South Dakota — Elections 1876–2024

South Dakota: state. In 2024, voted R+29%. Republican peak: R+49 in 1904.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+29MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Akashic 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

2024 presidential election

South Dakota

TrumpR+29

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Donald Trump ✓Republican	63.4%	272,081
Kamala HarrisDemocratic	34.2%	146,859
OtherAll other candidates	2.3%	9,982

D+60

R+60

66 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1876–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	No data
1880	No data
1884	No data
1888	No data
1892	−36.5%
1896	+0.2%
1900	−15.6%
1904	−49.4%
1908	−23.8%
1912	+42.1%
1916	+3.9%
1920	−41.0%
1924	−36.3%
1928	−21.0%
1932	+29.2%
1936	+11.5%
1940	−14.8%
1944	−16.7%
1948	−4.8%
1952	−38.5%
1956	−16.8%
1960	−16.4%
1964	+11.2%
1968	−11.3%
1972	−8.6%
1976	−1.5%
1980	−28.8%
1984	−26.5%
1988	−6.3%
1992	−3.5%
1996	−3.5%
2000	+22.7%
2004	−21.3%
2008	−8.4%
2012	−18.0%
2016	−29.8%
2020	−26.2%
2024	−29.2%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−29.2%	146,859	272,081	428,922
2020	R	−26.2%	150,471	261,043	422,609
2016	R	−29.8%	117,466	227,731	370,111
2012	R	−18.0%	145,039	210,610	363,815
2008	R	−8.4%	170,924	203,054	381,975
2004	R	−21.3%	149,974	232,646	389,000
2000	D	+22.7%	190,700	118,804	316,269
1996	R	−3.5%	139,333	150,543	323,826
1992	R	−3.5%	124,888	136,718	336,254
1988	R	−6.3%	145,560	165,415	312,991
1984	R	−26.5%	116,113	200,267	317,867
1980	R	−28.8%	103,855	198,343	327,703
1976	R	−1.5%	147,068	151,505	300,678
1972	R	−8.6%	139,945	166,476	307,415
1968	R	−11.3%	118,023	149,841	281,264
1964	D	+11.2%	163,010	130,108	293,118
1960	R	−16.4%	128,070	178,417	306,487
1956	R	−16.8%	122,288	171,569	293,857
1952	R	−38.5%	90,426	203,857	294,283
1948	R	−4.8%	117,653	129,651	250,105
1944	R	−16.7%	96,711	135,365	232,076
1940	R	−14.8%	131,362	177,065	308,427
1936	D	+11.5%	160,137	125,977	296,452
1932	D	+29.2%	183,515	99,212	288,438
1928	R	−21.0%	102,660	157,603	261,857
1924	R	−36.3%	27,214	101,299	203,868
1920	R	−41.0%	35,938	110,692	182,237
1916	D	+3.9%	64,217	59,191	128,942
1912	O	+42.1%	48,942	0	116,327
1908	R	−23.8%	40,266	67,536	114,775
1904	R	−49.4%	21,969	72,083	101,395
1900	R	−15.6%	39,538	54,574	96,169
1896	D	+0.2%	41,021	40,892	82,590
1892	R	−36.5%	9,085	34,888	70,617
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Congressional elections · 16 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
Year	Won	D %	R %	Total
2022	R	26.1%	69.6%	348,020
2020	R	34.3%	65.7%	420,219
2016	R	28.2%	71.8%	369,656
2014	R	29.5%	50.4%	279,412
2010	R	0.0%	100.0%	227,947
2008	D	62.5%	37.5%	380,673
2004	R	49.4%	50.6%	391,188
2002	D	49.6%	49.5%	337,501
1998	D	62.1%	36.4%	262,111
1996	D	51.3%	48.7%	324,487
1992	D	64.9%	32.5%	334,495
1990	R	45.1%	52.4%	258,976
1986	D	51.6%	48.4%	295,830
1984	R	25.5%	74.5%	315,713
1980	R	39.4%	58.2%	327,478
1978	R	33.2%	66.8%	255,599

Demographics

2024 ACS

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.

2024 ACS

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 38.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.4%

2.3%

75–84

2.6%

5.5%

65–74

5.5%

6.3%

55–64

6.3%

5.5%

45–54

5.2%

6.6%

35–44

6.0%

6.6%

25–34

6.0%

4.8%

18–24

4.4%

9.2%

5–17

8.8%

3.2%

3.1%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$75,081

South Dakota ranks near the middle of US counties.

South Dakota$75,081

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

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.

2024 ACS

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.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Mainline Protestant

20.4%

Catholic & Orthodox

15.0%

Other Christian

10.9%

Pentecostal & Holiness

4.6%

Methodist

2.8%

Baptist

1.0%

Non-Christian

0.2%

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. In 2024 it voted Republican.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of forty-two points in 1912 and a Republican high of forty-nine points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the state moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-nine points.

A population of 907,428, a 81% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $75,081 describe the state.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

South Dakota. Akashic. https://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 vote in 2024?

In 2024, 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's political typology?

Akashic places South Dakota in the "" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the state has voted Democratic 6 times, Republican 27 times, and other 1 times.

When did South Dakota last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which South Dakota voted Democratic was 2000.

How many people live in 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?

Median household income in 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?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in South Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The state's typology — "" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Minnehaha County, SD	R +2,049
Pennington County, SD	D +1,556
Brown County, SD	R +1,416

South Dakota has voted Republican in six straight presidential elections — R+29 in 2024.

Key facts

U.S. Senate

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions