Meade County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,852, making it the 6th most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Sturgis. The county was created in 1889 and named for Fort Meade, which was garrisoned as a United States military post in the area in 1878 and itself named for General George Meade. Meade County is part of the Rapid City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

The upper part of Meade County is drained by Cherry Creek. The Cheyenne River flows northeastward along the southeast boundary of the county. The county terrain has mountain ridges in the west and southwest areas, with the remainder consisting of semi-arid rolling hills, partly dedicated to agriculture. The county terrain slopes to the east and northeast; its highest point Flagstaff Mountain is near the southwest corner, at 5,421 ft ASL. The county has an area of 3483 sqmi, of which 3471 sqmi is land and 12 sqmi (0.3%) is water. It is South Dakota's largest county by area.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 29,852 people, 11,365 households, and 7,863 families residing in the county. The population density was 8.6 PD/sqmi. There were 12,357 housing units.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 25,434 people, 9,903 households, and 7,067 families in the county. The population density was 7.3 PD/sqmi. There were 11,000 housing units at an average density of 3.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 92.0% white, 2.3% American Indian, 1.3% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 0.8% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.5% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 13.2% were Norwegian, 11.3% were English, and 6.9% were American. Of the 9,903 households, 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 35.9 years. The median income for a household in the county was $46,180 and the median income for a family was $54,200. Males had a median income of $34,113 versus $27,548 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,045. About 6.6% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Town

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Unorganized territories

Politics

Like most of the Black Hills, Meade County is heavily Republican. It last supported a Democrat for president in 1964.

Education

School districts include: