How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 935,100 people living in South Dakota. That makes South Dakota the 46th-most populous state, home to 0.27% of people living in the US.

935K

population of South Dakota (2025)

0.27%

South Dakota share of the US population (2025)
The population of South Dakota was about 2.3 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of South Dakota grew by about 8,000 people.

About 935,100 people lived in South Dakota in 2025. That's about 2.3 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are South Dakota's age demographics?

About 173,800 South Dakota residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18.9% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 220,700 South Dakota residents, or 24% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A higher share of South Dakota's population is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are South Dakota's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native residents make up 7.6% of South Dakota’s population, higher than the national share of 0.72%. South Dakota also has a larger share of people identifying as non-Hispanic white (80%) than the US overall (57.5%).
In contrast, South Dakota’s non-Hispanic Black or African American population accounted for 2.5%, below the 12.6% share nationwide. The Hispanic population makes up 5.4% of the state, compared with 20% nationally.

A higher share of South Dakota's population is non-Hispanic white than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are South Dakota's most populous counties?

In 2024, five out of 66 counties accounted for over half of South Dakota’s population:
  • Minnehaha County, 208,600 (22.5% of the population)
  • Pennington County, 116,000 (12.5%)
  • Lincoln County, 75,200 (8.1%)
  • Brown County, 37,500 (4%)
  • Brookings County, 36,400 (3.9%)

In 2024, Minnehaha County was the most populous county in South Dakota.

Population estimates

What are South Dakota's most populous cities?

The largest city in South Dakota is Sioux Falls with about 209,300 residents in 2024.

Cities and counties in South Dakota ranked by population

Cities and counties in South Dakota ranked by population
1.

Sioux Falls

209,289
2.

Rapid City

79,894
3.

Aberdeen 

27,919
4.

Brookings 

24,555
5.

Watertown 

23,492
6.

Yankton 

15,670
7.

Mitchell 

15,621
8.

Huron 

14,515
9.

Box Elder

13,887
10.

Spearfish 

13,803

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.