Minnehaha County
Also known as Minnehaha County, South Dakota, Minnehaha County, SD
county in South Dakota, United States of America
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- South Dakota
- Founded
- April 5, 1862 (created), 1868 (organized)
- Named after
- rapid water
- Seat
- Sioux Falls
- Largest city
- Sioux Falls
- Total
- 813.861 sq mi (2,107.89 km )
- Land
- 806.847 sq mi (2,089.72 km )
- Water
- 7.014 sq mi (18.17 km ) 0.9%
- Estimate 2025
- 212,691
- Density
- 258.586/sq mi (99.841/km )
- Time zone
- UTC−6 ( Central )
- Summer dst
~9 min read
Article
Minnehaha County is a county on the eastern border of the state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 197,214, making it the state's most populous county, and was estimated to be 212,691 in 2025. It contains over 22.56% of the state's population. Its county seat is Sioux Falls, South Dakota's most populous city. The county was created on April 5, 1862 and organized in 1868. Its name was derived from the Sioux word Mnihaha, meaning "rapid water," or "waterfall" (often incorrectly translated as "laughing water").
Minnehaha County is part of the Sioux Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, the state's largest.