Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature

Oglala Lakota County had the highest average annual temperature of 66 counties in 2020, at 49.6 °F. Marshall County had the lowest, at 42.6 °F. The median was 46.8 °F and the figure for South Dakota was 46.8 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Lowest42.6Marshall County
Median46.866 counties
South Dakota46.8History

Map of counties, 2020

Aurora County: 47.9 °FBeadle County: 46.3 °FBennett County: 48.8 °FBon Homme County: 49.3 °FBrookings County: 44.7 °FBrown County: 44.3 °FBrule County: 48.7 °FBuffalo County: 47.4 °FButte County: 47.1 °FCampbell County: 44.2 °FCharles Mix County: 49.5 °FClark County: 44.3 °FClay County: 48.8 °FCodington County: 43.5 °FCorson County: 45 °FCuster County: 47.1 °FDavison County: 47.3 °FDay County: 43.2 °FDeuel County: 44.2 °FDewey County: 46.3 °FDouglas County: 48.4 °FEdmunds County: 44.2 °FFall River County: 49.2 °FFaulk County: 44.8 °FGrant County: 44.6 °FGregory County: 49.3 °FHaakon County: 47.9 °FHamlin County: 44.1 °FHand County: 46 °FHanson County: 46.9 °FHarding County: 46.1 °FHughes County: 47.7 °FHutchinson County: 48.2 °FHyde County: 45.9 °FJackson County: 49.2 °FJerauld County: 46.6 °FJones County: 48.6 °FKingsbury County: 45 °FLake County: 45.4 °FLawrence County: 44.2 °FLincoln County: 47.6 °FLyman County: 48.8 °FMcCook County: 47 °FMcPherson County: 43.1 °FMarshall County: 42.6 °FMeade County: 47.6 °FMellette County: 49.5 °FMiner County: 46 °FMinnehaha County: 47 °FMoody County: 45.4 °FOglala Lakota County: 49.6 °FPennington County: 47.3 °FPerkins County: 45.4 °FPotter County: 45.1 °FRoberts County: 44.2 °FSanborn County: 46.7 °FSpink County: 45.7 °FStanley County: 48 °FSully County: 46.6 °FTodd County: 49.2 °FTripp County: 49.2 °FTurner County: 48.1 °FUnion County: 48.7 °FWalworth County: 44.9 °FYankton County: 49.2 °FZiebach County: 46.8 °F
  • Under 44
  • 44 to 46
  • 46 to 47
  • 47 to 48
  • 48 to 49
  • 49 and over
°F, 2020. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2020

Oglala Lakota County: 49.6 °FOglala Lakota County49.6Charles Mix County: 49.5 °FCharles Mix County49.5Mellette County: 49.5 °FMellette County49.5Bon Homme County: 49.3 °FBon Homme County49.3Gregory County: 49.3 °FGregory County49.3Fall River County: 49.2 °FFall River County49.2Jackson County: 49.2 °FJackson County49.2Todd County: 49.2 °FTodd County49.2Tripp County: 49.2 °FTripp County49.2Yankton County: 49.2 °FYankton County49.2Bennett County: 48.8 °FBennett County48.8Clay County: 48.8 °FClay County48.8Lyman County: 48.8 °FLyman County48.8Brule County: 48.7 °FBrule County48.7Union County: 48.7 °FUnion County48.7Jones County: 48.6 °FJones County48.6Douglas County: 48.4 °FDouglas County48.4Hutchinson County: 48.2 °FHutchinson County48.2Turner County: 48.1 °FTurner County48.1Stanley County: 48 °FStanley County48Aurora County: 47.9 °FAurora County47.9Haakon County: 47.9 °FHaakon County47.9Hughes County: 47.7 °FHughes County47.7Lincoln County: 47.6 °FLincoln County47.6Meade County: 47.6 °FMeade County47.6Buffalo County: 47.4 °FBuffalo County47.4Davison County: 47.3 °FDavison County47.3Pennington County: 47.3 °FPennington County47.3Butte County: 47.1 °FButte County47.1Custer County: 47.1 °FCuster County47.1McCook County: 47 °FMcCook County47Minnehaha County: 47 °FMinnehaha County47Hanson County: 46.9 °FHanson County46.9Ziebach County: 46.8 °FZiebach County46.8Sanborn County: 46.7 °FSanborn County46.7Jerauld County: 46.6 °FJerauld County46.6Sully County: 46.6 °FSully County46.6Beadle County: 46.3 °FBeadle County46.3Dewey County: 46.3 °FDewey County46.3Harding County: 46.1 °FHarding County46.1Oglala Lakota County: 49.6 °FOglala Lakota County49.6Charles Mix County: 49.5 °FCharles Mix County49.5Mellette County: 49.5 °FMellette County49.5Bon Homme County: 49.3 °FBon Homme County49.3Gregory County: 49.3 °FGregory County49.3Fall River County: 49.2 °FFall River County49.2Jackson County: 49.2 °FJackson County49.2Todd County: 49.2 °FTodd County49.2Tripp County: 49.2 °FTripp County49.2Yankton County: 49.2 °FYankton County49.2Bennett County: 48.8 °FBennett County48.8Clay County: 48.8 °FClay County48.8Lyman County: 48.8 °FLyman County48.8Brule County: 48.7 °FBrule County48.7Union County: 48.7 °FUnion County48.7Jones County: 48.6 °FJones County48.6Douglas County: 48.4 °FDouglas County48.4Hutchinson County: 48.2 °FHutchinson County48.2Turner County: 48.1 °FTurner County48.1Stanley County: 48 °FStanley County48Aurora County: 47.9 °FAurora County47.9Haakon County: 47.9 °FHaakon County47.9Hughes County: 47.7 °FHughes County47.7Lincoln County: 47.6 °FLincoln County47.6Meade County: 47.6 °FMeade County47.6Buffalo County: 47.4 °FBuffalo County47.4Davison County: 47.3 °FDavison County47.3Pennington County: 47.3 °FPennington County47.3Butte County: 47.1 °FButte County47.1Custer County: 47.1 °FCuster County47.1McCook County: 47 °FMcCook County47Minnehaha County: 47 °FMinnehaha County47Hanson County: 46.9 °FHanson County46.9Ziebach County: 46.8 °FZiebach County46.8Sanborn County: 46.7 °FSanborn County46.7Jerauld County: 46.6 °FJerauld County46.6Sully County: 46.6 °FSully County46.6Beadle County: 46.3 °FBeadle County46.3Dewey County: 46.3 °FDewey County46.3Harding County: 46.1 °FHarding County46.1
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2020
°F
Change on 2019
1Oglala Lakota County49.6+9.7%
2Charles Mix County49.5+8.3%
2Mellette County49.5+10.2%
4Bon Homme County49.3+7.6%
4Gregory County49.3+8.4%
6Fall River County49.2+10.3%
6Jackson County49.2+10.8%
6Todd County49.2+9.8%
6Tripp County49.2+8.4%
6Yankton County49.2+7.9%
11Bennett County48.8+9.9%
11Clay County48.8+7.3%
11Lyman County48.8+10.7%
14Brule County48.7+9.9%
14Union County48.7+6.8%
16Jones County48.6+11%
17Douglas County48.4+8.8%
18Hutchinson County48.2+7.6%
19Turner County48.1+7.4%
20Stanley County48+11.4%
21Aurora County47.9+10.4%
21Haakon County47.9+11.1%
23Hughes County47.7+12%
24Lincoln County47.6+7%
24Meade County47.6+11.5%
26Buffalo County47.4+11.3%
27Davison County47.3+9.5%
27Pennington County47.3+10.5%
29Butte County47.1+11.6%
29Custer County47.1+9%
31McCook County47+7.6%
31Minnehaha County47+6.6%
33Hanson County46.9+8.8%
34Ziebach County46.8+11.4%
35Sanborn County46.7+9.9%
36Jerauld County46.6+11%
36Sully County46.6+11.5%
38Beadle County46.3+9.7%
38Dewey County46.3+11.6%
40Harding County46.1+11.1%
41Hand County46+11.7%
41Miner County46+9%
43Hyde County45.9+12.2%
44Spink County45.7+10.7%
45Lake County45.4+7.8%
45Moody County45.4+7.8%
45Perkins County45.4+12.1%
48Potter County45.1+11.4%
49Corson County45+12.2%
49Kingsbury County45+8.7%
51Walworth County44.9+12.2%
52Faulk County44.8+11.4%
53Brookings County44.7+9.3%
54Grant County44.6+10.1%
55Brown County44.3+10.5%
55Clark County44.3+9.7%
57Campbell County44.2+12.2%
57Deuel County44.2+10.5%
57Edmunds County44.2+11.6%
57Lawrence County44.2+11.3%
57Roberts County44.2+10.2%
62Hamlin County44.1+9.7%
63Codington County43.5+10.1%
64Day County43.2+10.8%
65McPherson County43.1+11.9%
66Marshall County42.6+10.6%

Other periods

About this ranking

Mean air temperature from January to December, in degrees Fahrenheit: the average of the 12 monthly mean temperatures. NOAA computes it from its climate divisional dataset (nClimDiv): station readings interpolated onto a 5 km grid and averaged over the area.

Values are area averages, so a county with mountains and valleys has one value for very different local climates. NOAA revises the last two years every month.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the counties are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. (2026). NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties (Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature, 2020) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping

MLA 9

NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature, 2020. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 6 Oct. 2026, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/south-dakota-counties?period=2020. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. 2026. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature, 2020. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/south-dakota-counties?period=2020.

Harvard

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (2026) NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties, Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/south-dakota-counties?period=2020 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_south_dakota_2020,
  author = {{NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information}},
  title = {{NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature, 2020}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/south-dakota-counties?period=2020. Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
TI  - NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties: Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature, 2020
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/06
PB  - NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/south-dakota-counties?period=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/south-dakota-counties?period=2020.
N1  - Publisher attribution: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Climate at a Glance. NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. From the NOAA Monthly U.S. Climate Divisional Database (nClimDiv), doi:10.7289/V5M32STR. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/county/mapping. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  - 
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Rank Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Oglala Lakota County, with 49.6 °F in 2020, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Marshall County, with 42.6 °F in 2020.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Average annual temperature: other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings