George W. Kingsbury (1837-1925) and Theodore A. Kingsbury (1844-1889), brothers and territorial legislators | 5,276 | 838sq mi (2,170km2) |
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Lake County | 079 | Madison | 1873 | Brookings and Hanson counties | Lakes within the county | 11,031 | 563sq mi (1,458km2) |
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Lawrence County | 081 | Deadwood | 1875 | Unorganized territory | John Lawrence (1839 -1889), territorial legislator | 28,053 | 800sq mi (2,072km2) |
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Lincoln County | 083 | Canton | 1867 | Unorganized territory | Abraham Lincoln,the 16th President of the United States,[5]or, possibly,Lincoln County, Maine. | 73,238 | 578sq mi (1,497km2) |
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Lyman County | 085 | Kennebec | 1873 | Unorganized territory | W.P. Lyman, territorial legislator | 3,705 | 1,640sq mi (4,248km2) |
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Marshall County | 091 | Britton | 1885 | Day County | Marshall Vincent, Day County Commissioner | 4,390 | 839sq mi (2,173km2) |
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McCook County | 087 | Salem | 1873 | Hanson County | Edwin McCook,Secretary of Dakota Territory | 5,809 | 575sq mi (1,489km2) |
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McPherson County | 089 | Leola | 1873 | Buffalo County | James B. McPherson(1828 - 1864), Civil War general | 2,334 | 1,137sq mi (2,945km2) |
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Meade County | 093 | Sturgis | 1889 | Lawrence County | George Meade(1815 - 1872), Civil War general | 30,954 | 3,471sq mi (8,990km2) |
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Mellette County | 095 | White River | 1909 | Lyman County | Arthur C. Mellette,firstGovernor of South Dakota | 1,851 | 1,307sq mi (3,385km2) |
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Miner County | 097 | Howard | 1873 | Hanson County | Nelson Miner (1827-1879) and Ephriam Miner (1833-1912), brothers and territorial legislators | 2,280 | 570sq mi (1,476km2) |
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Minnehaha County | 099 | Sioux Falls | 1862 | Unorganized territory | Siouxterm for waterfall | 206,930 | 809sq mi (2,095km2) |
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Moody County | 101 | Flandreau | 1873 | Brookings and Minnehaha Counties | Gideon C. Moody,Speaker of the House for Dakota Territory | 6,450 | 520sq mi (1,347km2) |
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Oglala Lakota County | 102 | 1875 | Fall River County | Oglala Lakotatribe | 13,434 | 2,094sq mi (5,423km2) |
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Pennington County | 103 | Rapid City | 1875 | Unorganized territory | John L. Pennington(1829 - 1900), Governor of Dakota Territory | 115,903 | 2,776sq mi (7,190km2) |
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Perkins County | 105 | Bison | 1909 | Butte and Harding Counties | Henry E. Perkins (1864-1937), state senator | 2,834 | 2,872sq mi (7,438km2) |
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Potter County | 107 | Gettysburg | 1875 | Buffalo County | Joel A. Potter (1830-1895), territorial legislator | 2,413 | 866sq mi (2,243km2) |
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Roberts County | 109 | Sisseton | 1883 | Grant County | Samuel G. Roberts (b.1843), territorial legislator | 10,206 | 1,101sq mi (2,852km2) |
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Sanborn County | 111 | Woonsocket | 1883 | Miner County | George W. Sanborn (1832-1905), president of theMilwaukee Railroad | 2,399 | 569sq mi (1,474km2) |
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Spink County | 115 | Redfield | 1873 | Hanson County | Solomon Spink,Secretary of Dakota Territory | 6,166 | 1,504sq mi (3,895km2) |
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Stanley County | 117 | Fort Pierre | 1873 | Unorganized territory | David S. Stanley,commander ofFort Sully | 3,043 | 1,443sq mi (3,737km2) |
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Sully County | 119 | Onida | 1873 | Potter County | Fort Sully,itself named after GeneralAlfred Sully | 1,494 | 1,007sq mi (2,608km2) |
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Todd County | 121 | 1909 | Meyer and Tripp Counties | John Blair Smith Todd,territorial delegate to Congress | 9,199 | 1,388sq mi (3,595km2) |
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Tripp County | 123 | Winner | 1873 | Unorganized territory | Bartlett Tripp,Chief Justice of the Dakota Territorial Supreme Court | 5,621 | 1,614sq mi (4,180km2) |
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Turner County | 125 | Parker | 1871 | Lincoln County | John W. Turner,territorial legislator | 9,027 | 617sq mi (1,598km2) |
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Union County | 127 | Elk Point | 1862 | Unorganized territory | The union of the American states | 17,183 | 460sq mi (1,191km2) |
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Walworth County | 129 | Selby | 1873 | Buffalo County | Walworth County, Wisconsin,itself named forReuben Walworth | 5,269 | 708sq mi (1,834km2) |
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Yankton County | 135 | Yankton | 1862 | Unorganized territory | Yankton SiouxNative Americans | 23,517 | 522sq mi (1,352km2) |
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Ziebach County | 137 | Dupree | 1911 | Armstrong, Schnasse, and Sterling Counties | Frank M. Ziebach,publisher and army major during the Indian Wars | 2,322 | 1,962sq mi (5,082km2) |
Former names
edit- Shannon County: renamed Oglala Lakota County in 2015
- Boreman County: Renamed Corson County in 1909
- Mandan County: Renamed Lawrence County
Former counties
edit- Armstrong County(1883–1952): Created by Dakota Territory as Pyatt County in 1883 from Cheyenne, Rusk (Dewey), and Stanley Counties. Renamed Armstrong in 1895. The western half was annexed to form part of the second Ziebach County, in 1911. The remainder was annexed into Dewey in 1952.
- Ashmore County
- Big Sioux County
- Bramble County
- Bruguier County
- Burchard County
- Burdick County
- Cheyenne County
- Choteau County: Abolished when it merged into Perkins County along with Martin, Rinehart and Wagner Counties.
- Cole County: organized in 1862, was named for Austin Cole, who was a member of the first Territorial Legislature. Two years later, the boundaries were rearranged and the name changed to Union because of sentiment for the Union side of the civil war.
- Cragin County
- Delano County: Absorbed by Meade County
- Ewing County(1889–1890): Created upon statehood. Abolished one year later, when it became the northern half of Harding County.
- Forsythe County
- Greely County, South Dakota
- Jayne County
- Lugenbeel County(1875–1909): Created by Dakota Territory from unorganized lands and Meyer and Pratt Counties in 1875. Abolished in 1909 when it became part of Bennett and Todd Counties.
- Martin County: Abolished when it merged into Perkins County along with Choteau, Rinehart and Wagner Counties.
- Meyer County
- Midway County
- Mills County
- Nowlin County(1883–1898): Created by Dakota Territory in 1883 from Cheyenne and White River Counties. Abolished in 1898 when it became part of Haakon County.
- Presho County: Absorbed by Lyman County
- Pyatt County(1883–1895): Created by Dakota Territory from unorganized lands in 1883. Renamed Armstrong in 1895. Later divided between the revived Ziebach County and Dewey County.
- Rinehart County: Abolished when it merged into Perkins County along with Choteau, Martin, and Wagner Counties.
- Rusk County
- Schnasse County(1883–1911): Created by Dakota Territory from unorganized lands and part of Boreman County in 1883. Later absorbed into Boreman and the revived Ziebach Counties
- Scobey County: Absorbed by Meade County
- Sterling County(1883–1911): Created by Dakota Territory from Cheyenne County. Abolished in 1911 when it became part of Haakon and Ziebach Counties
- Stone County
- Thompson County
- Wagner County: Abolished when it merged into Perkins County along with Choteau, Martin, and Rinehart Counties.
- Washabaugh County(1883–1983): South Dakota's most recent county to be eliminated. Created by Dakota Territory in 1883. Abolished in 1983 when it was merged with Jackson County.
- Washington County(1888–1943): Abolished in 1943 when it was divided between Pennington and Shannon Counties.
- Wetmore County
- White River County
- Wood County
- Ziebach County(1889–1890): Created in 1889, upon statehood. Abolished in 1890, becoming the eastern portion of Pennington County. The name was revived in 1911, when a second Ziebach County was created from parts of Sterling, Schnasse and Pyatt Counties.
Population density map
editDarker colors indicate heavier density.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"South Dakota Counties, Regions, Tourism and State Index".Global Index. Archived fromthe originalon January 2, 2006.RetrievedFebruary 5,2006.
- ^"EPA County FIPS Code Listing".Environmental Protection Agency.RetrievedMay 1,2008.
- ^abc"NACo - Find a county".National Association of Counties. Archived fromthe originalon April 10, 2005.RetrievedMay 1,2008.
- ^"U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: South Dakota".RetrievedApril 20,2024.
- ^Gannett, Henry (1905).The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States.US Government Printing Office. p.187.
- Long, John H. (2006)."Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies".Dakota Territory Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.The Newberry Library. Archived fromthe originalon November 11, 2007.
- Long, John H. (2006)."South Dakota: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries".South Dakota Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.The Newberry Library. Archived fromthe originalon July 27, 2010.
Further reading
edit- writer, Statf (2022)."SOUTH DAKOTA COUNTY GOVERNMENT OVERVIEW"(PDF).ce.naco.org.National Association of Counties (NACo).RetrievedJanuary 3,2025.