Counties in South Dakota by land in farms

Meade County had the highest land in farms of 66 counties in 2002, at 2,228,839 acres. Lawrence County had the lowest, at 140,703 acres. The median was 521,665 acres and the figure for South Dakota was 43,785,079 acres. Source: the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

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Highest2,228,839Meade County
Lowest140,703Lawrence County
Median521,66566 counties
South Dakota43,785,079History

Map of counties, 2002

Aurora County: 350,943 acresBeadle County: 809,535 acresBennett County: 727,294 acresBon Homme County: 344,718 acresBrookings County: 418,115 acresBrown County: 1,155,342 acresBrule County: 446,987 acresBuffalo County: 284,907 acresButte County: 1,262,390 acresCampbell County: 391,221 acresCharles Mix County: 736,177 acresClark County: 525,585 acresClay County: 372,786 acresCodington County: 386,607 acresCorson County: 1,389,146 acresCuster County: 589,129 acresDavison County: 278,672 acresDay County: 530,990 acresDeuel County: 327,617 acresDewey County: 1,368,092 acresDouglas County: 236,841 acresEdmunds County: 585,229 acresFall River County: 982,282 acresFaulk County: 534,795 acresGrant County: 350,299 acresGregory County: 650,897 acresHaakon County: 1,221,612 acresHamlin County: 307,193 acresHand County: 868,379 acresHanson County: 248,732 acresHarding County: 1,674,112 acresHughes County: 367,653 acresHutchinson County: 505,603 acresHyde County: 468,836 acresJackson County: 1,190,603 acresJerauld County: 336,424 acresJones County: 516,489 acresKingsbury County: 518,642 acresLake County: 325,134 acresLawrence County: 140,703 acresLincoln County: 309,552 acresLyman County: 885,332 acresMcCook County: 345,010 acresMcPherson County: 536,730 acresMarshall County: 524,688 acresMeade County: 2,228,839 acresMellette County: 660,456 acresMiner County: 291,066 acresMinnehaha County: 421,946 acresMoody County: 282,751 acresOglala Lakota County: 1,266,655 acresPennington County: 1,209,981 acresPerkins County: 1,781,628 acresPotter County: 452,912 acresRoberts County: 592,893 acresSanborn County: 380,039 acresSpink County: 911,373 acresStanley County: 866,345 acresSully County: 573,429 acresTodd County: 916,619 acresTripp County: 1,053,698 acresTurner County: 347,559 acresUnion County: 276,588 acresWalworth County: 427,303 acresYankton County: 342,058 acresZiebach County: 1,172,918 acres
  • Under 330K
  • 330K to 380K
  • 380K to 520K
  • 520K to 680K
  • 680K to 1.2M
  • 1.2M and over
acres, 2002. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

Top 40 counties, 2002

Meade County: 2,228,839 acresMeade County2,228,839Perkins County: 1,781,628 acresPerkins County1,781,628Harding County: 1,674,112 acresHarding County1,674,112Corson County: 1,389,146 acresCorson County1,389,146Dewey County: 1,368,092 acresDewey County1,368,092Oglala Lakota County: 1,266,655 acresOglala Lakota County1,266,655Butte County: 1,262,390 acresButte County1,262,390Haakon County: 1,221,612 acresHaakon County1,221,612Pennington County: 1,209,981 acresPennington County1,209,981Jackson County: 1,190,603 acresJackson County1,190,603Ziebach County: 1,172,918 acresZiebach County1,172,918Brown County: 1,155,342 acresBrown County1,155,342Tripp County: 1,053,698 acresTripp County1,053,698Fall River County: 982,282 acresFall River County982,282Todd County: 916,619 acresTodd County916,619Spink County: 911,373 acresSpink County911,373Lyman County: 885,332 acresLyman County885,332Hand County: 868,379 acresHand County868,379Stanley County: 866,345 acresStanley County866,345Beadle County: 809,535 acresBeadle County809,535Charles Mix County: 736,177 acresCharles Mix County736,177Bennett County: 727,294 acresBennett County727,294Mellette County: 660,456 acresMellette County660,456Gregory County: 650,897 acresGregory County650,897Roberts County: 592,893 acresRoberts County592,893Custer County: 589,129 acresCuster County589,129Edmunds County: 585,229 acresEdmunds County585,229Sully County: 573,429 acresSully County573,429McPherson County: 536,730 acresMcPherson County536,730Faulk County: 534,795 acresFaulk County534,795Day County: 530,990 acresDay County530,990Clark County: 525,585 acresClark County525,585Marshall County: 524,688 acresMarshall County524,688Kingsbury County: 518,642 acresKingsbury County518,642Jones County: 516,489 acresJones County516,489Hutchinson County: 505,603 acresHutchinson County505,603Hyde County: 468,836 acresHyde County468,836Potter County: 452,912 acresPotter County452,912Brule County: 446,987 acresBrule County446,987Walworth County: 427,303 acresWalworth County427,303Meade County: 2,228,839 acresMeade County2,228,839Perkins County: 1,781,628 acresPerkins County1,781,628Harding County: 1,674,112 acresHarding County1,674,112Corson County: 1,389,146 acresCorson County1,389,146Dewey County: 1,368,092 acresDewey County1,368,092Oglala Lakota County: 1,266,655 acresOglala Lakota County1,266,655Butte County: 1,262,390 acresButte County1,262,390Haakon County: 1,221,612 acresHaakon County1,221,612Pennington County: 1,209,981 acresPennington County1,209,981Jackson County: 1,190,603 acresJackson County1,190,603Ziebach County: 1,172,918 acresZiebach County1,172,918Brown County: 1,155,342 acresBrown County1,155,342Tripp County: 1,053,698 acresTripp County1,053,698Fall River County: 982,282 acresFall River County982,282Todd County: 916,619 acresTodd County916,619Spink County: 911,373 acresSpink County911,373Lyman County: 885,332 acresLyman County885,332Hand County: 868,379 acresHand County868,379Stanley County: 866,345 acresStanley County866,345Beadle County: 809,535 acresBeadle County809,535Charles Mix County: 736,177 acresCharles Mix County736,177Bennett County: 727,294 acresBennett County727,294Mellette County: 660,456 acresMellette County660,456Gregory County: 650,897 acresGregory County650,897Roberts County: 592,893 acresRoberts County592,893Custer County: 589,129 acresCuster County589,129Edmunds County: 585,229 acresEdmunds County585,229Sully County: 573,429 acresSully County573,429McPherson County: 536,730 acresMcPherson County536,730Faulk County: 534,795 acresFaulk County534,795Day County: 530,990 acresDay County530,990Clark County: 525,585 acresClark County525,585Marshall County: 524,688 acresMarshall County524,688Kingsbury County: 518,642 acresKingsbury County518,642Jones County: 516,489 acresJones County516,489Hutchinson County: 505,603 acresHutchinson County505,603Hyde County: 468,836 acresHyde County468,836Potter County: 452,912 acresPotter County452,912Brule County: 446,987 acresBrule County446,987Walworth County: 427,303 acresWalworth County427,303
acres. Source: USDA NASS, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) via Data Commons. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Full ranking

RankCounties2002
acres
1Meade County2,228,839
2Perkins County1,781,628
3Harding County1,674,112
4Corson County1,389,146
5Dewey County1,368,092
6Oglala Lakota County1,266,655
7Butte County1,262,390
8Haakon County1,221,612
9Pennington County1,209,981
10Jackson County1,190,603
11Ziebach County1,172,918
12Brown County1,155,342
13Tripp County1,053,698
14Fall River County982,282
15Todd County916,619
16Spink County911,373
17Lyman County885,332
18Hand County868,379
19Stanley County866,345
20Beadle County809,535
21Charles Mix County736,177
22Bennett County727,294
23Mellette County660,456
24Gregory County650,897
25Roberts County592,893
26Custer County589,129
27Edmunds County585,229
28Sully County573,429
29McPherson County536,730
30Faulk County534,795
31Day County530,990
32Clark County525,585
33Marshall County524,688
34Kingsbury County518,642
35Jones County516,489
36Hutchinson County505,603
37Hyde County468,836
38Potter County452,912
39Brule County446,987
40Walworth County427,303
41Minnehaha County421,946
42Brookings County418,115
43Campbell County391,221
44Codington County386,607
45Sanborn County380,039
46Clay County372,786
47Hughes County367,653
48Aurora County350,943
49Grant County350,299
50Turner County347,559
51McCook County345,010
52Bon Homme County344,718
53Yankton County342,058
54Jerauld County336,424
55Deuel County327,617
56Lake County325,134
57Lincoln County309,552
58Hamlin County307,193
59Miner County291,066
60Buffalo County284,907
61Moody County282,751
62Davison County278,672
63Union County276,588
64Hanson County248,732
65Douglas County236,841
66Lawrence County140,703

Other periods

About this ranking

Land operated by farms in the census year, in acres, including cropland, pasture, woodland and land under farm buildings, as counted by the USDA Census of Agriculture every five years.

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

Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

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

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. (2026). Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022) (Counties in South Dakota by land in farms, 2002) [Data set]. Data Commons. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/

MLA 9

Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in South Dakota by land in farms, 2002. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, 11 Oct. 2026, https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Data Commons, https://datacommons.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/south-dakota-counties?period=2002. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2026. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Counties in South Dakota by land in farms, 2002. Dataset. Distributed by Data Commons. Accessed October 11, 2026. https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/south-dakota-counties?period=2002.

Harvard

U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service (2026) Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022), Counties in South Dakota by land in farms, 2002 [Dataset]. Via Data Commons. Available at: https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/south-dakota-counties?period=2002 (Accessed: 11 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{department_counties_in_south_dakota_2002,
  author = {{U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service}},
  title = {{Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in South Dakota by land in farms, 2002}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  publisher = {Data Commons},
  url = {https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/},
  urldate = {2026-10-11},
  note = {Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/south-dakota-counties?period=2002. Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service
TI  - Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022): Counties in South Dakota by land in farms, 2002
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/11
PB  - Data Commons
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/south-dakota-counties?period=2002
Y2  - 2026/10/11
N1  - Retrieved through Data Commons (https://datacommons.org).
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/land-in-farms/south-dakota-counties?period=2002.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture. Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved through Data Commons (datacommons.org). https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
ER  - 
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Questions

Which county has the highest land in farms?

Meade County, with 2,228,839 acres in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Which county has the lowest land in farms?

Lawrence County, with 140,703 acres in 2002.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Census of Agriculture: land in farms, acres, nation, states and counties (1997 to 2022). Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Land in farms: other rankings

Counties in South Dakota: more rankings