South Dakota Demographics
South Dakota is the 47th most populous of 52 states in the United States, with 886,667 residents across 75,808 square miles. That is about 12 people per square mile. 57% of residents live in urban areas.
At the 2020 census
| Population | 886,667 |
|---|---|
| Land area | 75,808 sq mi |
| Density | 12 / sq mi |
| Urban share | 57% |
Data: 2020 Census · American Community Survey 2024
How South Dakota compares to the US
We're computing this state's comparison table — check back shortly. Population, land area, and density above are already exact.
Central Location: South Dakota
Measured from the state's main population center using 2020 census blocks.
We're computing the drive-time and radius areas around South Dakota — check back shortly. Meanwhile you can drop a pin anywhere in the radius tool.
Counties in South Dakota
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha County | 197,214 | 806.8 | 244 |
| Pennington County | 109,222 | 2,776.8 | 39 |
| Lincoln County | 65,161 | 577.3 | 113 |
| Brown County | 38,301 | 1,713.0 | 22 |
| Brookings County | 34,375 | 792.2 | 43 |
| Meade County | 29,852 | 3,470.9 | 9 |
| Codington County | 28,325 | 687.6 | 41 |
| Lawrence County | 25,768 | 800.1 | 32 |
| Yankton County | 23,310 | 521.2 | 45 |
| Davison County | 19,956 | 435.6 | 46 |
| Beadle County | 19,149 | 1,258.7 | 15 |
| Hughes County | 17,765 | 741.5 | 24 |
| Union County | 16,811 | 460.8 | 36 |
| Clay County | 14,967 | 412.0 | 36 |
| Oglala Lakota County | 13,672 | 2,093.6 | 7 |
| Lake County | 11,059 | 562.9 | 20 |
| Roberts County | 10,280 | 1,101.1 | 9 |
| Butte County | 10,243 | 2,250.0 | 5 |
| Charles Mix County | 9,373 | 1,097.1 | 9 |
| Todd County | 9,319 | 1,388.6 | 7 |
| Turner County | 8,673 | 617.1 | 14 |
| Custer County | 8,318 | 1,556.9 | 5 |
| Grant County | 7,556 | 681.4 | 11 |
| Hutchinson County | 7,427 | 813.0 | 9 |
| Bon Homme County | 7,003 | 563.5 | 12 |
| Fall River County | 6,973 | 1,739.9 | 4 |
| Spink County | 6,361 | 1,503.5 | 4 |
| Moody County | 6,336 | 519.4 | 12 |
| Hamlin County | 6,164 | 507.0 | 12 |
| McCook County | 5,682 | 574.2 | 10 |
| Tripp County | 5,624 | 1,612.3 | 3 |
| Day County | 5,449 | 1,028.5 | 5 |
| Walworth County | 5,315 | 707.5 | 8 |
| Brule County | 5,247 | 817.2 | 6 |
| Dewey County | 5,239 | 2,302.4 | 2 |
| Kingsbury County | 5,187 | 832.2 | 6 |
| Marshall County | 4,306 | 838.1 | 5 |
| Deuel County | 4,295 | 622.7 | 7 |
| Gregory County | 3,994 | 1,014.9 | 4 |
| Edmunds County | 3,986 | 1,126.0 | 4 |
| Corson County | 3,902 | 2,469.7 | 2 |
| Clark County | 3,837 | 957.5 | 4 |
| Lyman County | 3,718 | 1,642.3 | 2 |
| Hanson County | 3,461 | 434.6 | 8 |
| Bennett County | 3,381 | 1,184.6 | 3 |
| Hand County | 3,145 | 1,436.6 | 2 |
| Stanley County | 2,980 | 1,444.4 | 2 |
| Perkins County | 2,835 | 2,870.5 | 1 |
| Douglas County | 2,835 | 431.8 | 7 |
| Jackson County | 2,806 | 1,863.9 | 2 |
| Aurora County | 2,747 | 708.5 | 4 |
| Potter County | 2,472 | 861.1 | 3 |
| Ziebach County | 2,413 | 1,961.2 | 1 |
| McPherson County | 2,411 | 1,136.7 | 2 |
| Sanborn County | 2,330 | 569.2 | 4 |
| Miner County | 2,298 | 570.2 | 4 |
| Faulk County | 2,125 | 981.7 | 2 |
| Buffalo County | 1,948 | 471.4 | 4 |
| Mellette County | 1,918 | 1,307.3 | 1 |
| Haakon County | 1,872 | 1,810.5 | 1 |
| Jerauld County | 1,663 | 526.1 | 3 |
| Sully County | 1,446 | 1,006.7 | 1 |
| Campbell County | 1,377 | 733.7 | 2 |
| Harding County | 1,311 | 2,671.6 | 0 |
| Hyde County | 1,262 | 860.6 | 1 |
| Jones County | 917 | 969.7 | 1 |
Largest cities in South Dakota
| Name | Population | Sq mi | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sioux Falls, SD | 192,683 | 80.6 | 2,389 |
| Rapid City, SD | 74,677 | 55.1 | 1,356 |
| Aberdeen, SD | 28,470 | 16.5 | 1,724 |
| Brookings, SD | 23,361 | 13.6 | 1,720 |
| Watertown, SD | 22,671 | 18.4 | 1,234 |
| Mitchell, SD | 15,667 | 11.2 | 1,394 |
| Yankton, SD | 15,411 | 8.7 | 1,778 |
| Huron, SD | 14,212 | 9.7 | 1,462 |
| Pierre, SD | 14,091 | 13.0 | 1,082 |
| Spearfish, SD | 12,195 | 17.2 | 708 |
| Box Elder, SD | 11,797 | 14.8 | 800 |
| Vermillion, SD | 11,695 | 4.7 | 2,509 |
Showing the 12 most populous of 486 — the rest are shown on the map.
Related places
About this page
This page shows demographics for a US state from the 2020 census and the American Community Survey: population, land area, density, and how the state compares to national averages for income, housing, age, and more.
Use the links below to drill into the state's counties and largest cities, or open any point of the state in the radius tool to measure the population within a distance or drive time.