South Dakota 18th State Senate District, South Dakota: Republican loyalist district. In 2024, voted D+6%. Republican peak: R+24 in 2016.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+6MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Republican loyalistAkashic typology
- Population
- 24,1392024 5-year
- Median household income
- $72,2732024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 87.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 5.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+6 in 2024MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+24 in 2016MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 18, SDOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 160 | 140 | 308 | ||
| R | 4,166 | 6,686 | 11,162 | ||
| R | 3,428 | 5,749 | 9,856 | ||
| R | 4,368 | 5,588 | 10,215 | ||
| R | 5,024 | 5,142 | 10,429 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
35.9%
Irish
10.2%
English
7.5%
French
2.4%
American
2.4%
Polish
1.4%
Italian
1.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 41.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$72,273
State Senate District 18 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 18$72,273
South Dakota$75,081
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
12.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1816.2%
Working age (18–64)10.8%
Seniors (65+)12.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.4%
speak English only
Spanish3.7%
Other Indo-European1.2%
Other languages0.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 41.2% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+34.9, this sparsely populated district of roughly 24,000 residents reflects the deep-red rural voting patterns that define much of western South Dakota's political landscape.
The Republican margin in South Dakota 18th State Senate District reached its widest at twenty-four points in 2016. The margin in 2024 was six points, in line with the district's deep historical pattern.
Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $72,273, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 24,139 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State Senate District 18, South Dakota — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/sld-upper/46018/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 18, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 18, South Dakota voted Democratic by 6.5 points (D+6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 308 votes cast, 160 went Democratic and 140 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 18, South Dakota's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 18, South Dakota as a "Republican loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 1 times, Republican 4 times, and other 0 times.
When did State Senate District 18, South Dakota last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 18, South Dakota voted Republican was 2020.
How many people live in State Senate District 18, South Dakota?
State Senate District 18, South Dakota has a population of 24,139 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State Senate District 18, South Dakota?
Median household income in State Senate District 18, South Dakota is $72,273 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of State Senate District 18, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in State Senate District 18, South Dakota from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 1 went Democratic and 4 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.