STATE · ADMITTED 1889
South Dakota
907,428 residents · 66 counties · 485 cities · 75,811 sq mi · 242 census tracts
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The short version
South Dakota is a state of 907,428 people. Density works out to 12 people per square mile. 4% of residents were born outside the United States. Getting to work takes 18 minutes on average. The population is up 20% since 2000. The typical home is worth $257,400, having roughly tripled since 2000.
Section 01
Population & growth
Land area
75,811 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024907K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.3%(57,081)
5 to 96.8%(61,418)
10 to 147%(63,306)
15 to 196.9%(62,482)
20 to 246.5%(59,395)
25 to 3412.6%(114,387)
35 to 4412.6%(114,320)
45 to 5410.7%(96,999)
55 to 6412.6%(114,729)
65 to 7411%(99,777)
75 to 844.9%(44,383)
85 and over2.1%(19,151)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$75,081
+17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,282 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
50.1%
+26.5 ptssince 2009
from 23.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information11.5%
Retail trade9.7%
Wholesale trade7.7%
Other services6.6%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing6.3%
Construction5.9%
Public administration5.6%
Finance & insurance4.3%
Professional, scientific, technical3.4%
Transportation & warehousing2.4%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
Education & health services0.9%
Manufacturing0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$257,400
+90%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $74,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.4
+33%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic88%(664,585)
Black0.6%(4,563)
Hispanic / Latino1.4%(10,903)
Asian0.6%(4,316)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic79.8%(723,729)
Black2.1%(19,404)
Hispanic / Latino4.8%(43,777)
Asian1.4%(12,663)
Other11.9%(107,855)
43
+38%since 2009
from 31 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican2.6%(23,737)
Central American1%(9,123)
Guatemalan0.5%(4,273)
Puerto Rican0.4%(3,664)
Salvadoran0.3%(3,145)
South American0.2%(1,521)
Cuban0.1%(1,293)
Spaniard0.1%(789)
Honduran0.1%(767)
Nicaraguan0.1%(720)
Colombian0.1%(703)
Peruvian0%(325)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Dominican0%(297)
Chilean0%(265)
Panamanian0%(192)
Venezuelan0%(80)
Argentine0%(70)
Paraguayan0%(36)
Costa Rican0%(26)
Uruguayan0%(17)
Bolivian0%(16)
Ecuadorian0%(9)
Asian origin
Filipino0.3%(2,405)
Burmese0.3%(2,297)
Asian Indian0.2%(1,915)
Chinese0.1%(1,357)
Vietnamese0.1%(923)
Nepalese0.1%(894)
Korean0.1%(760)
Japanese0.1%(554)
Pakistani0%(238)
Hmong0%(232)
Thai0%(201)
Kazakh0%(175)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Laotian0%(171)
Bangladeshi0%(84)
Bhutanese0%(83)
Indonesian0%(51)
Cambodian0%(15)
Malaysian0%(7)
Taiwanese0%(4)
Pacific Islander origin
Native Hawaiian0%(450)
Chamorro0%(250)
Samoan0%(181)
Marshallese0%(58)
Tongan0%(11)
Ancestry
German33.1%(300,492)
Norwegian10.4%(94,707)
Irish9.9%(90,144)
English7.7%(69,679)
American4.4%(40,178)
Dutch3.9%(35,584)
Swedish2.6%(23,958)
Czech1.8%(16,620)
French1.8%(16,116)
Polish1.5%(13,997)
Danish1.5%(13,979)
Italian1.2%(11,311)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Scottish1.1%(10,434)
Russian0.9%(8,546)
Subsaharan African0.9%(8,245)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(4,648)
Finnish0.4%(3,679)
Welsh0.4%(3,658)
French Canadian0.3%(2,970)
Ukrainian0.3%(2,882)
Ethiopian0.3%(2,876)
Swiss0.3%(2,602)
Arab0.2%(1,841)
British0.2%(1,802)
Belgian0.2%(1,747)
Austrian0.2%(1,712)
Greek0.1%(1,282)
Hungarian0.1%(1,102)
West Indian0.1%(1,029)
Slovak0.1%(813)
Canadian0.1%(781)
Portuguese0.1%(764)
Lebanese0.1%(756)
Croatian0%(434)
Somali0%(428)
Nigerian0%(410)
Haitian0%(377)
Lithuanian0%(375)
Syrian0%(347)
Romanian0%(315)
Brazilian0%(260)
Egyptian0%(225)
Armenian0%(206)
Jamaican0%(191)
Australian0%(166)
Serbian0%(138)
Latvian0%(137)
Turkish0%(135)
Iraqi0%(123)
Iranian0%(109)
Moroccan0%(94)
Bulgarian0%(68)
Guyanese0%(68)
Slovene0%(58)
Ghanaian0%(43)
Palestinian0%(37)
Kenyan0%(25)
Jordanian0%(21)
Macedonian0%(11)
Barbadian0%(4)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
93.2%
+8.6 ptssince 2000
from 84.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
80.2%
+0.8 ptssince 2020
from 79.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
94.2%
+4.0 ptssince 2020
from 90.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married35.7%(131,119)
Married51.9%(190,950)
Widowed2.7%(9,818)
Divorced9.8%(35,907)
Women 15+
Never married28.2%(101,065)
Married52%(186,134)
Widowed8.5%(30,480)
Divorced11.2%(40,150)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
17.9%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
3.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 3.6% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
72.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 72.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
31.2%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 30.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)27%(14,568)
Gulf War (1990s)24.1%(12,985)
Vietnam era34.5%(18,606)
Korean War4.2%(2,284)
World War II0.4%(230)
Share of the 53,890 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Largest cities
1.Sioux Falls213,748
2.Rapid City80,589
3.Aberdeen27,961
4.Brookings25,355
5.Watertown23,736
6.Yankton15,816
7.Mitchell15,756
8.Huron14,607
9.Spearfish14,154
10.Box Elder13,936
11.Pierre13,848
12.Vermillion11,720
13.Brandon11,306
14.Harrisburg10,405
15.Tea8,019
16.Rapid Valley6,975
17.Sturgis6,922
18.Madison6,065
19.Belle Fourche5,791
20.Dakota Dunes3,936
21.Dell Rapids3,852
22.Hot Springs3,670
23.Hartford3,635
24.Milbank3,512
25.Mobridge3,192
26.Lead3,064
27.North Sioux City3,036
28.Summerset3,030
29.Canton3,001
30.Winner2,969
31.Blackhawk2,934
32.Lennox2,657
33.Colonial Pine Hills2,609
34.Volga2,458
35.Chamberlain2,453
36.Sisseton2,413
37.Flandreau2,396
38.Pine Ridge2,246
39.Fort Pierre2,166
40.Redfield2,114
41.Beresford2,105
42.Elk Point2,080
43.Springfield1,926
44.North Spearfish1,858
45.Custer1,803
Section 03
Metropolitan & micropolitan areas
Metropolitan areas (2)
1.Sioux Falls314,638
2.Rapid City156,934
Micropolitan areas (9)
1.Aberdeen41,583
2.Brookings37,635
3.Watertown29,562
4.Spearfish29,459
5.Mitchell25,913
6.Yankton23,635
7.Pierre20,588
8.Huron19,624
9.Vermillion15,031
Metropolitan areas are built around an urban core of 50,000 or more people; micropolitan areas around a core of 10,000 to 50,000. A statistical area can cross state lines, so each is listed under its primary state.
Frequently asked
How many people live in South Dakota?
South Dakota has about 907,428 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in South Dakota?
The typical household in South Dakota earns about $75,081 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is South Dakota expensive?
In South Dakota, the median home is worth about $257,400, and the typical rent is about $946 a month.
How educated are people in South Dakota?
About 31.9% of adults age 25 and over in South Dakota hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in South Dakota?
About 11.9% of people in South Dakota live below the federal poverty line.
Has South Dakota grown since 1990?
Yes, South Dakota has grown since 1990. The population has added about 211,424 residents, a change of about 30 percent over that period.
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All 66 counties
Minnehaha CountyPennington CountyLincoln CountyBrookings CountyBrown CountyMeade CountyCodington CountyLawrence CountyYankton CountyDavison CountyBeadle CountyHughes CountyUnion CountyClay CountyOglala Lakota CountyLake CountyButte CountyRoberts CountyCuster CountyTurner CountyCharles Mix CountyTodd CountyGrant CountyFall River CountyHutchinson CountyBon Homme CountyHamlin CountyMoody CountySpink CountyMcCook CountyTripp CountyDay CountyDewey CountyKingsbury CountyBrule CountyWalworth CountyMarshall CountyDeuel CountyGregory CountyClark CountyEdmunds CountyCorson CountyLyman CountyHanson CountyBennett CountyHand CountyStanley CountyDouglas CountyPerkins CountyAurora CountyJackson CountyZiebach CountySanborn CountyPotter CountyMcPherson CountyMiner CountyFaulk CountyMellette CountyBuffalo CountyHaakon CountyJerauld CountySully CountyCampbell CountyHarding CountyHyde CountyJones CountyDATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024