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Most sparsely populated, South Dakota counties · 2020

South Dakota counties with the fewest residents per square mile (2023). This list covers the 66 counties in South Dakota that qualify, ranked against each other statewide.

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SAME RANKING BYCities States Metros

RELATEDLargest by population Fastest growing Fastest shrinking Most densely populated Best broadband access Worst broadband access

YEAR1990 2000 2010 2020 2025

RANKPLACESTATEPOPPOPULATION DENSITYVS 2000

01Harding County, SDSD1,3310−3%

02Jones County, SDSD9131−23%

03Perkins County, SDSD2,8531−16%

04Haakon County, SDSD1,8021−15%

05Ziebach County, SDSD2,3891−4%

06Sully County, SDSD1,4791−7%

07Hyde County, SDSD1,1911−24%

08Mellette County, SDSD2,1371−8%

09Jackson County, SDSD2,6662−4%

10Corson County, SDSD3,7812−7%

11Campbell County, SDSD1,3772−23%

12Stanley County, SDSD3,0182+8%

13McPherson County, SDSD2,3472−17%

14Faulk County, SDSD2,1782−20%

15Hand County, SDSD3,1212−16%

16Lyman County, SDSD3,6942−5%

17Dewey County, SDSD5,4192−12%

18Bennett County, SDSD3,3073−5%

19Potter County, SDSD2,3773−8%

20Jerauld County, SDSD1,6543−28%

21Tripp County, SDSD5,7083−13%

22Edmunds County, SDSD4,0224−9%

23Aurora County, SDSD2,8014−10%

24Gregory County, SDSD4,0374−17%

25Clark County, SDSD4,0314−7%

26Fall River County, SDSD7,4674−6%

27Miner County, SDSD2,2814−20%

28Sanborn County, SDSD2,3884−13%

29Buffalo County, SDSD1,8024−4%

30Spink County, SDSD6,1554−15%

31Butte County, SDSD10,8565+13%

32Marshall County, SDSD4,4265−6%

33Day County, SDSD5,4845−13%

34Custer County, SDSD9,4315+14%

35Kingsbury County, SDSD5,2846−11%

36Brule County, SDSD5,2786−2%

37Oglala Lakota County, SDSD13,3387–

38Douglas County, SDSD2,8887−18%

39Todd County, SDSD8,8637+3%

40Deuel County, SDSD4,4087−5%

41Walworth County, SDSD5,2178−11%

42Hanson County, SDSD3,4568+10%

43Charles Mix County, SDSD9,3039+0%

44Meade County, SDSD30,7119+23%

45Hutchinson County, SDSD7,4139−8%

46Roberts County, SDSD10,2559+3%

47McCook County, SDSD5,96410−3%

48Grant County, SDSD7,53411−4%

49Hamlin County, SDSD6,90012+11%

50Moody County, SDSD6,63212−4%

51Bon Homme County, SDSD7,24412−4%

52Turner County, SDSD9,31414−2%

53Beadle County, SDSD19,62415+12%

54Lake County, SDSD10,99320−2%

55Brown County, SDSD37,56122+8%

56Hughes County, SDSD17,57024+8%

57Lawrence County, SDSD29,45932+18%

58Clay County, SDSD15,03136+11%

59Union County, SDSD17,40236+34%

60Pennington County, SDSD116,79239+23%

61Codington County, SDSD29,56241+9%

62Brookings County, SDSD37,63543+22%

63Yankton County, SDSD23,63545+8%

64Davison County, SDSD20,06946+6%

65Lincoln County, SDSD77,145113+170%

66Minnehaha County, SDSD212,691244+33%

SHOWING 1–66 OF 66

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UPDATED 2026-06-02 · DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR ESTIMATES