Census Data for Oacoma

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Oacoma a population of 471 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Oacoma a population of 451 people.

The town of Oacoma is located in Lyman County. The 2010 Census gave Lyman County; a population of 3,755 people. This means that Oacoma had 12.01% of the county's total population, making it Lyman's 3rd most populous community.

At the same time, South Dakota had a population of 814,180 people, meaning that Oacoma had 0.06% of the total population of South Dakota - making it the state's 168th most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Oacoma has a total area of 4.18 square miles [10.8 km²]. Of this total, 2.59 square miles [6.7 km²] is land, with the balance (37.97%) being water (1.59 square miles [4.1 km²]).

Lyman County has a land area of 1,641 square miles [4,252.6 km²]. At 2.59 square miles [6.7 km²], Oacoma has 0.16% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a town like Oacoma, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the town.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Oacoma reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Oacoma might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   43° 48' 16"   (or 43.8°)
  • Lon:   -99° 21' 57"   (or -99.37°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Oacoma had 236 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 451 people, this averages 1.91 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Oacoma had a land area of 2.59 square miles [6.7 km²]. This translates to 56.4 Housing Units per square mile [21.79 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Oacoma had 188 Housing Units, a population of 390 people and a land area of 2.02 square miles [5.2 km²]. This gives a density of 2.07 people per Housing Unit and 42.29 Housing Units per square mile [16.33 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 Census and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Oacoma and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Lyman County ...

The community of Oacoma is located in Lyman County<4>.

The county had a population of 3,755 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 451 people, Oacoma represented 12.01% of the county's total.

In addition, where the town of Oacoma has a population density of 107.8 people per square mile [41.64 people/km²], Lyman County averages 2.29 people per square mile [0.88 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Lyman County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Oacoma, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Oacoma. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Oacoma or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Oacoma, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Oacoma.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   43.804516°   (or 43°48'16" N)
  • Lon:   -99.366082°   (or -99°21'57" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   43.804117°   (or 43°48'14" N)
  • Lon:   -99.380157°   (or -99°22'48" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 3,706 feet to the east<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#1267519) to Oacoma. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Oacoma. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   43.799161°   (or 43°47'56" N)
  • Lon:   -99.384823°   (or -99°23'5" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 5,303 feet to the east<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Oacoma. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Oacoma.

Miscellaneous Information for Oacoma ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Lyman County or the town of Oacoma:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Oacoma:
  • GNIS ID for Oacoma: 1267519
  • GNIS ID for Lyman County: 1265789
  • GNIS ID for State of South Dakota: 1785534

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 46 (South Dakota)
  • County Code: 085 (Lyman County)
  • Place Code: 46180 (Oacoma)
  • State & County Code: 46/085 (South Dakota / Lyman County)
  • State & Place Code: 46/46180 (South Dakota / Oacoma)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Oacoma is located in Census Region #2 (the Midwest Region) and Division #4 (the West North-Central Division).

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Oacoma.

Off-the-Road Links ...

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Oacoma. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)