South Dakota County Map

South Dakota County Maps

There are 66 counties in the Mount Rushmore State. The landscape here is pretty diverse. You’ve got the Black Hills out west, the Badlands right in the middle, and prairie land stretching east. Each county makes up any of these types of landscapes.

South Dakota Counties

In terms of population, Minnehaha County has the most people. It’s home to Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city. On the contrary, Jones County is the least populated. It’s out in the middle of the state, where the land is dry and the towns are few. There are no big cities there, just ranches and small communities spread out across the grasslands.

When it comes to size, Meade County is the largest. It covers over 3,400 square miles with a good chunk of it taken up by the Black Hills National Forest.

The smallest county is Clay County, clocking in at just 412 square miles. It makes up for its size with the Vermillion River running through it and the University of South Dakota calling it home.

The first counties were set up back in 1861 when Dakota was still a territory. Some counties have changed shape over time as new ones were carved out. The quirkiest county is Shannon County, which recently changed its name to Oglala Lakota County to honor the Native American tribe that lives there.