Lyman County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,718. Its county seat is Kennebec.

Lyman County was created by the Dakota Territorial Legislature on January 8, 1873, but was not organized until May 21, 1893. Its boundaries were altered in 1891, 1897, 1898, and 1916. The county was named for W. P. Lyman, a politician.

History

Lyman County was created in 1873 and organized in 1893.

Geography

Lyman County is bordered on the north and east by the Missouri River, which flows southerly along its edge, and the western portion of its south line is also delineated by the White River, which then continued flowing eastward through the county's eastern area to discharge into the Missouri. Its upper central portion is drained by the Bad Horse Creek, which discharges into the Missouri near the midpoint of the county's north boundary.

The county terrain consists of rolling hills, sloping to the river drainages. Its area is largely devoted to agriculture. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.8%) is water.

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 90
  • 20px U.S. Highway 83
  • 23px U.S. Highway 183
  • 20px South Dakota Highway 47
  • 20px South Dakota Highway 49
  • 20px South Dakota Highway 53
  • 23px South Dakota Highway 273
  • 23px South Dakota Highway 1806

Transit

  • Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

thumb|Confluence of the White and Missouri rivers at the Lyman–Brule county border, taken on July 4, 2022, from the International Space Station

  • Hughes County – north
  • Hyde County – northeast
  • Buffalo County – northeast
  • Brule County – east
  • Charles Mix County – southeast
  • Gregory County – south
  • Tripp County – south
  • Mellette County – southwest
  • Jones County – west
  • Stanley County – northwest

Protected areas

Source:

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|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<br>1790–1960 1900–1990<br>1990–2000 2010–2020 The population density was and there were 1,546 housing units.

Of the residents, 29.5% were under the age of 18 and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 35.7 years. For every 100 females there were 106.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 104.5 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 51.6% White, 0.1% Black or African American, 44.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% Asian, 0.2% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.2% of the population.

There were 1,303 households in the county, of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

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See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lyman County, South Dakota
  • USS Lyman County (LST-903)

References

  • Lyman County Herald
  • Lyman County website