Meade County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,852, making it the 6th most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Sturgis. The county was created in 1889 and named for Fort Meade, which was garrisoned as a United States military post in the area in 1878 and itself named for General George Meade.

Meade County is part of the Rapid City metropolitan area.

Geography

The upper part of Meade County is drained by Cherry Creek. The Cheyenne River flows northeastward along the southeast boundary of the county. The county terrain has mountain ridges in the west and southwest areas, with the remainder consisting of semi-arid rolling hills, partly dedicated to agriculture. The county terrain slopes to the east and northeast; its highest point Flagstaff Mountain is near the southwest corner, at ASL.

The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water. It is South Dakota's largest county by area.

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 90
  • 20px U.S. Highway 14
  • U.S. Highway 14A
  • 23px U.S. Highway 212
  • 20px South Dakota Highway 34
  • 20px South Dakota Highway 73
  • 20px South Dakota Highway 79

Adjacent counties

  • Perkins County – north
  • Ziebach County – east
  • Haakon County – southeast
  • Pennington County – south
  • Lawrence County – southwest
  • Butte 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 . There were 12,357 housing units, of which 8.0% were vacant; 71.8% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied and 28.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.

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Education

School districts include:

  • Douglas School District 51-1
  • Faith School District 46-2
  • New Underwood School District 51-3
  • Newell School District 09-2
  • Rapid City School District 51-4
  • Meade School District 46-1
  • Wall School District 51-5

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Meade County, South Dakota

References

  • Meade County government website
  • Meade County Times-Tribune - local newspaper