South Dakota 26th State Senate District, South Dakota: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+12%. Republican peak: R+13 in 2016.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+12MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 23,1392024 5-year
- Median household income
- $56,0332024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 39.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+10 in 2008MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+13 in 2016MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 26, 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 | 3,280 | 4,199 | 7,676 | ||
| R | 3,927 | 4,495 | 8,612 | ||
| R | 3,071 | 4,094 | 7,633 | ||
| D | 4,385 | 4,006 | 8,528 | ||
| D | 4,883 | 3,979 | 9,066 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
15.3%
American
6.6%
Irish
4.4%
English
3.1%
French
1.2%
Scottish
0.5%
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: 32.2 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
$56,033
State Senate District 26 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 26$56,033
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
32.5%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1839.0%
Working age (18–64)29.4%
Seniors (65+)17.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
80.5%
speak English only
Other languages16.5%
Other Indo-European1.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.1%
Spanish0.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 42.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
South Dakota 26th State Senate District in the Northern Plains has, for decades, voted very close to the way the country has voted. Its margins are typically narrow, and the candidate who carries South Dakota 26th State Senate District more often than not also wins the national popular vote.
The Democratic margin in South Dakota 26th State Senate District has rarely exceeded ten points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded thirteen points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by twelve points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 40% non-Hispanic-white share, a 33% poverty rate, and a median household income of $56,033 — all within the broad national range.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State Senate District 26, South Dakota — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/sld-upper/46026/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 26, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 26, South Dakota voted Republican by 12.0 points (R+12), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 7,676 votes cast, 3,280 went Democratic and 4,199 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 26, South Dakota's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 26, South Dakota as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 2 times, Republican 3 times, and other 0 times.
When did State Senate District 26, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 26, South Dakota voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in State Senate District 26, South Dakota?
State Senate District 26, South Dakota has a population of 23,139 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 26, South Dakota?
Median household income in State Senate District 26, South Dakota is $56,033 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of State Senate District 26, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in State Senate District 26, South Dakota from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 2 went Democratic and 3 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.