South Dakota is the 46th-most populousU.S. state; in 2019, theU.S. Census Bureau estimated a population of about 884,659. The majority of South Dakotans areWhite, and the largest religion isChristianity. In 2010, 93.46% of the population spoke English as theirprimary language.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, as of 2012, South Dakota has an estimated population of 833,354, which is an increase of 2.4% from 2010. Females made up approximately 49.8% of the population. In 2011, 2.4% of the population was foreign born. In the same year, there were 71,125 veterans.[1] Thecenter of population of South Dakota is located inBuffalo County, in the unincorporated county seat ofGann Valley.[2]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 4,837 | — | |
| 1870 | 11,776 | 143.5% | |
| 1880 | 98,268 | 734.5% | |
| 1890 | 348,600 | 254.7% | |
| 1900 | 401,570 | 15.2% | |
| 1910 | 583,888 | 45.4% | |
| 1920 | 636,547 | 9.0% | |
| 1930 | 692,849 | 8.8% | |
| 1940 | 642,961 | −7.2% | |
| 1950 | 652,740 | 1.5% | |
| 1960 | 680,514 | 4.3% | |
| 1970 | 665,507 | −2.2% | |
| 1980 | 690,768 | 3.8% | |
| 1990 | 696,004 | 0.8% | |
| 2000 | 754,844 | 8.5% | |
| 2010 | 814,180 | 7.9% | |
| 2020 | 886,667 | 8.9% | |
| Sources: 1910–2020[3] | |||
South Dakota, in common with five other nearby states (Nebraska,Kansas,Oklahoma,North Dakota, andIowa), is experiencing a trend of falling populations in rural counties. 89% of the total number of cities in these six states have fewer than 3,000 people; hundreds have fewer than 1000. Between 1996 and 2004, almost half a million people, nearly half with college degrees, left the six states. "Rural flight" as it is called has led to offers of free land and tax breaks as enticements to newcomers.
The effect of rural flight has not been spread evenly through South Dakota, however. Although most rural counties and small towns have lost population, the Sioux Falls area and the Black Hills have gained population. In fact,Lincoln County, near Sioux Falls, is the ninth-fastest-growing county (by percentage) in the United States.[4] The growth in these areas has compensated for losses in the rest of the state, and South Dakota's total population continues to increase steadily, albeit at a slower rate than the national average.[5]
A one-night stay in South Dakota is all that is necessary to qualify a person to claim residency in South Dakota. Residency in South Dakota has therefore become very popular among full-time travelers (persons who reside inrecreational vehicles, aboardcruise ships, etc.).[6]
Note: Births in table don't add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.
| Race | 2013[7] | 2014[8] | 2015[9] | 2016[10] | 2017[11] | 2018[12] | 2019[13] | 2020[14] | 2021[15] | 2022[16] | 2023[17] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 9,127 (74.5%) | 9,122 (74.2%) | 9,063 (73.5%) | 8,837 (72.0%) | 8,620 (71.0%) | 8,481 (71.3%) | 8,154 (71.2%) | 7,740 (70.6%) | 8,111 (71.3%) | 8,008 (71.5%) | 8,003 (71.4%) |
| American Indian | 2,100 (17.1%) | 2,055 (16.7%) | 2,166 (17.5%) | 1,788 (14.6%) | 1,807 (14.9%) | 1,652 (13.9%) | 1,613 (14.1%) | 1,501 (13.7%) | 1,525 (13.4%) | 1,463 (13.1%) | 1,362 (12.2%) |
| Black | 342 (2.8%) | 356 (2.9%) | 344 (2.8%) | 363 (3.0%) | 398 (3.3%) | 416 (3.5%) | 416 (3.6%) | 390 (3.5%) | 385 (3.4%) | 362 (3.2%) | 345 (3.0%) |
| Asian | 279 (2.3%) | 271 (2.2%) | 322 (2.6%) | 269 (2.2%) | 248 (2.0%) | 224 (1.9%) | 206 (1.8%) | 215 (2.0%) | 202 (1.8%) | 191 (1.7%) | 207 (1.8%) |
| Hispanic (any race) | 521 (4.3%) | 603 (4.9%) | 559 (4.5%) | 634 (5.2%) | 624 (5.1%) | 661 (5.6%) | 642 (5.6%) | 660 (6.0%) | 695 (6.1%) | 726 (6.5%) | 836 (7.5%) |
| Total | 12,248 (100%) | 12,283 (100%) | 12,336 (100%) | 12,275 (100%) | 12,134 (100%) | 11,893 (100%) | 11,449 (100%) | 10,960 (100%) | 11,369 (100%) | 11,201 (100%) | 11,201 (100%) |
7.3% of South Dakota's population was reported as under 5 years of age, 24.5% under 18, and 14.7% were 65 or older.[1]
In 2010, theUnited States Census Bureau reported that the age distribution amongst South Dakotans was:
The median age was 36.9 years.[18]
The largestmetropolitan area (MSA) in South Dakota is theSioux Falls metropolitan area, which consists of the counties ofLincoln,McCook,Minnehaha, andTurner. Its anchor isSioux Falls. As of 2010, it had a population of 228,261.[19]
The second-largest MSA is theRapid City metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 124,766 in 2009. The MSA includes the counties ofPennington andMeade and is anchored toRapid City.[20]
The most populous county in South Dakota isMinnehaha, which has an estimated 193,134 residents. The least populous county isJones, with a population of about 903.[21]
| County | Seat | Projected Population |
|---|---|---|
| Minnehaha | Sioux Falls | 193,134 |
| Pennington | Rapid City | 113,775 |
| Lincoln | Canton | 61,128 |
| Brown | Aberdeen | 38,839 |
| Brookings | Brookings | 35,007 |
| Meade | Sturgis | 28,332 |
| Codington | Watertown | 28,009 |
| Lawrence | Deadwood | 25,844 |
| Yankton | Yankton | 22,814 |
| Davison | Mitchell | 19,775 |
In 2012, the Census Bureau estimated that 86.2% of South Dakotans wereWhite, 8.9% wereAmerican Indian orAlaskan Native, 3.1% wereHispanic orLatino, 1.7% wereBlack orAfrican American, 1.1% wereAsian, and 0.1% werePacific Islander orNative Hawaiian. 2.1% of South Dakotans belonged tomore than one race.[1]
In 2011, 25.4% of children less than one year old were minorities.[22]
From 2007 to 2011, theAmerican Community Survey estimated that 42.8% (345,951) of South Dakotans were ofGerman ancestry, 14.7% (118,603) wereNorwegian, 11.1% (89,912) wereIrish, 6.9% (55,425) wereEnglish, and 4.9% (39,420) wereDutch.[23]
In the 2000 census, the five largest ancestry groups in South Dakota were: German (40.7%), Norwegian (15.3%), Irish (10.4%), Native American (8.3%), and English (7.1%).[24] German-Americans are the largest ancestry group in most parts of the state, especially in the east, although there are also large Scandinavian populations in some counties.
South Dakota has the nation's largest population ofHutterites,[25] a communalAnabaptist group who emigrated from Europe in 1874. About one hundred Hutterite families came from Russia to Dakota Territory, then left for Canada to escape military conscription during the First World War.[26] Many families returned to South Dakota and today about 35 colonies exist in the state. (Approximately another 40 colonies are in other U.S. states and 200 in Canada.)[27]
American Indians, largely Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota (Sioux) are predominant in several counties. South Dakota has the third highest proportion of Native Americans of any state, behindAlaska andNew Mexico.[28] Five of the state's counties lie entirely withinIndian reservations.[29] Living standards on many reservations is often very low when compared with the national average. The unemployment rate inFort Thompson, on theCrow Creek Indian Reservation, is 70%, and 21% of households there lack plumbing or basic kitchen appliances.[30] A 1995 study by the U.S. Census Bureau found that 58% of homes on thePine Ridge Indian Reservation did not have a telephone.[31]
| Byrace | White | Black | AIAN* | Asian | NHPI* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 (total population) | 90.36% | 0.90% | 9.06% | 0.80% | 0.07% |
| 2000 (Hispanic only) | 1.21% | 0.04% | 0.24% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
| 2005 (total population) | 89.64% | 1.17% | 9.43% | 0.92% | 0.06% |
| 2005 (Hispanic only) | 1.83% | 0.07% | 0.23% | 0.02% | 0.00% |
| Growth 2000–05 (total population) | 1.98% | 33.36% | 7.02% | 17.99% | -9.87% |
| Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only) | 1.25% | 31.10% | 7.20% | 18.58% | -5.69% |
| Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only) | 55.60% | 78.64% | 0.17% | -6.21% | -41.54% |
| * AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | |||||
What is now South Dakota has been historically inhabited by tribes such as the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Ponca, the Arikara and the Crow.[32][33]
The largest Native American tribes in South Dakota according to the 2010 census are listed in the table below:[34]
| Tribal grouping | American Indian and Alaska Native alone | AIAN in combination with one or more other races | Total AIAN alone or in any combination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total AIAN population | 71817 | 10256 | 82073 |
| Sioux | 56152 | 5430 | 61582 |
| Ojibwe | 607 | 218 | 825 |
| Cherokee | 173 | 370 | 543 |
| Cheyenne | 348 | 69 | 417 |
| MHA Nation | 297 | 39 | 336 |
| Navajo | 250 | 50 | 300 |
| Arapaho | 167 | 13 | 180 |
| Choctaw | 84 | 67 | 151 |
| Assiniboine Sioux | 119 | 17 | 136 |
| Blackfeet | 83 | 53 | 136 |
| Ponca | 92 | 31 | 123 |
| Crow | 78 | 31 | 109 |
| Apache | 67 | 36 | 103 |
| Mexican American Indian | 80 | 22 | 102 |
| Iroquois | 45 | 56 | 101 |
| Tribe not specified | 12427 | 3442 | 15869 |
| Language | Percentage of population (as of 2010)[35] |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 2.06% |
| Dakota | 1.39% |
| German | 1.37% |
| Vietnamese | 0.16% |
| Chinese (includingCantonese andMandarin) | 0.12% |
| Russian | 0.10% |
| Amharic andFrench (tied) | 0.09% |
| Other American Indian andSerbo-Croatian (tied) | 0.08% |
| Tagalog | 0.06% |
| Czech andKorean (tied) | 0.05% |
As of 2010, 93.46% (692,504) of South Dakota residents aged 5 and older spokeEnglish as theirprimary language. 6.54% (48,498) of the population spoke a language other than English. 2.06% (15,292) of the population spoke Spanish, 1.39% (10,282) spokeDakota, and 1.37% (10,140) spoke German. Other languages spoken includedVietnamese (0.16%),Chinese (0.12%), andRussian (0.10%).[35]
Since 2019,"the language of theGreat Sioux Nation, comprised of three dialects,Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota" is an official language in the state.[36][37]
In 2000, 93.65% (658,245) of South Dakota residents spoke English as their first language. 1.91% (13,425) of the population aged 5 or older spoke German, 1.52% (10,675) spoke Dakota, and 1.43% (10,055) spoke Spanish. Another 0.18% spoke French, 0.12% spokeNorwegian, and 0.09% spoke Czech.[38]
From 2000 to 2010,Spanish replacedGerman as the most common non-English language spoken in South Dakota. Dakota also passed German, making German the third-most common non-English language in the state. The percentage of non-English languages spoken rose from 6.35% in 2000 to 6.56% in 2010.[39]
The majority of South Dakotans who claim a religious affiliation areChristians. As of 2010,Mainline Protestantism was the most popularreligious tradition in South Dakota, with 196,001 adherents.Catholicism was second with 148,883 adherents, andEvangelical Protestantism was third with 118,142 adherents. 337,348 residents remained unclaimed.[40]
Also in 2010, theCatholic Church was the largest church in South Dakota, with 148,883 members. TheEvangelical Lutheran Church in America had 112,649 followers. TheUnited Methodist Church had 36,020 members.[40]
According to a 2001 survey, 86% of South Dakotans described themselves as being members of aChristian denomination, while 8% said that they were not religious and 3% claimed faith in a non-Christian religion. The largest Christian denomination wasLutheran (27%), followed closely byRoman Catholic at 25%. Other Christian denominations mentioned includedMethodist (13%),Baptist (4%),Presbyterian (4%),Pentecostal (2%),Congregational (2%),Episcopal/Anglican (1%), andSeventh-day Adventist (1%). 7% responded either as anon-denominational Christian or aProtestant, while 2% refused to answer.[41]
