How many people live in Butte County, SD?
Updated Apr. 6, 2026Refreshed annually
In 2024, there were about 10,900 people living in Butte County, SD. That makes Butte County the 17th-most populous county in South Dakota. It is home to 1.2% of people living in the state.
10.9K
population of Butte County, SD (2024)
1.2%
County share of the South Dakota population (2024)
About 10,900 people lived in Butte County, SD in 2024.
Population estimates, 2000–2024
What are Butte County, SD’s age demographics?
About 2,400 Butte County residents are aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 21.7% of its population. For comparison, the age group represents 18.9% of South Dakota’s population and 18% in the US overall.
Another 2,600 Butte County residents, or 24.3% of the population, were children under 18. For comparison, the age group represents 24% of South Dakota’s population and 21.6% in the US overall.
A higher share of Butte County, SD's population is aged 65 or older than the US as a whole.
Population estimates by age group, (2024)
What are Butte County, SD’s racial and ethnic demographics?
Non-Hispanic white residents make up 89.6% of the Butte County, SD population, higher than the national share of 57.5%. Butte County, SD also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic two or more races (2.8%) than the US overall (2.5%).
In contrast, Butte County’s Hispanic population accounts for 4.3%, below the 20% nationwide, and the non-Hispanic Black or African American population makes up 0.67% of the county, compared with 12.6% nationally.
Racial and ethnic make up differ based on location. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate out Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census reporting standards.
Butte County, SD has a higher share of a non-Hispanic white population than South Dakota as a whole.
Population estimates by race and ethnicity, (2024)
The largest city or town in Butte County, SD is Belle Fourche with about 5,900 residents in 2024.
Cities and towns in Butte County, SD ranked by population
Population (2024), includes only portions within county
| City or town | Population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Belle Fourche | 5,855 |
| 2. | West Butte UT | 3,180 |
| 3. | East Butte UT | 837 |
| 4. | Newell | 585 |
| 5. | Nisland | 211 |
| 6. | Vale | 122 |
| 7. | Fruitdale | 80 |
| 8. | Union | 21 |
Keep exploring
Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
