Oglala Lakota County Demographics

A map of Oglala Lakota County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
Native American/Other	12,248	12,535	90.8%	91.7%
White	950	438	7.0%	3.2%
Hispanic	259	402	1.9%	2.9%
Multiracial	25	234	0.2%	1.7%
Black	9	24	0.1%	0.2%
Asian	0	39	0.0%	0.3%

Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 13,491, a slight decrease from the 13,672 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 90.8% Native American/Other, 7.0% White, 1.9% Hispanic, 0.2% Multiracial, 0.1% Black, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Oglala Lakota County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Oglala Lakota has become more racially diverse since 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 Oglala Lakota County, that probability was 15.7% in 2020 and 17.1% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Oglala Lakota County is ranked the 15th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Oglala Lakota County was ranked the 15th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Oglala Lakota County's White Population

950 residents of Oglala Lakota County, or 7.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Oglala Lakota County is significantly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Oglala Lakota County ranks 66th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Oglala Lakota County's White population has grown by an estimated 116.9%. White residents' share of Oglala Lakota County's population has increased from 3.2% to 7.0%.

Oglala Lakota County is less White than neighboring Pennington County (77.8% White), Sheridan County (80.5% White), Dawes County (85.8% White), Bennett County (34.3% White), and Custer County (87.7% White).

Oglala Lakota County's Black Population

9 residents of Oglala Lakota County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Oglala Lakota County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Oglala Lakota County ranks 40th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Oglala Lakota County's Black population has declined by an estimated 62.5%. Black residents' share of Oglala Lakota County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Oglala Lakota County is less Black than neighboring Pennington County (1.1% Black), Sheridan County (0.6% Black), Dawes County (0.5% Black), Bennett County (0.2% Black), and Custer County (0.3% Black).

Oglala Lakota County's Asian Population

0 residents of Oglala Lakota County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Oglala Lakota County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Oglala Lakota County ranks 34th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Oglala Lakota County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Oglala Lakota County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Oglala Lakota County is less Asian than neighboring Pennington County (1.2% Asian), Sheridan County (1.4% Asian), Dawes County (1.1% Asian), Bennett County (1.5% Asian), and Custer County (0.4% Asian).

Oglala Lakota County's Hispanic Population

259 residents of Oglala Lakota County, or 1.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Oglala Lakota County is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Oglala Lakota County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Oglala Lakota County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 35.6%. Hispanic residents' share of Oglala Lakota County's population has decreased from 2.9% to 1.9%.

Oglala Lakota County is less Hispanic than neighboring Pennington County (5.7% Hispanic), Sheridan County (5.4% Hispanic), Dawes County (5% Hispanic), Bennett County (5.1% Hispanic), and Custer County (3.1% Hispanic).

Oglala Lakota County's Native American/Other Population

12,248 residents of Oglala Lakota County, or 90.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Oglala Lakota County is significantly higher than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Oglala Lakota County ranks 1st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Oglala Lakota County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 2.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Oglala Lakota County's population has decreased from 91.7% to 90.8%.

Oglala Lakota County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Pennington County (6.7% Native American/Other), Sheridan County (8.9% Native American/Other), Dawes County (2.8% Native American/Other), Bennett County (56% Native American/Other), and Custer County (3.4% Native American/Other).

Oglala Lakota County's Multiracial Population

25 residents of Oglala Lakota County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Oglala Lakota County is slightly lower than in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Oglala Lakota County ranks 61st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Oglala Lakota County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 89.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Oglala Lakota County's population has decreased from 1.7% to 0.2%.

Oglala Lakota County is less Multiracial than neighboring Pennington County (7.5% Multiracial), Sheridan County (3.3% Multiracial), Dawes County (4.8% Multiracial), Bennett County (2.9% Multiracial), and Custer County (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.