South Dakota

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Population News Articles

Population Density

Historic & Projected Growth

Population by County


POPULATION DENSITY

People per square mile, 2010:   10.7

People per square mile, 2020:   11.7


HISTORIC & PROJECTED GROWTH 1790 TO 2040

Year
Population
1790
0
1800
0
1810
0
1820
0
1830
0
1840
0
1850
0
1860
4,837
1870
11,776
1880
98,268
1890
348,600
1900
401,570
1910
583,888
1920
636,547
1930
692,849
1940
642,961
1950
652,740
1960
680,514
1970
666,257
1980
690,768
1990
696,004
2000
754,844
2010
814,180
2020
886,667
2030
*973,361
2040
*1,043,032

Sources: Census figures from U.S. Bureau of the Census & *Estimates from Weldon Cooper Center, Demographics Research Group
(The Census Bureau and Weldon Cooper Center have not yet provided updated State projections to reflect 2020 census numbers.)


Population by County

Census 2020 Population
Census 2010 Population
Change from 2020
Percent Change
SOUTH DAKOTA
886,667
814,180
72,487
8.90%
Aurora County
2747
2,710
37
1.37%
Beadle County
19149
17,398
1,751
10.06%
Bennett County
3381
3,431
-50
-1.46%
Bon Homme County
7003
7,070
-67
-0.95%
Brookings County
34375
31,965
2,410
7.54%
Brown County
38301
36,531
1,770
4.85%
Brule County
5247
5,255
-8
-0.15%
Buffalo County
1948
1,912
36
1.88%
Butte County
10243
10,110
133
1.32%
Campbell County
1377
1,466
-89
-6.07%
Charles Mix County
9373
9,129
244
2.67%
Clark County
3837
3,691
146
3.96%
Clay County
14967
13,864
1,103
7.96%
Codington County
28325
27,227
1,098
4.03%
Corson County
3902
4,050
-148
-3.65%
Custer County
8318
8,216
102
1.24%
Davison County
19956
19,504
452
2.32%
Day County
5449
5,710
-261
-4.57%
Deuel County
4295
4,364
-69
-1.58%
Dewey County
5239
5,301
-62
-1.17%
Douglas County
2835
3,002
-167
-5.56%
Edmunds County
3986
4,071
-85
-2.09%
Fall River County
6973
7,094
-121
-1.71%
Faulk County
2125
2,364
-239
-10.11%
Grant County
7556
7,356
200
2.72%
Gregory County
3994
4,271
-277
-6.49%
Haakon County
1872
1,937
-65
-3.36%
Hamlin County
6164
5,903
261
4.42%
Hand County
3145
3,431
-286
-8.34%
Hanson County
3461
3,331
130
3.90%
Harding County
1311
1,255
56
4.46%
Hughes County
17765
17,022
743
4.36%
Hutchinson County
7427
7,343
84
1.14%
Hyde County
1262
1,420
-158
-11.13%
Jackson County
2806
3,031
-225
-7.42%
Jerauld County
1663
2,071
-408
-19.70%
Jones County
917
1,006
-89
-8.85%
Kingsbury County
5187
5,148
39
0.76%
Lake County
11059
11,200
-141
-1.26%
Lawrence County
25768
24,097
1,671
6.93%
Lincoln County
65161
44,828
20,333
45.36%
Lyman County
3718
3,755
-37
-0.99%
McCook County
5682
5,618
64
1.14%
McPherson County
2411
2,459
-48
-1.95%
Marshall County
4306
4,656
-350
-7.52%
Meade County
29852
25,434
4,418
17.37%
Mellette County
1918
2,048
-130
-6.35%
Miner County
2298
2,389
-91
-3.81%
Minnehaha County
197214
169,468
27,746
16.37%
Moody County
6336
6,486
-150
-2.31%
Pennington County
13672
100,948
-87,276
-86.46%
Perkins County
109222
2,982
106,240
3562.71%
Potter County
2835
2,329
506
21.73%
Roberts County
2472
10,149
-7,677
-75.64%
Sanborn County
10280
2,355
7,925
336.52%
Shannon County
2330
13,586
-11,256
-82.85%
Spink County
6361
6,415
-54
-0.84%
Stanley County
2980
2,966
14
0.47%
Sully County
1446
1,373
73
5.32%
Todd County
9319
9,612
-293
-3.05%
Tripp County
5624
5,644
-20
-0.35%
Turner County
8673
8,347
326
3.91%
Union County
16811
14,399
2,412
16.75%
Walworth County
5315
5,438
-123
-2.26%
Yankton County
23310
22,438
872
3.89%
Ziebach County
2413
2,801
-388
-13.85%

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census


South Dakota Population News Articles

Monarch measure draws ‘neighs’, yeas but passes House – Feb 26, 2026

South Dakota Senate endorses $10 million for water quality – Feb 25, 2026

What Smithfield’s move could mean for environment, economy – Feb 25, 2026

South Dakota Regulators Approve Wind Farm That Will Be the Largest in the State – Feb 17, 2026

South Dakota House backs E-Verify use by all employers to check citizenship, immigration status – Feb 13, 2026

Rapid City counts homeless population in annual Point in Time Survey – Jan 30, 2026

How Sioux Falls is serving its homeless population – Oct 17, 2025

Mina area residents air concerns about proposed dairy’s effect on water – Oct 20, 2025

Natural Disasters Are Getting Costly—But This Town Keeps Retirement Affordable – Sep 29, 2025

‘We are known as the stinky town’: Board finds Freeman rendering plant in violation of permit – Sep 24, 2025

Rapid City and Black Hills towns see population boom – June 13, 2025

Americans Told To Stay Indoors in 5 States – June 11, 2025

Truth is, South Dakota does not have a pollution goal – May 23, 2025

Advocates say cutting renewable energy tax credits could hurt state – May 22, 2025

Governor, attorney general visit the border and seek a bigger immigration enforcement role – May 21, 2025

Renewable energy industry powers new job growth in SD – May 19, 2025

New report identifies pollution reductions needed to clean up segment of Big Sioux River – Sept 12, 2024

Poll: Most SD voters disapprove of local control limits on carbon pipelines – Sept 9, 2024

37.9% of South Dakota Residents Are Experiencing Drought Conditions in 2024 – Sept 4, 2024

Noem rejects more than $70 million in federal funds for energy and environmental programs – Aug 23, 2024

USDOT sends $31.6M in infrastructure grants to South Dakota; Projects on Lower Brule and Cheyenne River Reservations among those getting the dollars – June 26, 2024

Flooded farmland in southeastern South Dakota – June 25, 2024

City’s Population Now Estimated Over 82,400 – June 20, 2024

Support grows for threatened SD grasslands – June 12, 2024

Over one hundred and fifty new citizens to be naturalized at Mount Rushmore – June 10, 2024

Goodwin-area Community Gathers to Discuss Proposed Large Dairy Operation – June 6, 2024

Leaving South Dakota? The top destinations for people who move out – October 30, 2023

The 5 Fast-Growing Counties in South Dakota Are Exploding in Growth – October 9, 2023

It’s awfully dry out, but could be worse – July 5, 2023

South Dakota population on track to top 1 million by 2030 after ‘significant’ growth – June 21, 2023

South Dakota cities take new, more compassionate approach to addressing homelessness – December 19, 2022

South Dakota seeks funds to upgrade deteriorating short line – December 13, 2022

South Dakota city seeks funding for $2.6M recycling transfer station – December 8, 2022

Public not sold on Navigator pipeline despite attempts to build landowner trust – December 1, 2022

There is a growing need for sustainable water – November 29, 2022

Importance of testing bodies of water – July 13, 2022

Box Elder gets infrastructure projects underway – July 7, 2022

Wet weather forcing farmers to delay or cut back on planting of crops – June 18, 2022

Meade County School Board looking into new potential high school – March 15, 2022

HB 1033 shows promise for future development of Rapid City area – March 14, 2022

Angry residents bring more dust concerns to Fermilab officials – March 7, 2022

Rapid City addresses housing crisis as population grows – February 28, 2022

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