Lawrence County, South Dakota

Lawrence County is a county in South Dakota, United States, in the northern Black Hills about 45 miles northwest of Rapid City. It had a population of 25,768 at the 2020 census, an estimated 29,459 by 2025, and covers 800.05 square miles (2,072.13 km2) centred near 44°22′N 103°47′W.

Deadwood is the county seat; its postal code is 57732. The county holds 5 incorporated cities, 4 census-designated places and roughly 30 unincorporated communities and ghost towns left over from the Black Hills Gold Rush, and it runs on Mountain Time — most of South Dakota keeps Central Time, but the Black Hills counties along the Wyoming line use Mountain instead. Its FIPS code is 46081.

Towns & Villages in Lawrence County

Lawrence County has 39 named places on record: 5 incorporated cities, 4 census-designated places (CDPs) recognized by the Census Bureau, and about 30 unincorporated mining camps and townsites with no local government of their own. Most of the unincorporated places date to the 1876–1880 gold rush and never grew large enough — or have since shrunk too far — to carry a separate population count; the Census reports them only as named localities.

Two names on this list invite mix-ups. North Spearfish is a separate unincorporated place on the city’s northern edge, outside Spearfish’s own limits and population count. Crook City, a CDP between Deadwood and Sturgis, takes its name from General George Crook’s 1876 army camp on the site — it has no connection to Crook County, Wyoming, on the county’s western border.

ZIP Codes

• 57732 — Deadwood (also serves Central City, Terry and most of the county’s Northern Hills ghost towns)
• 57754 — Lead
• 57783 — Spearfish
• 57799 — Spearfish (a separate PO box ZIP)
• 57793 — Whitewood (also serves North Spearfish)
• 57779 — Saint Onge
• 57785 — Sturgis, in neighboring Meade County (serves Boulder Canyon)

Crook City and Mountain Plains have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under Deadwood’s or Whitewood’s code. Most of the county’s 1880s-era mining camps — Terraville, Pluma, Trojan, Tinton and the rest — lost their post offices decades ago and are addressed through the nearest surviving town.

Geography

Lawrence County sits in the northern Black Hills, a forested range of granite peaks rising abruptly out of the surrounding plains. Most of the county lies inside the Black Hills National Forest, and Spearfish Canyon — a limestone gorge cut by Spearfish Creek between Spearfish and Lead — is the county’s best-known landmark. Crow Peak, at 5,760 feet, rises northwest of Spearfish; Terry Peak, near Lead, tops 7,076 feet and carries the county’s ski area. Of the county’s 800.05 square miles, 799.79 are land and 0.26 are water, a small share reflecting the mountainous terrain’s lack of large lakes — Spearfish Creek, Whitewood Creek and Boulder Canyon’s Bear Butte Creek carry most of the surface water instead.

Butte County lies to the north, Meade County to the east, and Pennington County to the south. Crook County, Wyoming, borders the county to the west, and Weston County, Wyoming, touches its southwest corner. Butte County, Meade County, Pennington County and Crook County, Wyoming, all border Lawrence County directly.

Demographics

Lawrence County had a population of 25,768 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the county near 29,459 residents. Spearfish and Lead are by far the two largest communities, together holding well over half the county’s population. Median household income runs $66,766 (2023 ACS), lower than South Dakota’s statewide figure of $71,810 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 32 people per square mile of land, sparse even by South Dakota standards outside the Spearfish-Deadwood corridor.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism and gaming drive much of Deadwood’s economy; limited-stakes casino gambling has run there since November 1989 and now anchors dozens of hotels, restaurants and historic saloons along the old gold-camp streets. Lead’s economy shifted after the Homestake Mine closed in 2002 — the mine’s mile-deep workings now house the Sanford Underground Research Facility, a Department of Energy laboratory that runs neutrino and dark-matter experiments and employs scientists and technicians from across the country. Black Hills State University, in Spearfish, is the county’s largest single employer outside the casino industry and anchors the city’s retail and housing market. Terry Peak Ski Area, near Lead, and Spearfish Canyon’s trout streams and hiking trails support a smaller tourism trade in Spearfish and Lead year-round. The county’s biggest annual event is Deadwood’s Days of ’76, a professional rodeo, parade and Old West celebration held every late July into early August.

History

The Dakota Territorial Legislature created Lawrence County on January 11, 1875, and it organized in 1877; it was named for Colonel John Lawrence, the county’s first treasurer. The county formed in the middle of the Black Hills Gold Rush, which began after Lieutenant Colonel George Custer’s 1874 expedition confirmed gold in the hills. Deadwood grew almost overnight in 1876 as prospectors poured in illegally, ahead of any treaty settlement with the Lakota, and reached roughly 5,000 residents within a year. Gunman Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed at a Deadwood card table on August 2, 1876. The Homestake Mine, opened at Lead the same year, went on to become the largest and deepest gold mine in the Western Hemisphere before it closed in January 2002 after more than a century of continuous production.

Getting There

Interstate 90 crosses the county’s north end through Spearfish and Whitewood. US 14A climbs Spearfish Canyon to connect Spearfish with Lead and Deadwood; US 85 runs north-south through Deadwood and Lead; US 14 and US 385 provide the remaining county routes.

• Rapid City — about 45 miles southeast
• Sturgis — about 15 miles east
• Belle Fourche — about 12 miles north
• Sundance, Wyoming — about 30 miles west

Rapid City Regional Airport, about 50 miles southeast of Deadwood, is the nearest major commercial airport. Black Hills Airport–Clyde Ice Field, on Spearfish’s west side, handles general aviation. South Dakota has no Amtrak service; the nearest station is roughly 350 miles south in Denver, Colorado.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Lawrence County located?
It sits in the northern Black Hills of western South Dakota, about 45 miles northwest of Rapid City, bordered by Butte, Meade and Pennington counties and by Crook and Weston counties in Wyoming.

What is the population of Lawrence County?
25,768 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 29,459.

How big is Lawrence County?
800.05 square miles (2,072.13 km2), of which 799.79 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Lawrence County?
Deadwood, the historic gold-rush town where Wild Bill Hickok was killed in 1876, is the county seat.

How many towns and cities are in Lawrence County?
Five incorporated cities — Deadwood, Spearfish, Lead, Whitewood and Central City — four census-designated places, and about 30 unincorporated communities and ghost towns from the gold-rush era.

What ZIP codes does Lawrence County use?
57732 for Deadwood, 57754 for Lead, 57783 and 57799 for Spearfish, 57793 for Whitewood, and 57779 for Saint Onge.

What is Lawrence County known for?
The 1876 Black Hills Gold Rush, Deadwood’s legal casino gaming, the Homestake Mine, and the Sanford Underground Research Facility built in its former workings.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Dakota.