Meade County Demographics

A map of Meade County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	25,971	25,294	85.0%	84.7%
Multiracial	1,647	1,655	5.4%	5.5%
Hispanic	1,489	1,301	4.9%	4.4%
Native American/Other	695	919	2.3%	3.1%
Black	533	408	1.7%	1.4%
Asian	211	275	0.7%	0.9%

Meade County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 30,546, a slight increase from the 29,852 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 85.0% White, 5.4% Multiracial, 4.9% Hispanic, 2.3% Native American/Other, 1.7% Black, and 0.7% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Meade County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Meade 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 Meade County, that probability was 27.6% in 2020 and 27.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Meade County is ranked the 6th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Meade County was ranked the 6th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Meade County's White Population

25,971 residents of Meade County, or 85.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Meade County is higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Meade County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.7%. White residents' share of Meade County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 85.0%.

Meade County is more White than neighboring Pennington County (77.8% White), and Ziebach County (27.1% White). Meade County is less White than neighboring Butte County (88% White), Perkins County (92% White), and Lawrence County (88.8% White).

Meade County's Black Population

533 residents of Meade County, or 1.7% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Meade County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Black population has grown by an estimated 30.6%. Black residents' share of Meade County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.7%.

Meade County is more Black than neighboring Pennington County (1.1% Black), Butte County (0% Black), Perkins County (0% Black), Lawrence County (0.3% Black), and Ziebach County (0% Black).

Meade County's Asian Population

211 residents of Meade County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Meade County ranks 10th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 23.3%. Asian residents' share of Meade County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Meade County is more Asian than neighboring Butte County (0.5% Asian), Lawrence County (0.4% Asian), and Ziebach County (0% Asian). Meade County is less Asian than neighboring Pennington County (1.2% Asian).

Meade County's Hispanic Population

1,489 residents of Meade County, or 4.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Meade County ranks 14th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 14.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Meade County's population has increased from 4.4% to 4.9%.

Meade County is more Hispanic than neighboring Butte County (4.3% Hispanic), Perkins County (1.1% Hispanic), Lawrence County (3.9% Hispanic), and Ziebach County (1.5% Hispanic). Meade County is less Hispanic than neighboring Pennington County (5.7% Hispanic).

Meade County's Native American/Other Population

695 residents of Meade County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Meade County is lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Meade County ranks 30th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 24.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Meade County's population has decreased from 3.1% to 2.3%.

Meade County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Butte County (1.4% Native American/Other), and Perkins County (1.4% Native American/Other). Meade County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Pennington County (6.7% Native American/Other), Lawrence County (2.8% Native American/Other), and Ziebach County (69.5% Native American/Other).

Meade County's Multiracial Population

1,647 residents of Meade County, or 5.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Meade County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Meade County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Meade County's Multiracial population has remained roughly the same. Multiracial residents' share of Meade County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 5.4%.

Meade County is more Multiracial than neighboring Perkins County (4.8% Multiracial), Lawrence County (3.8% Multiracial), and Ziebach County (1.9% Multiracial). Meade County is less Multiracial than neighboring Pennington County (7.5% Multiracial), and Butte County (5.9% 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.