Oglala Lakota County is a county in South Dakota, United States, about 75 miles south of
Rapid City. It had a population of 13,672 at the 2020 census, an estimated 13,491 by 2024, and
covers 2,096.35 square miles (5,429.5 km2) centred near 43°22′N 102°34′W.
Oglala Lakota County has no functioning seat of government — Fall River County provides
its auditor, treasurer and register of deeds by contract, and Hot Springs, in Fall River County,
serves as the county’s administrative center. Pine Ridge, tribal headquarters of the Oglala
Sioux Tribe and the county’s largest community; its postal code is 57770. The county holds 1
incorporated town, 6 census-designated places and several unincorporated communities, and it runs
on Mountain Time. Its FIPS code is 46102.
Towns & Villages in Oglala Lakota County
Oglala Lakota County has 11 named places on record: 1 incorporated town, 6 census-designated
places and 4 unincorporated communities with no local government of their own. CDP stands for
census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal
boundary. South Dakota assigns the county no civil townships — it is split instead into two
unorganized administrative areas, East Oglala Lakota and West Oglala Lakota, carried over from the
old East Shannon and West Shannon designations.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Ridge | CDP | 3,138 | 57770 |
| Oglala | CDP | 1,282 | 57764 |
| Kyle | CDP | 943 | 57752 |
| Porcupine | CDP | 925 | 57772 |
| Manderson-White Horse Creek | CDP | 554 | — |
| Wounded Knee | CDP | 364 | 57794 |
| Batesland | Town | 100 | 57716 |
| Denby | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Red Shirt | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rockyford | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Sharps Corner | Unincorp. | — | — |
The seven places with a 2020 census count add up to 7,306 residents, out of the county’s
13,672 total — the remaining 6,366 people live scattered across open reservation land outside
any named CDP or town, a pattern common on Pine Ridge, where housing clusters (locally called
“districts”) often carry no formal Census boundary of their own.
ZIP Codes
- 57770 — Pine Ridge (the county’s most populous ZIP)
- 57764 — Oglala
- 57752 — Kyle
- 57772 — Porcupine
- 57794 — Wounded Knee
- 57716 — Batesland
Manderson-White Horse Creek, Denby, Red Shirt, Rockyford and Sharps Corner have no confirmed ZIP
code of their own; mail addressed to those communities routes through the nearest post office
town above.
Geography
Oglala Lakota County sits on the high plains of southwestern South Dakota, entirely within the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Of its 2,096.35 square miles, 2,093.60 are land and 2.75 are water,
well under one percent — the county has no large natural lake, and its main watercourse is
the Little White River, which rises in the county’s eastern half. The county’s northwestern
corner reaches into Badlands National Park, where wind and water have carved the pale sedimentary
buttes the park is known for.
Pennington County lies to the north, Jackson County to the northeast, Bennett County to the
east, Sheridan County, Nebraska to the south, Dawes County, Nebraska to the southwest, Fall River
County to the west, and Custer County to the northwest.
Oglala Lakota directly; Dawes County, Nebraska has no page on this site.
Demographics
Oglala Lakota County had a population of 13,672 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate
puts the county near 13,491 residents by 2024. Pine Ridge and Oglala are the two largest named
communities, together home to roughly a third of the county’s population. Median household
income runs $41,417, well below South Dakota’s statewide figure of $71,810 (2023 ACS).
Population density works out to roughly 6.5 people per square mile of land, among the lowest in
South Dakota outside its Black Hills backcountry. The county’s 2020 population was 93.8
percent American Indian — the highest Native share of any county in the United States —
and its median age was 25.7 years, younger than the state as a whole.
Economy & Local Life
Educational services employ the most workers in the county, about 820 people, followed by
health care and social assistance at 536 and public administration at 365. Between them, the
Oglala Sioux Tribe’s government, the Indian Health Service and the county school district
anchor most local jobs. Oglala Lakota College, headquartered in Kyle with satellite centers spread
across the reservation, is the largest employer tied to education. Oglala Lakota County School
District 65-1 covers the whole county and runs Lakota Tech High School. Pine Ridge houses the
Oglala Sioux Tribe’s council chambers and serves as the tribal government’s seat. The
reservation has restricted alcohol sales for generations; a 2013 referendum allowed limited legal
sales to fund treatment and education programs, reversing a longstanding ban.
History
Dakota Territory lawmakers organized the county in 1875, though it never received a functioning
county government. It carried the name Shannon County, after Peter C. Shannon, chief justice of
the Dakota Territory Supreme Court, until a 2014 voter referendum renamed it Oglala Lakota County
effective May 2015, honoring the Oglala Lakota people who make up the great majority of its
residents.
On December 29, 1890, the U.S. 7th Cavalry killed more than 300 Lakota men, women and children
near Wounded Knee Creek, in what is now the county’s southeastern corner — the Wounded
Knee Massacre, the last major armed engagement of the Indian Wars. In 1973, members of the
American Indian Movement occupied the community of Wounded Knee for 71 days, from February 27 to
May 8, in a standoff with federal law enforcement over tribal government and treaty rights.
Getting There
US Route 18 is the only federal highway in the county, crossing it east–west through Pine
Ridge, where it meets South Dakota Highway 407. No interstate crosses Oglala Lakota County. State
and tribal (BIA) routes connect the county’s other communities to US 18.
- Rapid City — about 75 miles north
- Hot Springs — about 53 miles northwest
- Chadron, Nebraska — about 27 miles south
Rapid City Regional Airport, roughly 75 miles north of Pine Ridge, is the nearest major
commercial airport; Chadron Municipal Airport, about 27 miles south in Nebraska, is closer but has
no scheduled passenger service. No Amtrak route crosses South Dakota; the county has no passenger
rail service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Oglala Lakota County located?
It sits on the high plains of southwestern South Dakota, entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation, about 75 miles south of Rapid City.
What is the population of Oglala Lakota County?
13,672 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 13,491.
How big is Oglala Lakota County?
2,096.35 square miles (5,429.5 km2), of which 2,093.60 square miles are land.
Does Oglala Lakota County have a county seat?
No. The county has no functioning government of its own; Fall River County handles its auditor,
treasurer and register of deeds by contract, and Hot Springs, in Fall River County, serves as its
administrative center. Pine Ridge, the tribal headquarters, is the county’s largest community.
How many towns and communities are in Oglala Lakota County?
One incorporated town, Batesland, plus six census-designated places — Pine Ridge, Oglala,
Kyle, Porcupine, Manderson-White Horse Creek and Wounded Knee — and four unincorporated
communities: Denby, Red Shirt, Rockyford and Sharps Corner.
What ZIP codes does Oglala Lakota County use?
57770 for Pine Ridge, 57764 for Oglala, 57752 for Kyle, 57772 for Porcupine, 57794 for Wounded Knee
and 57716 for Batesland.
What is Oglala Lakota County known for?
The 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre, the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation, and being the poorest county in
the United States by median household income.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Dakota.