South Dakota Counties Map: Click All 66 Counties

How many counties are in South Dakota?

South Dakota has 66 counties. 22 states have more, and 27 have fewer.

South Dakota has 66 counties. Shannon County was renamed Oglala Lakota County in 2015; it lies within the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Missouri River splits the state into East River and West River, and Hughes County holds the capital, Pierre, right on the river.

How South Dakota's counties were formed

South Dakota's counties began as Dakota Territory counties, many drawn in the 1860s through 1880s before settlement. After statehood in 1889, homesteading west of the Missouri River led to new counties into the 1910s. In 1983 Washabaugh County merged into Jackson County. Oglala Lakota and Todd counties are unorganized, so neighboring Fall River and Tripp counties handle their county government.

South Dakota regions and the counties in each

The Missouri River splits South Dakota into East River and West River. East River is farm country with most of the people: Minnehaha (Sioux Falls), Brown (Aberdeen), Brookings and Yankton. The river itself is lined with big reservoirs from Lake Oahe near Pierre (Hughes County) down to Lewis and Clark Lake. West River is ranch country, with the Black Hills in Pennington, Custer and Lawrence counties, Mount Rushmore near Keystone, Badlands National Park in Jackson and Pennington, and several reservations, including Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River.

Notable places on the South Dakota county map

Black Elk Peak, at 7,242 feet the highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, is in Pennington County, as is Mount Rushmore. Wind Cave National Park is in Custer County, and the Corn Palace, decorated each year with murals made from corn, is in Mitchell (Davison County).

South Dakota counties map: the biggest and smallest

Meade County is the largest county in South Dakota, with 3,471 square miles of land, about 5% of the state. That's more land than the whole state of Delaware and Rhode Island. Clay County is the smallest, at 412 square miles.

The smallest counties by land area are Clay County (412 sq mi), Douglas County (432 sq mi) and Hanson County (435 sq mi).

Which counties in South Dakota have the most people?

Minnehaha County has the most people, about 208,639 in the Census Bureau's July 2024 estimate, or 23% of everyone in South Dakota. The three biggest counties together hold 43% of the state's 924,669 people. Jones County has the fewest, about 874.

The most crowded is Minnehaha County, with about 259 people per square mile. The emptiest is Harding County, with less than one person per square mile. Comparing the two is a quick way to show children that a big county on the map isn't always a big county in people.

What county is Pierre in?

Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, is in Hughes County. Hughes County ranks 12th of 66 by population. South Dakota is called the Mount Rushmore State, and it became the 40th state in 1889.

Counties on the South Dakota border

Learning the edge of the map first gives children a frame to fill in. South Dakota shares a border with Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming.

How South Dakota's counties compare with other states

South Dakota ranks 16th among the 50 states in land area and 46th in population. Its average county covers about 1,149 square miles and holds about 14,010 people. Across the 50 states, the average county-level area covers about 1,139 square miles and holds about 109,381 people, so South Dakota's counties are close to the national average in size.

Landmarks for learning the counties of South Dakota

• Minnehaha County (Sioux Falls) is in the southeast corner.
• Pennington County (Rapid City) and the Black Hills are in the west.
• Hughes County (Pierre) sits on the Missouri River in the middle.

With 66 counties, work one region at a time: study it with names on, then take a Practice round and stop when you've found that group. Then print the South Dakota county map worksheet to check that it sticks on paper.

All 66 South Dakota counties

Every county on the map, A to Z, with its land area and July 2024 population estimate.

South Dakota geography for homeschoolers

Pair this map with the Midwest states and capitals quiz and the US states quiz. If you teach at home, see homeschooling in south dakota, and check south dakota partners in education scholarship to see whether a program may help pay for South Dakota history and geography curriculum. Each program decides what it covers.