Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota

History

The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred in Oglala Lakota County in 1890.

The county was originally named for Peter C. Shannon, Chief Justice of the Dakota Territory Supreme Court. Until 1982, Shannon County and Washabaugh County, South Dakota, were the last unorganized counties in the United States. Although it was organized and received a home rule charter that year, the county, as noted above, contracts with Fall River County for its Auditor, Treasurer, and Registrar of Deeds.

On November 4, 2014, voters in the county voted by a margin of 2,161 to 526 to rename Shannon County to Oglala Lakota County. The name change was ratified by the state legislature on March 5, 2015. May 1, 2015 was proclaimed by the governor as the official day for renaming the county.

Geography

Oglala Lakota County lies on the south side of South Dakota. Its south boundary line abuts the north boundary line of the state of Nebraska. The Cheyenne River flows northeastward along the northwest boundary of Oglala Lakota County. The White River flows northeastward through the central part of the county. The county terrain is composed of semi-arid rolling hills spotted with small mountain crests, oriented NE-SW. The terrain slopes to the northeast; its highest point is on the south boundary line, close to the SW corner, at 3,619 ft ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2096.352 sqmi, of which 2093.601 sqmi is land and 2.751 sqmi (0.1%) is water. It is the 8th largest county in South Dakota by total area.

The county includes the headwaters of the Little White River.

Major highways

• [[Image:US 18.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 18
• [[Image:SD 40.svg|20px]] South Dakota Highway 40
• [[Image:SD 391.svg|23px]] South Dakota Highway 391
• [[Image:SD 407.svg|23px]] South Dakota Highway 407

Adjacent counties

• Pennington County - north
• Jackson County - northeast
• Bennett County - east
• Sheridan County, Nebraska - south
• Dawes County, Nebraska - southwest
• Fall River County - west
• Custer County - northwest

National protected area

• Badlands National Park (part)

Lakes

• Alkali Lake
• Denby Lake
• Lee Lake
• Oglala Lake
• Two Lance Lake
• Wakpamani Lake
• White Clay Lake Source:

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

According to a 2025 Census Bureau survey, Oglala Lakota County had the highest percentage of unmarried adults of any county in the United States.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 13,672 people, 3,208 households, and 2,488 families residing in the county.

The population density was 6.5 PD/sqmi. There were 3,454 housing units, of which 7.1% were vacant; among occupied units, 57.7% were owner-occupied and 42.3% were renter-occupied, the homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6%, and the rental vacancy rate was 2.8%.

Of the residents, 37.1% were under the age of 18 and 7.5% were 65 years of age or older, the median age was 25.7 years, for every 100 females there were 103.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.3 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 3.3% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 93.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from some other race, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.9% of the population.

Of the 3,208 households, 56.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 38.7% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 12,466 people, 2,785 households, and 2,353 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 /mi2. There were 3,123 housing units at an average density of 2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 4.51% White, 0.08% Black or African American, 94.20% American Indian, 0.02% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population.

There were 2,785 households, out of which 51.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.40% were married couples living together, 36.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.50% were non-families. 13.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.36 and the average family size was 4.72.

The county population contained 45.30% under the age of 18, 10.60% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 13.80% from 45 to 64, and 4.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 99.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $20,916, and the median income for a family was $20,897. Males had a median income of $25,170 versus $22,594 for females. The per capita income for the county was $6,286. About 45.10% of families and 52.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 60.80% of those under age 18 and 36.00% of those age 65 or over.

Health and life expectancy

Of 3,142 counties in the United States in 2014, Oglala Lakota County ranked last in the life expectancy of both male and female residents. Males in Oglala Lakota County lived an average of 62.8 years and females lived an average of 71.0 years compared to the national average for life expectancy of 76.7 for males and 81.5 for females. The average life expectancy in Oglala Lakota County increased by 6.2 for males and 4.1 years for females between 1980 and 2014, compared to an increase in the national average for the same period of an increased life span of 6.7 years for men and 3.9 years for women.

In 2021, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation ranked Oglala Lakota County last of 61 counties in South Dakota in "health outcomes," as measured by length and quality of life.

Politics

The counties surrounding Oglala Lakota County are predominantly Republican, but, like most Native American counties, residents of Oglala Lakota are mostly Democrats, giving over 75 percent of the vote to every Democratic presidential nominee in every election back to 1984, making it one of the most Democratic counties in the United States. No Republican has carried the county in a presidential election since 1952. In 2012, Oglala Lakota County (then known as Shannon) was the county with the highest percentage of vote for Barack Obama in the United States. In 2024, the county was the fifth-strongest county for Kamala Harris, and her strongest county outside of the Washington metropolitan area. It was also Harris’s strongest county that was not majority or plurality-Black.

However, the local politics are a bit more divided: Oglala Lakota County lies within the 27th District of the South Dakota Legislature, represented by three Lakotas, two Democrats and one Republican. Democrat Red Dawn Foster represents the county in the Senate, while Democrat Peri Pourier and Republican Liz Marty May represents the county in the House.

Communities

Town

• Batesland

Census-designated places

• Kyle
• Manderson-White Horse Creek
• Oglala
• Pine Ridge
• Porcupine
• Wounded Knee

Unincorporated communities

Source:

• Denby
• Red Shirt
• Rockyford
• Sharps Corner

Townships

There are no townships. The county is divided into two areas of unorganized territory: East Oglala Lakota and West Oglala Lakota (formerly East Shannon and West Shannon, respectively).

Education

The school district for the whole county is Oglala Lakota County School District 65-1. It operates Lakota Tech High School.

References

References

1. "Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota: About". Oglala Lakota County.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
3. "Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota". Oglala Lakota County.
4. (2006). "Dakota Territory, South Dakota, and North Dakota: Individual County Chronologies". The [[Newberry Library]].
5. (2005). "South Dakota Legislative Manual". South Dakota Secretary of State.
6. The other four SD counties entirely on reservations are [[Corson County, South Dakota. Corson]], [[Dewey County, South Dakota. Dewey]], [[Todd County, South Dakota. Todd]], and [[Ziebach County, South Dakota. Ziebach]].
7. "The Lakota Country Times".
8. "Martin Lakota Country Times".
9. "Oglala Lakota (Shannon) County, South Dakota: History".
10. Montgomery, David. (November 5, 2014). "Shannon County no more: Voters approve name change".
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16. (2007). "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
17. Forstall, Richard L.. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
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19. Alex Fitzpark. "Where unmarried Americans live". [[Axios (website).
20. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau.
21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau.
22. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau.
23. "Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota". University of Washington.
24. "U.S. Health Map". University of Washington.
25. "2021 South Dakota Report".
26. "David Leip's Presidential Election Atlas – 2012 statistics". Uselectionatlas.org.
27. "2024 Presidential Election Statistics".
28. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections".
29. Geography Division. (January 14, 2021). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Oglala Lakota County, SD". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].