South Dakota, South Dakota: Republican loyalist state. In 2024, voted R+29%. Republican peak: R+49 in 1904.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+29MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Republican loyalistAkashic typology
- Population
- 907,4282024 5-year
- Median household income
- $75,0812024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 80.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+42 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+49 in 1904MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for South Dakota, 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.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 146,859 | 272,081 | 428,922 | ||
| R | 150,471 | 261,043 | 422,609 | ||
| R | 117,466 | 227,731 | 370,111 | ||
| R | 145,039 | 210,610 | 363,815 | ||
| R | 170,924 | 203,054 | 381,975 | ||
| R | 149,974 | 232,646 | 389,000 | ||
| D | 190,700 | 118,804 | 316,269 | ||
| R | 139,333 | 150,543 | 323,826 | ||
| R | 124,888 | 136,718 | 336,254 | ||
| R | 145,560 | 165,415 | 312,991 | ||
| R | 116,113 | 200,267 | 317,867 | ||
| R | 103,855 | 198,343 | 327,703 | ||
| R | 147,068 | 151,505 | 300,678 | ||
| R | 139,945 | 166,476 | 307,415 | ||
| R | 118,023 | 149,841 | 281,264 | ||
| D | 163,010 | 130,108 | 293,118 | ||
| R | 128,070 | 178,417 | 306,487 | ||
| R | 122,288 | 171,569 | 293,857 | ||
| R | 90,426 | 203,857 | 294,283 | ||
| R | 117,653 | 129,651 | 250,105 | ||
| R | 96,711 | 135,365 | 232,076 | ||
| R | 131,362 | 177,065 | 308,427 | ||
| D | 160,137 | 125,977 | 296,452 | ||
| D | 183,515 | 99,212 | 288,438 | ||
| R | 102,660 | 157,603 | 261,857 | ||
| R | 27,214 | 101,299 | 203,868 | ||
| R | 35,938 | 110,692 | 182,237 | ||
| D | 64,217 | 59,191 | 128,942 | ||
| O | 48,942 | 0 | 116,327 | ||
| R | 40,266 | 67,536 | 114,775 | ||
| R | 21,969 | 72,083 | 101,395 | ||
| R | 39,538 | 54,574 | 96,169 | ||
| D | 41,021 | 40,892 | 82,590 | ||
| R | 9,085 | 34,888 | 70,617 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
33.1%
Irish
9.9%
English
7.7%
American
4.4%
French
1.8%
Polish
1.1%
Italian
1.1%
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: 38.2 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
$75,081
South Dakota ranks near the middle of US counties.
South Dakota$75,081
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
12.0%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1813.4%
Working age (18–64)11.2%
Seniors (65+)12.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.9%
speak English only
Spanish2.6%
Other languages1.9%
Other Indo-European1.8%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 44.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
South Dakota sits in the Northern Plains. Its political identity has been Republican for as long as anyone now living can remember. 1 consecutive presidential elections in modern records have gone for the Republican candidate, often by margins that would be considered landslide territory anywhere else.
The Republican margin in South Dakota reached its widest at forty-nine points in 1904. The margin in 2024 was twenty-nine points, in line with the state's deep historical pattern.
Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $75,081, a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 907,428 together describe a state whose political habits are deeply settled.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
South Dakota, South Dakota — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/state/sd/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did South Dakota, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, South Dakota, South Dakota voted Republican by 29.2 points (R+29), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 428,922 votes cast, 146,859 went Democratic and 272,081 went Republican.
What is South Dakota, South Dakota's political archetype?
Akashic classifies South Dakota, South Dakota as a "Republican loyalist" state based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the state has voted Democratic 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.
When did South Dakota, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which South Dakota, South Dakota voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in South Dakota, South Dakota?
South Dakota, South Dakota has a population of 907,428 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in South Dakota, South Dakota?
Median household income in South Dakota, South Dakota is $75,081 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of South Dakota, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in South Dakota, South Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The state's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.