Lake County Demographics

A map of Lake County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	9,748	9,849	88.8%	89.1%
Hispanic	577	606	5.3%	5.5%
Native American/Other	317	153	2.9%	1.4%
Multiracial	169	300	1.5%	2.7%
Asian	81	66	0.7%	0.6%
Black	80	85	0.7%	0.8%

Lake County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 10,972, a less than 1% change from the 11,059 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 88.8% White, 5.3% Hispanic, 2.9% Native American/Other, 1.5% Multiracial, 0.7% Black, and 0.7% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lake County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lake is about as racially diverse as it was in the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than South Dakota overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Lake County, that probability was 20.3% in 2020 and 20.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lake County is ranked the 16th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Lake County was ranked the 16th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lake County's White Population

9,748 residents of Lake County, or 88.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lake County is higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Lake County ranks 30th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.0%. White residents' share of Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 88.8%.

Lake County is more White than neighboring Moody County (73.9% White), Minnehaha County (78.6% White), and Brookings County (87.5% White). Lake County is less White than neighboring McCook County (92.6% White), and Miner County (96% White).

Lake County's Black Population

80 residents of Lake County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lake County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Lake County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Black population has declined by an estimated 5.9%. Black residents' share of Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Lake County is more Black than neighboring McCook County (0.3% Black), and Moody County (0.2% Black). Lake County is less Black than neighboring Minnehaha County (6.3% Black), and Brookings County (1% Black).

Lake County's Asian Population

81 residents of Lake County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lake County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Lake County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 22.7%. Asian residents' share of Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Lake County is more Asian than neighboring McCook County (0% Asian), and Miner County (0.2% Asian). Lake County is less Asian than neighboring Moody County (1.7% Asian), Minnehaha County (1.6% Asian), and Brookings County (3.3% Asian).

Lake County's Hispanic Population

577 residents of Lake County, or 5.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lake County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Lake County ranks 6th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 4.8%. Hispanic residents' share of Lake County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.3%.

Lake County is more Hispanic than neighboring McCook County (3.6% Hispanic), Miner County (1.3% Hispanic), and Brookings County (4.6% Hispanic). Lake County is less Hispanic than neighboring Moody County (5.8% Hispanic), and Minnehaha County (6.6% Hispanic).

Lake County's Native American/Other Population

317 residents of Lake County, or 2.9% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lake County is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Lake County ranks 45th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 107.2%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lake County's population has increased from 1.4% to 2.9%.

Lake County is more Native American/Other than neighboring McCook County (0.8% Native American/Other), Miner County (0.7% Native American/Other), Minnehaha County (2.1% Native American/Other), and Brookings County (0.8% Native American/Other). Lake County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Moody County (12.5% Native American/Other).

Lake County's Multiracial Population

169 residents of Lake County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lake County is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Lake County ranks 39th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lake County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 43.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Lake County's population has decreased from 2.7% to 1.5%.

Lake County is more Multiracial than neighboring Miner County (1.1% Multiracial). Lake County is less Multiracial than neighboring McCook County (2.7% Multiracial), Moody County (5.9% Multiracial), Minnehaha County (4.9% Multiracial), and Brookings County (2.8% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.