Lawrence County Demographics

A map of Lawrence County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	24,182	22,935	88.8%	89.0%
Hispanic	1,057	922	3.9%	3.6%
Multiracial	1,040	1,032	3.8%	4.0%
Native American/Other	763	555	2.8%	2.2%
Asian	122	196	0.4%	0.8%
Black	69	128	0.3%	0.5%

Lawrence County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 27,233, an increase from the 25,768 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 88.8% White, 3.9% Hispanic, 3.8% Multiracial, 2.8% Native American/Other, 0.4% Asian, and 0.3% Black. This demographic dot map shows the population of Lawrence County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Lawrence 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 Lawrence County, that probability was 20.4% in 2020 and 20.8% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Lawrence County is ranked the 8th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Lawrence County was ranked the 8th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Lawrence County's White Population

24,182 residents of Lawrence County, or 88.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Lawrence County is higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Lawrence County ranks 31st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's White population has grown by an estimated 5.4%. White residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 88.8%.

Lawrence County is more White than neighboring Butte County (88% White), Custer County (87.7% White), Weston County (85.2% White), and Pennington County (77.8% White). Lawrence County is less White than neighboring Crook County (92.9% White).

Lawrence County's Black Population

69 residents of Lawrence County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Lawrence County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Lawrence County ranks 17th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Black population has declined by an estimated 46.1%. Black residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Lawrence County is more Black than neighboring Butte County (0% Black), Crook County (0% Black), and Weston County (0% Black). Lawrence County is less Black than neighboring Pennington County (1.1% Black).

Lawrence County's Asian Population

122 residents of Lawrence County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Lawrence County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Lawrence County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 37.8%. Asian residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Lawrence County is more Asian than neighboring Crook County (0.2% Asian). Lawrence County is less Asian than neighboring Butte County (0.5% Asian), Weston County (0.5% Asian), and Pennington County (1.2% Asian).

Lawrence County's Hispanic Population

1,057 residents of Lawrence County, or 3.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Lawrence County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Lawrence County ranks 19th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 14.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.9%.

Lawrence County is more Hispanic than neighboring Custer County (3.1% Hispanic), and Crook County (2.1% Hispanic). Lawrence County is less Hispanic than neighboring Butte County (4.3% Hispanic), Weston County (5.3% Hispanic), and Pennington County (5.7% Hispanic).

Lawrence County's Native American/Other Population

763 residents of Lawrence County, or 2.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Lawrence County is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Lawrence County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 37.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Lawrence County's population has increased from 2.2% to 2.8%.

Lawrence County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Butte County (1.4% Native American/Other), Crook County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Weston County (2.3% Native American/Other). Lawrence County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Custer County (3.4% Native American/Other), and Pennington County (6.7% Native American/Other).

Lawrence County's Multiracial Population

1,040 residents of Lawrence County, or 3.8% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Lawrence County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Lawrence County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Lawrence County's Multiracial population has remained roughly the same. Multiracial residents' share of Lawrence County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.8%.

Lawrence County is less Multiracial than neighboring Butte County (5.9% Multiracial), Custer County (5% Multiracial), Crook County (4.3% Multiracial), Weston County (6.7% Multiracial), and Pennington County (7.5% 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.