Counties in South Dakota by average annual temperature

Mellette County had the highest average annual temperature of 66 counties in 2023, at 49.7 °F. Marshall County had the lowest, at 42.6 °F. The median was 47 °F and the figure for South Dakota was 46.7 °F. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

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Highest49.7Mellette County
Lowest42.6Marshall County
Median4766 counties
South Dakota46.7History

Map of counties, 2023

Aurora County: 47.6 °FBeadle County: 46.5 °FBennett County: 48.6 °FBon Homme County: 49.3 °FBrookings County: 45 °FBrown County: 43.9 °FBrule County: 48.2 °FBuffalo County: 46.9 °FButte County: 47.1 °FCampbell County: 43.9 °FCharles Mix County: 49.3 °FClark County: 44.9 °FClay County: 49.2 °FCodington County: 44.1 °FCorson County: 44.8 °FCuster County: 46.7 °FDavison County: 47.5 °FDay County: 43.4 °FDeuel County: 44.9 °FDewey County: 46.4 °FDouglas County: 48.3 °FEdmunds County: 44.1 °FFall River County: 48.5 °FFaulk County: 44.9 °FGrant County: 45 °FGregory County: 49.1 °FHaakon County: 47.9 °FHamlin County: 44.7 °FHand County: 45.8 °FHanson County: 47.5 °FHarding County: 46.3 °FHughes County: 47.3 °FHutchinson County: 48.4 °FHyde County: 45.6 °FJackson County: 49.2 °FJerauld County: 46.6 °FJones County: 48.9 °FKingsbury County: 45.5 °FLake County: 46 °FLawrence County: 43.8 °FLincoln County: 48 °FLyman County: 48.4 °FMcCook County: 47.5 °FMcPherson County: 42.7 °FMarshall County: 42.6 °FMeade County: 47.6 °FMellette County: 49.7 °FMiner County: 46.6 °FMinnehaha County: 47.5 °FMoody County: 45.8 °FOglala Lakota County: 48.9 °FPennington County: 47.1 °FPerkins County: 45.8 °FPotter County: 45 °FRoberts County: 44.4 °FSanborn County: 47 °FSpink County: 45.7 °FStanley County: 47.7 °FSully County: 46.3 °FTodd County: 48.7 °FTripp County: 49.2 °FTurner County: 48.3 °FUnion County: 49.2 °FWalworth County: 44.7 °FYankton County: 49.2 °FZiebach County: 47 °F
  • Under 45
  • 45 to 46
  • 46 to 47
  • 47 to 48
  • 48 to 49
  • 49 and over
°F, 2023. 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, 2023

Mellette County: 49.7 °FMellette County49.7Bon Homme County: 49.3 °FBon Homme County49.3Charles Mix County: 49.3 °FCharles Mix County49.3Clay County: 49.2 °FClay County49.2Jackson County: 49.2 °FJackson County49.2Tripp County: 49.2 °FTripp County49.2Union County: 49.2 °FUnion County49.2Yankton County: 49.2 °FYankton County49.2Gregory County: 49.1 °FGregory County49.1Jones County: 48.9 °FJones County48.9Oglala Lakota County: 48.9 °FOglala Lakota County48.9Todd County: 48.7 °FTodd County48.7Bennett County: 48.6 °FBennett County48.6Fall River County: 48.5 °FFall River County48.5Hutchinson County: 48.4 °FHutchinson County48.4Lyman County: 48.4 °FLyman County48.4Douglas County: 48.3 °FDouglas County48.3Turner County: 48.3 °FTurner County48.3Brule County: 48.2 °FBrule County48.2Lincoln County: 48 °FLincoln County48Haakon County: 47.9 °FHaakon County47.9Stanley County: 47.7 °FStanley County47.7Aurora County: 47.6 °FAurora County47.6Meade County: 47.6 °FMeade County47.6Davison County: 47.5 °FDavison County47.5Hanson County: 47.5 °FHanson County47.5McCook County: 47.5 °FMcCook County47.5Minnehaha County: 47.5 °FMinnehaha County47.5Hughes County: 47.3 °FHughes County47.3Butte County: 47.1 °FButte County47.1Pennington County: 47.1 °FPennington County47.1Sanborn County: 47 °FSanborn County47Ziebach County: 47 °FZiebach County47Buffalo County: 46.9 °FBuffalo County46.9Custer County: 46.7 °FCuster County46.7Jerauld County: 46.6 °FJerauld County46.6Miner County: 46.6 °FMiner County46.6Beadle County: 46.5 °FBeadle County46.5Dewey County: 46.4 °FDewey County46.4Harding County: 46.3 °FHarding County46.3Mellette County: 49.7 °FMellette County49.7Bon Homme County: 49.3 °FBon Homme County49.3Charles Mix County: 49.3 °FCharles Mix County49.3Clay County: 49.2 °FClay County49.2Jackson County: 49.2 °FJackson County49.2Tripp County: 49.2 °FTripp County49.2Union County: 49.2 °FUnion County49.2Yankton County: 49.2 °FYankton County49.2Gregory County: 49.1 °FGregory County49.1Jones County: 48.9 °FJones County48.9Oglala Lakota County: 48.9 °FOglala Lakota County48.9Todd County: 48.7 °FTodd County48.7Bennett County: 48.6 °FBennett County48.6Fall River County: 48.5 °FFall River County48.5Hutchinson County: 48.4 °FHutchinson County48.4Lyman County: 48.4 °FLyman County48.4Douglas County: 48.3 °FDouglas County48.3Turner County: 48.3 °FTurner County48.3Brule County: 48.2 °FBrule County48.2Lincoln County: 48 °FLincoln County48Haakon County: 47.9 °FHaakon County47.9Stanley County: 47.7 °FStanley County47.7Aurora County: 47.6 °FAurora County47.6Meade County: 47.6 °FMeade County47.6Davison County: 47.5 °FDavison County47.5Hanson County: 47.5 °FHanson County47.5McCook County: 47.5 °FMcCook County47.5Minnehaha County: 47.5 °FMinnehaha County47.5Hughes County: 47.3 °FHughes County47.3Butte County: 47.1 °FButte County47.1Pennington County: 47.1 °FPennington County47.1Sanborn County: 47 °FSanborn County47Ziebach County: 47 °FZiebach County47Buffalo County: 46.9 °FBuffalo County46.9Custer County: 46.7 °FCuster County46.7Jerauld County: 46.6 °FJerauld County46.6Miner County: 46.6 °FMiner County46.6Beadle County: 46.5 °FBeadle County46.5Dewey County: 46.4 °FDewey County46.4Harding County: 46.3 °FHarding County46.3
°F. Source: NOAA NCEI, NOAA Climate at a Glance, January to December average temperature, counties. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCounties2023
°F
Change on 2022
1Mellette County49.7+4%
2Bon Homme County49.3+2.5%
2Charles Mix County49.3+2.3%
4Clay County49.2+3.1%
4Jackson County49.2+3.1%
4Tripp County49.2+2.3%
4Union County49.2+3.4%
4Yankton County49.2+2.7%
9Gregory County49.1+2.1%
10Jones County48.9+4.3%
10Oglala Lakota County48.9+1.5%
12Todd County48.7+2.1%
13Bennett County48.6+2.1%
14Fall River County48.5+1.5%
15Hutchinson County48.4+3.2%
15Lyman County48.4+2.5%
17Douglas County48.3+2.8%
17Turner County48.3+3%
19Brule County48.2+2.6%
20Lincoln County48+3.4%
21Haakon County47.9+3%
22Stanley County47.7+3%
23Aurora County47.6+3%
23Meade County47.6+2.6%
25Davison County47.5+4.2%
25Hanson County47.5+4.9%
25McCook County47.5+4.2%
25Minnehaha County47.5+3.5%
29Hughes County47.3+2.8%
30Butte County47.1+2.8%
30Pennington County47.1+2.2%
32Sanborn County47+4.4%
32Ziebach County47+3.5%
34Buffalo County46.9+2.6%
35Custer County46.7+2%
36Jerauld County46.6+3.8%
36Miner County46.6+5%
38Beadle County46.5+3.8%
39Dewey County46.4+3.8%
40Harding County46.3+5%
40Sully County46.3+2.9%
42Lake County46+5%
43Hand County45.8+3.4%
43Moody County45.8+5%
43Perkins County45.8+4.1%
46Spink County45.7+4.1%
47Hyde County45.6+2.9%
48Kingsbury County45.5+4.8%
49Brookings County45+5.6%
49Grant County45+6.4%
49Potter County45+3.7%
52Clark County44.9+5.6%
52Deuel County44.9+6.4%
52Faulk County44.9+3.9%
55Corson County44.8+3.9%
56Hamlin County44.7+5.4%
56Walworth County44.7+4.2%
58Roberts County44.4+6.7%
59Codington County44.1+6%
59Edmunds County44.1+4.3%
61Brown County43.9+4.5%
61Campbell County43.9+4%
63Lawrence County43.8+2.1%
64Day County43.4+6.4%
65McPherson County42.7+4.7%
66Marshall County42.6+6.5%

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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [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=2023 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{noaa_counties_in_south_dakota_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/average-annual-temperature/south-dakota-counties?period=2023.
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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Questions

Which county has the highest average annual temperature?

Mellette County, with 49.7 °F in 2023, according to NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Which county has the lowest average annual temperature?

Marshall County, with 42.6 °F in 2023.

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