Todd County is a county in South Dakota, United States, coterminous with the main body of the Rosebud Indian Reservation in the south-central part of the state. It had a population of 9,319 at the 2020 census and covers 1,391 square miles (3,600 km2), of which 1,389 square miles (3,600 km2) is land and 2.3 square miles (6.0 km2) is water, centred near 43°11′N 100°44′W.
Todd County has never organized a county government and has no county seat of its own; it is administered from Winner, the seat of neighboring Tripp County. Mission, the county’s largest community, is home to the county’s main post office; its postal code is 57555. The county holds one incorporated city, one incorporated town, and nine unincorporated census-designated places, and lies entirely in the Central time zone — the westernmost South Dakota county to stay on Central rather than Mountain time. Its FIPS code is 46121.
Towns & Villages in Todd County
Eleven communities are recognized in Todd County: one incorporated city (Mission), one incorporated town (St. Francis), and nine census-designated places that have no municipal government of their own. All lie within the Rosebud Indian Reservation and most are Rosebud Sioux Tribe communities organized around a district office, school, or church rather than a traditional town center.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission | City · largest | — | 57555 |
| Saint Francis | Town | — | 57572 |
| Rosebud | CDP | — | 57570 |
| Parmelee | CDP | — | 57566 |
| Okreek | CDP | — | 57562 |
| Soldier Creek | CDP | — | — |
| Spring Creek | CDP | — | — |
| Antelope | CDP | — | — |
| Two Strike | CDP | — | — |
| White Horse | CDP | — | — |
| Sicangu Village | Unincorp. | — | — |
Hidden Timber, Lakeview, Littleburg, Olsonville, and the Antelope Development Area appear on older gazetteers as informal place names or historic settlements within the county’s CDPs, but none of them is separately recognized by the Census Bureau; they are omitted from the table above rather than published with guessed figures.
ZIP Codes
- 57555 — Mission (also serves Soldier Creek and Antelope)
- 57572 — Saint Francis
- 57570 — Rosebud
- 57566 — Parmelee (also serves Two Strike)
- 57562 — Okreek
Spring Creek, White Horse, and Sicangu Village share a post office with one of the five towns above rather than holding a ZIP code of their own.
Geography
Todd County sits on the Rosebud Plateau of south-central South Dakota, a gently rolling mixed-grass prairie cut by the White River drainage along the county’s north edge and by smaller creeks — Soldier Creek, Spring Creek, and Antelope Creek — that give three of its communities their names. The terrain is almost entirely open range and cropland, with shelterbelts and small woodlots along the drainages.
Todd County borders Jackson County to the northwest, Mellette County to the north, Tripp County to the east, Bennett County to the west, and Cherry County and Keya Paha County, Nebraska, to the south.
Demographics
Todd County had 9,319 residents at the 2020 census, a population density of about 6.7 people per square mile. Mission and Rosebud are its two largest communities. The county is 87.2% American Indian, with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe making up the large majority of that figure, and it is regularly ranked among the lowest-per-capita-income counties in the United States — median household income runs well below the South Dakota median of $71,810.
Economy & Local Life
The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is the county’s dominant employer and institution, headquartered in Rosebud and operating tribal government, health, and school services across the reservation. Sinte Gleska University, a tribal college with its main campus near Mission, is the county’s principal higher-education institution. Ranching and farming on tribal and allotted trust land are the main private-sector activities; the Rosebud Casino near Mission and seasonal powwows, including the annual Rosebud Fair, are focal points of community life.
History
Todd County was created by the South Dakota legislature in 1909 and named for John Blair Smith Todd, a Civil War brigadier general and Dakota Territory’s delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. It has never formally organized its own county government; from the start, its civil administration has been attached to neighboring Tripp County, whose seat, Winner, still handles the county’s courts and records today. The county’s boundaries match the Rosebud Indian Reservation, established by treaty in the 19th century as the homeland of the Rosebud Sioux (Sicangu Lakota) Tribe.
Getting There
U.S. Route 18 and U.S. Route 83 cross the county, meeting near Mission and providing the main links east to Winner and west toward the Black Hills.
- Winner — 25 miles east
- Valentine, Nebraska — 40 miles south
- Pine Ridge — 60 miles west
- Rapid City — 160 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Rapid City Regional Airport; a smaller municipal airstrip serves Winner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Todd County, South Dakota?
It is in the south-central part of the state, bordering Nebraska, and is coterminous with the main body of the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
What is the population of Todd County?
9,319 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Todd County?
1,391 square miles (3,600 km2), making it one of South Dakota’s larger counties by area.
Does Todd County have a county seat?
No. It has never organized its own government; Winner, in neighboring Tripp County, serves as its administrative center.
How many towns are in Todd County?
Eleven recognized communities: one city, one town, and nine census-designated places.
What ZIP codes are in Todd County?
57555 (Mission), 57572 (Saint Francis), 57570 (Rosebud), 57566 (Parmelee), and 57562 (Okreek).
Why does Todd County stay on Central time?
It is the westernmost South Dakota county that observes Central time rather than Mountain time, matching neighboring Tripp County to its east.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in South Dakota.