South Dakota 21st State Senate District, South Dakota: Republican loyalist district. In 2024, voted R+57%. Republican peak: R+57 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+57MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Republican loyalistAkashic typology
- Population
- 24,3562024 5-year
- Median household income
- $66,2522024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 77.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.5%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Republican margin
- R+57 in 2024MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 21, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 2,415 | 8,956 | 11,575 | ||
| R | 2,658 | 8,994 | 11,837 | ||
| R | 2,340 | 8,354 | 11,155 | ||
| R | 3,704 | 7,772 | 11,684 | ||
| R | 4,567 | 7,470 | 12,303 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
33.7%
Irish
7.5%
American
6.7%
English
5.6%
French
1.5%
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: 40.8 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
$66,252
State Senate District 21 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 21$66,252
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
17.4%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1825.7%
Working age (18–64)14.4%
Seniors (65+)14.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
94.9%
speak English only
Other languages2.1%
Spanish1.3%
Other Indo-European1.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 28.3% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+70.1, this rural district ranks among the most one-sided in the state. Its sparse population of roughly 24,500 reflects the wide-open agricultural landscape typical of western South Dakota.
The Republican margin in South Dakota 21st State Senate District reached its widest at fifty-seven points in 2024. The margin in 2024 was fifty-seven points, in line with the district's deep historical pattern.
Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $66,252, a 77% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 24,356 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 21, South Dakota — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/sld-upper/46021/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 21, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 21, South Dakota voted Republican by 56.5 points (R+57), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 11,575 votes cast, 2,415 went Democratic and 8,956 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 21, South Dakota's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 21, 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 0 times, Republican 5 times, and other 0 times.
How many people live in State Senate District 21, South Dakota?
State Senate District 21, South Dakota has a population of 24,356 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 21, South Dakota?
Median household income in State Senate District 21, South Dakota is $66,252 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of State Senate District 21, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in State Senate District 21, South Dakota from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 5 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.