South Dakota#Economy

{{main|History of South Dakota}}

{{for timeline}}

Humans have lived in what is today South Dakota for several thousand years. The first inhabitants were Paleoindian hunter-gatherers, and disappeared from the area around 5000 BC.{{cite book |last1=Bjorklund |first1=Ruth |last2=Horn |first2=Geoffrey |last3=Klepeis |first3=Alicia |title=South Dakota: Third Edition |year=2016 |publisher=Cavendish Square Publishing LLC |isbn=9781627132244 |pages=23, 43 |edition=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o1hmDwAAQBAJ}} Between 500 AD and 800 AD, a semi-nomadic people known as the Mound Builders lived in central and eastern South Dakota. In the 14th century, the Crow Creek Massacre occurred, in which several hundred men, women, and children were killed near the Missouri River.{{cite book |last1=Straub |first1=Patrick |last2=Griffith |first2=Tom |title=It Happened in South Dakota |date=2016 |pages=1–4 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781493023585 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ObIzDQAAQBAJ}}

By 1500, the Arikara (or Ree) had settled in much of the Missouri River valley.Schell, pp. 16–18. European contact with the area began in 1743, when the LaVérendrye brothers explored the region. The LaVérendrye group buried a plate near the site of modern-day Pierre, claiming the region for France as part of greater Louisiana.Schell, pp. 28–29. In 1762 the entire region became part of the Spanish Louisiana until 1802.{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/349302/Louisiana-Purchase|title=Louisiana Purchase—History, Facts, & Map|access-date=December 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501010249/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/349302/Louisiana-Purchase|archive-date=May 1, 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.knowla.org/entry/773/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403103905/http://www.knowla.org/entry/773/|archive-date=April 3, 2014|title=Spanish Colonial Louisiana—Know Louisiana}} By the early 19th century, the Sioux had largely replaced the Arikara as the dominant group in the area.Schell, pp. 18–21.

{{main|Dakota Territory }}

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory, an area that included most of South Dakota, from Napoleon Bonaparte, and President Thomas Jefferson organized the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the region.Thompson (ed.), pp. 56–57. In 1817, an American fur trading post was set up at present-day Fort Pierre, beginning continuous American settlement of the area.{{cite web| title = Chronology of South Dakota History | publisher=South Dakota Historical Society | access-date =September 3, 2007 | url = http://www.sdhistory.org/soc/soc_hist.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070901170704/http://www.sdhistory.org/soc/soc_hist.htm |archive-date = September 1, 2007}} In 1855, the U.S. Army bought Fort Pierre but abandoned it in 1857 in favor of Fort Randall to the south. Settlement by Americans and Europeans was by this time increasing rapidly, and in 1858 the Yankton Sioux signed the 1858 Treaty, ceding most of present-day eastern South Dakota to the United States.{{cite book |title=Yankton Sioux Tribe and Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska Development Trust Fund Act and to Authorize the Construction of a Reconciliation Place in Fort Pierre, SD: Hearing Before the Committee on Indian Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Second Session on S. 1148 ... S. 1658 ... May 17, 2000, Washington, DC. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NY_1jnU35pkC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |year=1993 |pages=47, 62, 86 |isbn=9780160610431}}

File:Deadwood13.jpg, like many other Black Hills towns, was founded after the discovery of gold.]]

Land speculators founded two of eastern South Dakota's largest present-day cities: Sioux Falls in 1856 and Yankton in 1859.{{cite book |last=Milton |first=John |title=South Dakota: A History (States and the Nation) |year=1977 |isbn=9780393305715 |page=69|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company}} In 1861, the Dakota Territory was established by the United States government (this initially included North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Montana and Wyoming).{{cite web |title=Dakota Territory |publisher=State Historical Society of North Dakota |access-date=January 30, 2016 |url=http://history.nd.gov/archives/stateagencies/dtrecords.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216061723/http://history.nd.gov/archives/stateagencies/dtrecords.html |archive-date=February 16, 2016 |url-status=live}} Settlement of the area, mostly by people from the eastern United States as well as western and northern Europe, increased rapidly,Schell, pp 168–170. especially after the completion of an eastern railway link to Yankton in 1873.Schell, p. 113.

In 1874, gold was discovered in the Black Hills during a military expedition led by George A. CusterSchell, p. 129.Schell, pp. 140–144. and miners and explorers began illegally entering land promised to the Lakota. Custer's expedition took place despite the fact that the Sioux had been granted the entire western half of present-day South Dakota (West River) in 1868 by the Treaty of Laramie as part of the Great Sioux Reservation.Thompson (ed.), p. 90. The Sioux declined to grant mining rights or land in the Black Hills, and war broke out after the U.S. failed to stop white miners and settlers from entering the region.Schell, p. 129; pp. 133–39. Eventually the U.S. won and broke up the Great Sioux Reservation into five reservations, settling the Lakota there. In 1980 the Supreme Court and Congress ordered compensation to be offered but the Lakota still refuse to accept it, insisting on return of their land.Thompson (ed.), p. 529.

File:South Dakota harvest field-LCCN2008678244.tif

{{anchor|Conventions}}

A growing population in the Dakota Territory caused political dissatisfaction between northern and southern territory residents, with the southern half being always more populated. Following the territorial capital being moved from Yankton to Bismarck in the northern part, calls for dividing the territory increased. South Dakota held constitutional conventions in 1883, 1885, and 1889.{{cite book |title=South Dakota Historical Collections |date=1908 |publisher=South Dakota State Historical Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iXkSAAAAYAAJ&dq=constitutional+convention+South+Dakota+1883&pg=PA29}} Other account(s) state that the real reason for the split was a political lure for four Republican senators instead of two from the Republican dominated Dakota Territory and in their push to split the territory, Republican congressmen also ignored the uncomfortable fact that much of the land in the anticipated state of South Dakota belonged to the Sioux.{{cite book |author=Heather Cox Richardson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Zi4H7SsSugC |title=Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre |date=November 25, 2013 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=9780465025114 |page=101 |quote="On February 22, 1889, outgoing President Cleveland signed an omnibus bill that divided the Territory of Dakota in half. The bill also enable the people in the new Territories of North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as the older territories of Montana and Washington, to write state constitutions and elect state governments. The four new states would be admitted into the Union in nine months. This plan cut Democratic New Mexico out of statehood, and split Republican Dakota Territory into two new Republican states. Rather than two new Republican states and two new Democratic states that Congress had considered the previous year, the omnibus bill created three new Republican states and one new Democratic state that Republicans thought they would capture. In their eagerness to admit both Dakotas, Republican congressmen also ignored the uncomfortable fact that much of the land in the anticipated state of South Dakota belonged to the Sioux}}{{dead link|date=January 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}{{cite web |title=Section 6: Statehood {{!}} 4th Grade North Dakota Studies |url=https://www.ndstudies.gov/gr4/early-settlement-north-dakota/part-1-early-settlement-north-dakota/section-6-statehood |access-date=2024-11-11 |website=North Dakota Studies Grade 4 Curriculum}} Eventually, in the 1887 general election, Dakota Territory residents voted for the division, so it was divided in half and Republican President Benjamin Harrison signed proclamations formally admitting South Dakota and North Dakota to the union on November 2, 1889.{{cite magazine |title=Now You Know: Why Are There Two Dakotas? |url=https://time.com/4377423/dakota-north-south-history-two/ |access-date=April 7, 2022 |magazine=Time |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084549/https://time.com/4377423/dakota-north-south-history-two/ |url-status=live}}{{cite web |date=October 17, 2015 |title=Moving Toward Statehood {{!}} North Dakota Studies |url=http://www.ndstudies.gov/content/moving-toward-statehood |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017234846/http://www.ndstudies.gov/content/moving-toward-statehood |archive-date=2015-10-17 |access-date=April 7, 2022}}Schell, p. 222.Thompson (ed.), pp. 115–116. Harrison had the papers shuffled to obscure which one was signed first and the order went unrecorded.{{cite book|author=Heather Cox Richardson|date=November 25, 2013|title=Wounded Knee: Party Politics and the Road to an American Massacre|publisher=Basic Books|page=101|quote="On February 22, 1889, outgoing President Cleveland signed an omnibus bill that divided the Territory of Dakota in half. The bill also enable the people in the new Territories of North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as the older territories of Montana and Washington, to write state constitutions and elect state governments. The four new states would be admitted into the Union in nine months. This plan cut Democratic New Mexico out of statehood, and split Republican Dakota Territory into two new Republican states. Rather than two new Republican states and two new Democratic states that Congress had considered the previous year, the omnibus bill created three new Republican states and one new Democratic state that Republicans thought they would capture. In their eagerness to admit both Dakotas, Republican congressmen also ignored the uncomfortable fact that much of the land in the anticipated state of South Dakota belonged to the Sioux|isbn=9780465025114|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Zi4H7SsSugC}}{{Dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

On December 29, 1890, the Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Commonly cited as the last major armed conflict between the United States and the Lakota Sioux Nation, the massacre resulted in the deaths of at least 146 Sioux, many of them women and children.Schell, pp. 304–305. 31 U.S. soldiers were also killed in the conflict.

File:Dust Bowl - Dallas, South Dakota 1936.jpg, 1936. Normal tillage practices turn South Dakota's fragile soil into a fine, loose powder that blows away, and sometimes covered vehicles, equipment, and buildings with dust during the Dust Bowl.{{cite web |last=Charles |first=Dan |title=A Giant Organic Farm Faces Criticism That It's Harming The Environment |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/03/989984124/a-giant-organic-farm-faces-criticism-that-its-harming-the-environment |url-status=live |publisher=NPR |date=May 3, 2021 |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510065328/https://www.npr.org/2021/05/03/989984124/a-giant-organic-farm-faces-criticism-that-its-harming-the-environment |archive-date=May 10, 2021}}]]

During the 1930s, several economic and climatic conditions combined with disastrous results for South Dakota. A lack of rainfall, extremely high temperatures and inappropriate cultivation techniques produced what was known as the Dust Bowl in South Dakota and several other plains states. Fertile topsoil was blown away in massive dust storms, and several harvests were completely ruined.{{cite web| title = Drought in the Dust Bowl Years | publisher=National Drought Mitigation Center | access-date =April 4, 2007 | url = http://drought.unl.edu/whatis/dustbowl.htm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070329183000/http://www.drought.unl.edu/whatis/dustbowl.htm | archive-date =March 29, 2007}} The experiences of the Dust Bowl, coupled with local bank foreclosures and the general economic effects of the Great Depression, resulted in many South Dakotans leaving the state. The population of South Dakota declined by more than 7% between 1930 and 1940.{{cite web | title = Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | access-date = December 14, 2008 | url = https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/sd190090.txt | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081228081313/http://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/sd190090.txt | archive-date = December 28, 2008 | url-status = live }}

Economic stability returned with the U.S. entry into World War II in 1941, when demand for the state's agricultural and industrial products grew as the nation mobilized for war.Schell, pp. 317–320. In 1944, the Pick–Sloan Plan was passed as part of the Flood Control Act of 1944 by the U.S. Congress, resulting in the construction of six large dams on the Missouri River, four of which are at least partially in South Dakota.Schell, pp. 323–325. Flood control, hydroelectricity, and recreational opportunities such as boating and fishing are provided by the dams and their reservoirs.

In recent decades, South Dakota has been transformed from a state dominated by agriculture to one with a more diversified economy. The tourism industry has grown considerably since the mid-twentieth century, with the Black Hills becoming more important as a destination. The financial service industry began to grow in the state as well, with Citibank moving its credit card operations from New York to Sioux Falls in 1981, a move that has been followed by several other financial companies. South Dakota was the first state to eliminate caps on interest rates.Hetland, Cara. Sioux Falls 25 years after Citibank's arrival. [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/02/23/siouxfalls Publicradio.org] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222075941/http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/02/23/siouxfalls |date=February 22, 2011}} Minnesota Public Radio. February 24, 2006. (accessed March 23, 2007)

In 2007, the site of the recently closed Homestake gold mine near Lead was chosen as the location of a new underground research facility, the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory.{{cite web| title = Homestake Strikes Gold Again | publisher=South Dakota Science and Technology Authority | access-date =August 28, 2007 | url = http://www.sanfordlaboratoryathomestake.org/news_07-10-07a.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071215142331/http://www.sanfordlaboratoryathomestake.org/news_07-10-07a.html | archive-date = December 15, 2007}} Despite a growing state population and recent economic development, many rural areas have been struggling over the past 50 years with locally declining populations and the emigration of educated young adults to larger South Dakota cities, such as Rapid City or Sioux Falls, or to other states.{{cite web| title = Sweeping out the Plains | publisher=aliciapatterson.org | access-date =April 5, 2007 | url = http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF2102/Coffman_Anthan/Coffman_Anthan.html | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070403202243/http://aliciapatterson.org/APF2102/Coffman_Anthan/Coffman_Anthan.html | archive-date =April 3, 2007}} Mechanization and consolidation of agriculture has contributed greatly to the declining number of smaller family farms and the resulting economic and demographic challenges facing rural towns.Thompson (ed.), pp. 542–549. Gallup-Sharecare State of American Well-Being Rankings in 2018 named South Dakota the happiest, healthiest state in the United States.{{cite web|date=February 14, 2018|title=South Dakota: Home to the happiest, healthiest people|url=https://www.siouxfalls.business/south-dakota-home-to-the-happiest-healthiest-people/|access-date=November 27, 2020|website=SiouxFalls.Business |archive-date=December 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204225039/https://www.siouxfalls.business/south-dakota-home-to-the-happiest-healthiest-people/|url-status=live}}

{{main|Geography of South Dakota}}

{{see also|Geology of South Dakota}}

File:South Dakota general map 2.png

South Dakota is in the north-central United States, and is considered a part of the Midwest by the U.S. Census Bureau;[http://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf Census Regions and Divisions of the United States] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219134403/https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf |date=December 19, 2017 }}, U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved January 19, 2016. it is also part of the Great Plains region. The culture, economy, and geography of western South Dakota have more in common with the West than the Midwest.Johnson, Dirk. Gold Divides Dakotans as River Did [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DF1539F93AA35753C1A96E948260 NYtimes.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728143640/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/10/09/us/gold-divides-dakotans-as-river-did.html |date=July 28, 2020 }} The New York Times. October 9, 1988. (accessed February 14, 2008) South Dakota has a total area of {{convert|77116|sqmi|km2}}, making the state the 17th largest in the Union.{{cite web| url =https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/state-area.html| title =State Area Measurements (2010)| publisher =U.S. Census| access-date =March 26, 2015| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180316004512/https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/state-area.html| archive-date =March 16, 2018}}

Black Elk Peak, formerly named Harney Peak, with an elevation of {{convert|7242|ft|m|abbr=on}}, is the state's highest point, while the shoreline of Big Stone Lake is the lowest, with an elevation of {{convert|966|ft|m|abbr=on}}. South Dakota is bordered to the north by North Dakota; to the south by Nebraska; to the east by Iowa and Minnesota; and to the west by Wyoming and Montana. The geographical center of the U.S. is {{convert|17|mi|km}} west of Castle Rock in Butte County. The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is between Allen and Kyle, {{convert|1024|mi|km|abbr=on}} from the nearest coastline.{{Cite journal |doi=10.1080/14702540801897809 |volume=123 |issue=3 |pages=227–233 |last=Garcia-Castellanos |first=D. |author2=U. Lombardo |title=Poles of Inaccessibility: A Calculation Algorithm for the Remotest Places on Earth |journal=Scottish Geographical Journal |year=2007 |bibcode=2007ScGJ..123..227G |s2cid=55876083 |url=http://cuba.ija.csic.es/~danielgc/papers/Garcia-Castellanos,%20Lombardo,%202007,%20SGJ.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629230429/http://cuba.ija.csic.es/~danielgc/papers/Garcia-Castellanos,%20Lombardo,%202007,%20SGJ.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2014 }}

The Missouri River is the largest and longest river in the state. Other major South Dakota rivers include the Cheyenne, James, Big Sioux, and White Rivers. Eastern South Dakota has many natural lakes, mostly created by periods of glaciation.Thompson (ed.), pp. 17–18. Additionally, dams on the Missouri River create four large reservoirs: Lake Oahe, Lake Sharpe, Lake Francis Case, and Lewis and Clark Lake.{{cite web |url=https://sdmissouririver.com/follow-the-river/the-four-lakes-and-dams/ |title=The Four Lakes and Dams |publisher=South Dakota Missouri River Tourism |date= |access-date=2022-08-12}}

South Dakota can generally be divided into three regions: eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the Black Hills.Thompson (ed.), p. 14. The Missouri River serves as a boundary in terms of geographic, social, and political differences between eastern and western South Dakota. The geography of the Black Hills, long considered sacred by Native Americans, differs from its surroundings to such an extent it can be considered separate from the rest of western South Dakota. At times the Black Hills are combined with the rest of western South Dakota, and people often refer to the resulting two regions divided by the Missouri River as West River and East River.

File:Badlands panorama1.jpg]]

Eastern South Dakota generally features higher precipitation and lower topography than the western part of the state. Smaller geographic regions of this area include the Coteau des Prairies, the Dissected Till Plains, and the James River Valley. The Coteau des Prairies is a plateau bordered on the east by the Minnesota River Valley and on the west by the James River Basin. Further west, the James River Basin is mostly low, flat, highly eroded land, following the flow of the James River through South Dakota from north to south.Schell, pp. 4–6. The Dissected Till Plains, an area of rolling hills and fertile soil that covers much of Iowa and Nebraska, extends into the southeastern corner of South Dakota. Layers deposited during the Pleistocene epoch, starting around two million years ago, cover most of eastern South Dakota. These are the youngest rock and sediment layers in the state, the product of several successive periods of glaciation which deposited a large amount of rocks and soil, known as till, over the area.{{cite web| title = Pleistocene Deposits | publisher=South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | access-date =November 28, 2008 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/pleistocene.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080116121210/http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/pleistocene.html | archive-date = January 16, 2008}}

The Great Plains cover most of the western two-thirds of South Dakota. West of the Missouri River the landscape becomes more arid and rugged, consisting of rolling hills, plains, ravines, and steep flat-topped hills called buttes.Schell, p. 6. In the south, east of the Black Hills, lie the South Dakota Badlands. Erosion from the Black Hills, marine skeletons which fell to the bottom of a large shallow sea that once covered the area, and volcanic material all contribute to the geology of this area.{{cite web| title = Mesozoic Formations | publisher=South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | access-date =November 28, 2008 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/mesozoic.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080213170116/http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/mesozoic.html | archive-date = February 13, 2008}}{{cite web| title = Tertiary Formations | publisher=South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | access-date =November 28, 2008 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/tertiary.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070925065217/http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/tertiary.html | archive-date = September 25, 2007}}

File:Harney Peak 4.jpg, a low mountain range, is located in Southwestern South Dakota.]]

The Black Hills are in the southwestern part of South Dakota and extend into Wyoming. This range of low mountains covers {{convert|6000|sqmi|km2|abbr=on}}, with peaks that rise from 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200 m) above their bases. The Black Hills are the location of Black Elk Peak (7,242 ft or 2,207 m above sea level), the highest point in South Dakota and also the highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Two-billion-year-old Precambrian formations, the oldest rocks in the state, form the central core of the Black Hills.{{cite web | title = The Geology of South Dakota | publisher = Northern State University | access-date = August 29, 2008 | url = http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/EARTH/Geolog1.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081001125824/http://www.northern.edu/natsource/EARTH/Geolog1.htm | archive-date = October 1, 2008 }}{{cite web| title = Precambrian Formations | publisher=South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | access-date =November 28, 2008 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/precambrian.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080116121220/http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/precambrian.html | archive-date = January 16, 2008}} Formations from the Paleozoic Era form the outer ring of the Black Hills;{{cite web| title = Paleozoic Formations | publisher=South Dakota Department of Environment & Natural Resources | access-date =November 28, 2008 | url = http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/paleozoic.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080116121205/http://www.sdgs.usd.edu/geology/paleozoic.html | archive-date = January 16, 2008}} these were created between roughly 540 and 250 million years ago. This area features rocks such as limestone, which were deposited here when the area formed the shoreline of an ancient inland sea.

File:Thunder butte SD.jpgs.]]

Much of South Dakota (except for the Black Hills area) is dominated by a temperate grassland biome.{{cite web| title = A Short Introduction to Terrestrial Biomes | publisher=nearctica.com | access-date =September 22, 2007 | url = http://www.nearctica.com/ecology/habitats/biointro.htm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070928020341/http://www.nearctica.com/ecology/habitats/biointro.htm | archive-date =September 28, 2007}} Although grasses and crops cover most of this region, deciduous trees such as cottonwoods, elms, and willows are common near rivers and in shelter belts.{{cite web | title = South Dakota Flora | publisher = Northern State University | access-date = September 22, 2007 | url = http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/flora1.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001164057/http://www.northern.edu/natsource/flora1.htm | archive-date = October 1, 2007 }}

Mammals in this area include bison, deer, pronghorn, coyotes, and prairie dogs.{{cite web | title = South Dakota Fauna | publisher = Northern State University | access-date = September 22, 2007 | url = http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/fauna1.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071015051320/http://northern.edu/natsource/fauna1.htm | archive-date = October 15, 2007 }} The state bird, the ring-necked pheasant, has adapted well to the area after being introduced from China.{{cite web | title = Ring-Necked Pheasant | publisher = Northern State University | access-date = September 22, 2007 | url = http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/BIRDS/Ringne1.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071015051301/http://northern.edu/natsource/BIRDS/Ringne1.htm | archive-date = October 15, 2007 }} Growing populations of bald eagles are spread throughout the state, especially near the Missouri River.Hetland, Cara. "South Dakota bald eagles make a comeback" [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/07/sdeaglesuccess/ Publicradio.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015051544/http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/07/sdeaglesuccess/ |date=October 15, 2007 }} Minnesota Public Radio. February 8, 2007. (accessed September 22, 2007). Rivers and lakes of the grasslands support populations of walleye, carp, pike, bass, and other species. The Missouri River also contains the pre-historic paddlefish.{{cite web | title = Paddlefish | publisher = Northern State University | access-date = September 22, 2007 | url = http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/ENDANG1/Paddle1.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071015051309/http://northern.edu/natsource/ENDANG1/Paddle1.htm | archive-date = October 15, 2007 }}

Due to a higher elevation and level of precipitation, the Black Hills ecology differs significantly from that of the plains.[http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs005.pdf "South Dakota's Forest Resources". Piva, R.; Haugan, D.; Josten, G.; Brand, G.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312234431/http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rb/rb_nrs005.pdf |date=March 12, 2009 }} (U.S. Department of Interior. Forest Service Resource Bulletin. 2007) The mountains are thickly blanketed by various types of pines, including ponderosa and lodgepole pines, as well as spruces.Thompson (ed.), p. 31. Black Hills mammals include deer, elk (wapiti), bighorn sheep, mountain goats, pine marten, and mountain lions, while the streams and lakes contain several species of trout.{{cite web | title = Deer | publisher = South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks | access-date = January 23, 2016 | url = http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/deer/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160130014243/http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/big-game/deer/ | archive-date = January 30, 2016 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | title = Fishing | publisher = Black Hills National Forest | access-date = January 27, 2016 | url = http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/blackhills/recreation/fishing | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160204072932/http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/blackhills/recreation/fishing | archive-date = February 4, 2016 | url-status = live }}

{{See also|Climate change in South Dakota}}

File:South Dakota Köppen.svg

South Dakota has a continental climate with four distinct seasons, ranging from cold, dry winters to warm and semi-humid summers. During the summers, the state's average high temperature is often close to {{convert|90|°F}}, although it cools to near {{convert|60|°F}} at night. It is not unusual for South Dakota to have severe hot, dry spells in the summer with the temperature climbing above {{convert|100|°F}} several times a year.{{cite web|url=http://www5.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim60/states/Clim_SD_01.pdf |title=Climate of South Dakota |publisher=National Climatic Data Center |access-date=November 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080624205247/http://www5.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim60/states/Clim_SD_01.pdf |archive-date=June 24, 2008 }} Winters are cold with January high temperatures averaging below freezing and low temperatures averaging below {{convert|10|°F}} in most of the state. The highest recorded temperature is {{convert|120|F|C}} at Usta on July 15, 2006{{cite news | url = https://www.usatoday.com/weather/wheat7.htm | title = Each state's high temperature record | newspaper = USA Today | access-date = March 1, 2012 | date = November 1, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120703051245/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wheat7.htm | archive-date = July 3, 2012 | url-status = live }} and the lowest recorded temperature is {{convert|-58|F|C}} at McIntosh on February 17, 1936.{{cite news | url = https://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm | title = Each state's low temperature record | newspaper = USA Today | access-date = March 1, 2012 | date = February 10, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120827011331/http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wcstates.htm | archive-date = August 27, 2012 | url-status = live }}

Average annual precipitation in South Dakota ranges from semi-arid conditions in the northwestern part of the state (around {{convert|15|in|disp=or|abbr=out}}) to semi-humid around the southeast portion of the state (around {{convert|25|in|disp=or|abbr=out}}), although a small area centered on Lead in the Black Hills has the highest precipitation at nearly {{convert|30|in}} per year.{{cite web|title=Precipitation Normals (1971–2000) |publisher=South Dakota State University |access-date=November 26, 2008 |url=http://climate.sdstate.edu/archives/data/pptnormals.shtm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417160056/http://climate.sdstate.edu/archives/data/pptnormals.shtm |archive-date=April 17, 2012 }}

South Dakota summers bring frequent, sometimes severe, thunderstorms with high winds, thunder, and hail. The state's eastern part is often considered part of Tornado Alley,{{cite web | title = Tornado Alley | publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | access-date = January 27, 2016 | url = https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornado-climatology/tornado-alley | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181113213336/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornado-climatology/tornado-alley | archive-date = November 13, 2018 | url-status = live }} and South Dakota experiences an average of 30 tornadoes each year.{{cite web | url = http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif | title = Annual Average Number of Tornadoes, 1953–2004 | publisher = National Climatic Data Center | access-date = June 25, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif | archive-date = October 16, 2011 | url-status = live }} Severe blizzards and ice storms often occur during winter.

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File:20100324-F-LSC-140 (33845911384).jpg in the Black Hills]]

South Dakota has several sites administered by the National Park Service. Two national parks have been established in the state, both in its southwestern region. Wind Cave National Park, established in 1903 in the Black Hills, has an extensive cave network and is home to a large herd of bison.Nettinga, Curt. Saving the bison may have saved Wind Cave Park. [http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/communities/hot-springs/community/saving-the-bison-may-have-saved-wind-cave-park/article_5cdb8bda-0365-11e3-9a3e-001a4bcf887a.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917111016/http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/communities/hot-springs/community/saving-the-bison-may-have-saved-wind-cave-park/article_5cdb8bda-0365-11e3-9a3e-001a4bcf887a.html|date=September 17, 2013}} Rapid City Journal. August 13, 2013. (accessed January 29, 2016) Badlands National Park was established in 1978,{{cite web | title = Frequently Asked Questions (Badlands National Park) | publisher = National Park Service | access-date = August 27, 2007 | url = http://www.nps.gov/badl/faqs.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070822005642/http://www.nps.gov/badl/faqs.htm | archive-date = August 22, 2007 | url-status = live }} and features an eroded, brightly colored landscape surrounded by semi-arid grasslands.{{cite web | title = Badlands | publisher = National Park Service | access-date = August 27, 2007 | url = http://www.nps.gov/badl | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070824080349/http://www.nps.gov/badl | archive-date = August 24, 2007 | url-status = live }} Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills was established in 1925. The sculpture of four U.S. Presidents was carved into the mountainside by sculptor Gutzon Borglum.{{cite web | title = Student Guide | publisher = National Park Service | access-date = January 29, 2016 | url = http://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/kidsyouth/upload/MORU-Student-Guide-2014.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150911181239/http://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/kidsyouth/upload/MORU-Student-Guide-2014.pdf | archive-date = September 11, 2015 | url-status = live }}

Other areas managed by the National Park Service include Jewel Cave National Monument near Custer, the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, which features a decommissioned nuclear missile silo and a separate missile control area several miles away, and the Missouri National Recreational River.{{cite web | title = South Dakota | publisher = National Park Service | access-date = August 28, 2007 | url = http://www.nps.gov/state/SD/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071001145001/http://www.nps.gov/state/sd/ | archive-date = October 1, 2007 | url-status = live }} The Crazy Horse Memorial is a large mountainside sculpture near Mount Rushmore being built using private funds.Hetland, Cara. Crazy Horse Memorial turns 60 this year [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/02/crazyhorse60 Publicradio.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130083252/http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/02/crazyhorse60 |date=January 30, 2009 }} Minnesota Public Radio. June 8, 2008. (accessed February 7, 2009). The Mammoth Site near Hot Springs is another privately owned attraction in the Black Hills. It is a working paleontological dig and has one of the world's largest concentrations of mammoth remains.{{cite web|url=http://www.mammothsite.com|title=Home|website=Mammoth Site of Hot Springs|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809223106/http://mammothsite.com/|archive-date=August 9, 2014|url-status=live}}

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{{Main|Demographics of South Dakota}}

File:South Dakota population density 2020.png

{{US Census population

| 1860 = 4837

| 1870 = 11776

| 1880 = 98268

| 1890 = 348600

| 1900 = 401570

| 1910 = 583888

| 1920 = 636547

| 1930 = 692849

| 1940 = 642961

| 1950 = 652740

| 1960 = 680514

| 1970 = 665507

| 1980 = 690768

| 1990 = 696004

| 2000 = 754844

| 2010 = 814180

| 2020 = 886667

| estyear = 2024

| estimate = 924669

| estref = {{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 26, 2024}}

| footnote = Source: 1910–2020{{cite web |title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020) |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html }}

}}

At the 2022 estimate South Dakota's population was 909,824 on July 1, 2022, a 2.61% increase since the 2020 United States census.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/SD,US/PST045222|title=QuickFacts South Dakota; UNITED STATES|website=2022 Population Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Population Division|date=December 26, 2022|access-date=December 26, 2022}}

In 2020, 6.5% of South Dakota's population was reported as under 5, 24.5% under 18, and 17.7% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 49.7% of the population. As of the 2020 census, South Dakota ranked fifth-lowest in the nation in population and population density, only North Dakota, Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming have fewer residents.

Of the people residing in South Dakota, 65.7% were born in South Dakota, 31.4% were born in another U.S. state, 0.6% were born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parent(s), and 2.3% were born in another country.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/ |title=U.S. Census website—Results |access-date=June 22, 2017 |archive-date=December 27, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live}} The top countries of origin for South Dakota's immigrants and refugees in 2018 were Guatemala, the Philippines, Mexico, Sudan and Ethiopia.{{cite web |title=Immigrants in South Dakota |url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_south_dakota.pdf}}

The center of population of South Dakota is in Buffalo County, in the unincorporated county seat of Gann Valley.{{cite web |title=Population and Population Centers by State—2000 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011212170351/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt |archive-date=December 12, 2001}}

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 1,389 homeless people in South Dakota.{{cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK}}{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf}}

In 2022, South Dakota had the lowest drug overdose death rate of any US state, at 11.3 per 100,000 people.{{cite web |title=Drug Overdose Mortality by State |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/drug_poisoning_mortality/drug_poisoning.htm |publisher=U.S. Department of Health & Human Services |date=March 2022 |access-date=September 21, 2024}}

According to the 2022 census estimate, the racial composition of the population was:

• 84.2% White alone, percent
• 2.6% Black or African American alone, percent
• 8.5% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent
• 1.8% Asian alone, percent
• 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent
• 2.8% Two or More Races, percent
• 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, percent
• 80.7% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent

Source:{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: South Dakota |website=census.gov |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/SD |date=1 July 2022 |access-date=24 September 2023}}

Ethnically, 4.9% of South Dakota's population was of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin (they may be of any race). Ethnicity for the remainder of the population is not similarly accounted by the federal government.{{cite web |last=US Census Bureau |date=2022 |title=About the Hispanic Population and its Origin |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/hispanic-origin/about.html}}

[[File:South dakota counties by race.svg|thumb|Map of counties in South Dakota by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census{{Collapsible list

| title = Legend|{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

Non-Hispanic White

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

{{legend|#5b0f00|80–90%}}

{{legend|#410b00|90%+}}

{{col-2}}

Native American

{{legend|#6aa84f|60–70%}}

{{legend|#38761d|70–80%}}

{{legend|#274e13|80–90%}}

{{legend|#1c3c0c|90%+}}

{{col-end}}

}}]]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.4% of South Dakota's population younger than age 1 were 'minorities' as of 2011, meaning they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white.{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|last=Exner|first=Rich|date=June 3, 2012|work=The Plain Dealer|access-date=August 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html|archive-date=July 14, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web |last=U.S. Census Bureau |date=2012 |title=Most Children Younger Than Age 1 are Minorities |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/population/cb12-90.html}}

As of 2000, the five largest ancestry groups in South Dakota are German (40.7%), Norwegian (15.3%), Irish (10.4%), Native American (8.3%), and English (7.1%).{{cite web |title=Quick Tables |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&geo_id=04000US46 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212042258/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=n&_lang=en&qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&geo_id=04000US46 |archive-date=February 12, 2020}}

German Americans are the largest ancestry group in most parts of the state, especially in East River (east of the Missouri River), although there are also large Scandinavian-descended populations in some counties. South Dakota has the nation's largest population of Hutterites,{{cite web |title=Color them plain but successful |url=https://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=1409 |url-status=live |publisher=The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis |access-date=December 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116013816/http://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications_papers/pub_display.cfm?id=1409 |archive-date=January 16, 2009}} a communal Anabaptist group which emigrated in 1874 from German-speaking villages in what today is Ukraine but at that time was part of the Russian Empire.

File:National-atlas-indian-reservations-south-dakota.gifs in South Dakota]]

American Indians, largely Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota (Sioux), are predominant in several counties and constitute 20 percent of the population in West River. The seven large Indian reservations in the state occupy an area much diminished from their former Great Sioux Reservation of West River, which the federal government had once allocated to the Sioux tribes. South Dakota has the third-highest proportion of Native Americans of any state, behind Alaska and New Mexico.{{cite web |title=States Ranked by American Indian and Alaska Native Population, July 1, 1999 |url=https://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/rank/aiea.txt |url-status=live |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=December 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201024047/http://www.census.gov/population/estimates/state/rank/aiea.txt |archive-date=December 1, 2008}}

Five of the state's counties are wholly within the boundaries of sovereign Indian reservations.{{cite web |title=Press Releases—Uniquely South Dakota |publisher=South Dakota Department of Tourism |access-date=August 22, 2008 |url=http://www.travelsd.com/Newsroom/pressreleases/uniquelysd.asp?id=356 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210034323/http://www.travelsd.com/newsroom/pressreleases/uniquelysd.asp?id=356 |archive-date=December 10, 2008}} Because of the limitations of climate and land, and isolation from urban areas with more employment opportunities, living standards on many South Dakota reservations are often far below the national average; Ziebach County ranked as the poorest county in the nation in 2009.Garrigan, Mary. "Ziebach County still poorest in America" [http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_eda45bae-040a-11e0-92aa-001cc4c03286.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510115722/http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/news/article_eda45bae-040a-11e0-92aa-001cc4c03286.html|date=May 10, 2011}} The Rapid City Journal, December 10, 2010. (accessed May 20, 2011) The unemployment rate in Fort Thompson, on the Crow Creek Reservation, is 70%, and 21% of households lack plumbing or basic kitchen appliances.[http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200210/02_hetlandc_census-m/ Hetland, Cara. "South Dakota has nation's poorest county"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809122011/http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200210/02_hetlandc_census-m/ |date=August 9, 2018 }}, Minnesota Public Radio. October 1, 2002. (accessed December 19, 2008) A 1995 study by the U.S. Census Bureau found 58% of homes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation did not have a telephone.{{cite web | title = Transportation and Tourism Development at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation | publisher = Federal Highway Administration | access-date = December 19, 2008 | url = https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/economic_development/technical_and_analytical/pineridge.cfm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120615224754/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/economic_development/technical_and_analytical/pineridge.cfm | archive-date = June 15, 2012 | url-status = live }} The reservations' isolation also inhibits their ability to generate revenue from gaming casinos, an avenue that has proved profitable for many tribes closer to urban centers.

In 1995, the legislature passed a law to make English the "common language" of the state.{{cite web|url=http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=1-27-20|title=South Dakota Codified Laws (1–27–20)|publisher=South Dakota State Legislature|access-date=January 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121082652/http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Codified_Laws/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=1-27-20|archive-date=January 21, 2016}} Since 2019, "the language of the Great Sioux Nation, {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} three dialects, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota" is the official indigenous language. As of the 2000 census, 1.90% of the population age{{nbsp}}5 or older speak German at home, while 1.51% speak Lakota or Dakota, and 1.43% Spanish.{{cite web | title = Most Spoken Languages in South Dakota | publisher = mla.org | access-date = August 18, 2007 | url = http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=46&mode=state_tops | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930182657/http://www.mla.org/map_data_results%26state_id%3D46%26mode%3Dstate_tops | archive-date = September 30, 2007 | url-status = live }} As of 2010, 93.46% (692,504) of South Dakota residents age{{nbsp}}5 and older spoke English as their primary language. 6.54% of the population spoke a language other than English. 2.06% (15,292) of the population spoke Spanish, 1.39% (10,282) spoke Dakota, and 1.37% (10,140) spoke German. Other languages spoken included Vietnamese (0.16%), Chinese (0.12%), and Russian (0.10%).{{cite web |title=Most Spoken Languages in South Dakota In 2010 |publisher=Modern Language Association |access-date=December 14, 2013 |url=http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815140430/http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results |archive-date=August 15, 2013}}

Over the last several decades, the population in many rural areas has declined in South Dakota, in common with other Great Plains states. The change has been characterized as "rural flight" as family farming has declined. Young people have moved to cities for other employment. This trend has continued in recent years, with 30 of South Dakota's counties losing population between the 1990 and the 2000 census.[https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/sd.htm O'Driscoll, Patrick. "Sioux Falls powers South Dakota growth"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100729023239/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/sd.htm |date=July 29, 2010 }}, USA Today, March 12, 2001. (accessed December 16, 2008) During that time, nine counties had a population loss of greater than 10%, with Harding County, in the northwest corner of the state, losing nearly 19% of its population. Low birth rates and a lack of younger immigration has caused the median age of many of these counties to increase. In 24 counties, at least 20% of the population is over the age of 65,{{cite web|title=South Dakota state and county demographic profiles |publisher=South Dakota State University |access-date=December 16, 2008 |url=http://agbionews.sdstate.edu/story.cfm?id=4420 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106004418/http://agbionews.sdstate.edu/story.cfm?id=4420 |archive-date=January 6, 2009 }} compared with a national rate of 12.8%.

The effect of rural flight has not been spread evenly through South Dakota, however. Although most rural counties and small towns have lost population, the Sioux Falls area, the larger counties along Interstate 29, the Black Hills, and many Indian reservations have all gained population. As the reservations have exercised more sovereignty, some Sioux have returned to them from urban areas.{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24606422 | jstor=24606422 | title=Community in Native America: Continuity and Change Among the Sioux | last1=Demallie | first1=Raymond J. | journal=Journal de la Société des Américanistes | date=January 2, 2024 | volume=95 | issue=1 | pages=185–205 | doi=10.4000/jsa.10792 }} Lincoln County near Sioux Falls was the seventh fastest-growing county (by percentage) in the United States in 2010.{{cite web | title = Fastest Growing U.S. Counties | publisher = CNN | access-date = March 15, 2016 | url = https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/real_estate/1006/gallery.fastest_growing_US_counties/7.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160317160749/http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/real_estate/1006/gallery.fastest_growing_US_counties/7.html | archive-date = March 17, 2016 | url-status = live }} The growth in these areas has compensated for losses in the rest of the state. South Dakota's total population continues to increase steadily, albeit at a slower rate than the national average.

A one-night stay in South Dakota is all that is necessary to qualify a person to claim residency in South Dakota. Residency in South Dakota has therefore become very popular among full-time travelers (persons who reside in recreational vehicles, aboard cruise ships, etc.).{{cite web |url= https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-residency-taxes-voting-travelers-1656a39e8430d9bd16d889cbc25d8c46 |title= Becoming a resident of South Dakota is easy. Some say too easy |website=AP News |date=2024-12-24 |access-date=2024-12-25 |first=Jack |last=Dura |archive-url= https://archive.today/20241225134738/https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-residency-taxes-voting-travelers-1656a39e8430d9bd16d889cbc25d8c46 |archive-date=2024-12-25}}

{{Pie chart|thumb=right|caption=Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute's 2022 American Values Survey{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in South Dakota |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-SD |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Public Religion Research Institute |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-SD |url-status=dead }}|label1=Christianity|value1=72|color1=Purple|label2=Unaffiliated|value2=21|color2=White|label3=Buddhism|value3=3|color3=Yellow|label4=New Age|value4=3|color4=Red|label5=Other|value5=1|color5=Black|value6=|color6=|value7=|color7=}}According to the Public Religion Research Institute in 2020, 73% of the adult population were Christian.{{Cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-SD |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-SD |url-status=dead }} Per the Pew Research Center's separate 2014 study, the largest religious denominations in Christianity by number of adherents as a percentage of South Dakota's population in 2014 were the Catholic Church with 22 percent, evangelical Protestants with 25 percent, and mainline Protestants with 32 percent. Together, all kinds of Protestants accounted for 57 percent. Those unaffiliated with any religion represented 18 percent of the population. The breakdown of other religions was <1% Muslim, <1% Hindu and 1% Buddhist.{{cite web |last= |date=May 12, 2015 |title=America's Changing Religious Landscape, Appendix D: Detailed Tables |url=http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/05/Appendix-D-Detailed-Tables.pdf |access-date=June 5, 2015 |publisher=Pew Research Center |archive-date=May 28, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528123026/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/05/Appendix-D-Detailed-Tables.pdf }} The number of Jewish people in South Dakota is under 400, the lowest total in any of the fifty states.{{cite web |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/south-dakotas-dwindling-jewish-population |title=South Dakota's Dwindling Jewish Population |author=Stephanie Butnick |date=December 29, 2014 |publisher=Tablet Magazine |access-date=October 15, 2023 }}

The largest Christian denominations by number of adherents in 2010 were the Roman Catholic Church with 148,883 members; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with 112,649 members; and the United Methodist Church (UMC) with 36,020 members.{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/46/rcms2010_46_state_adh_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report |publisher=www.thearda.com |access-date=December 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180416200527/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/46/rcms2010_46_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=April 16, 2018 }} The ELCA and UMC are specific denominations within the broader terms 'Lutheran' and 'Methodist', respectively. Through the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, Catholicism remained the largest Christian denomination, followed by the ELCA. Non-denominational Protestants numbered 63,992, becoming the third largest group of Christians throughout the state.{{Cite web |title=2020 Congregational Membership |url=https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/census/congregational-membership?y=2020&y2=0&t=1&c=46 |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=Association of Religion Data Archives}}

In 2022, the Public Religion Research Institute determined 72% of the state were Christian altogether, though Protestants were 48%, Catholics 22%, and Jehovah's Witnesses 2%. The religiously unaffiliated declined from 22% to 21% between 2020 and 2022. Other non-Christian faith groups with a substantial presence in the South Dakota were Buddhism (3%), New Age (3%), and others at 1% altogether. Through the Association of Religion Data Archives 2020 study, there were 978 adherents to the Baha'i Faith and 535 Muslims.

{{See also|South Dakota locations by per capita income|List of power stations in South Dakota}}

File:B-1B Take Off.jpg lifts off from Ellsworth Air Force Base, one of South Dakota's largest employers.]]

The current-dollar gross state product of South Dakota was $39.8 billion as of 2010, the fifth-smallest total state output in the U.S.{{cite web | title = Table 3. Current-Dollar GDP by State, 2007–2010 | publisher = Bureau of Economic Analysis | access-date = August 25, 2011 | url = https://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2011/pdf/gsp0611.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719041705/http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2011/pdf/gsp0611.pdf | archive-date = July 19, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} The per capita personal income was $38,865 in 2010, ranked 25th in the U.S.,{{cite web | title = SA1-3 Per capita income (dollars) | publisher = Bureau of Economic Analysis | access-date = August 25, 2011 | url = https://www.bea.gov/regional/spi/drill.cfm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150923192707/http://www.bea.gov/regional/spi/drill.cfm | archive-date = September 23, 2015 | df = mdy-all }} and 12.5% of the population was below the poverty line in 2008.{{cite web | title = Persons Below Poverty Level, 2008 | publisher = United States Census Bureau | access-date = August 25, 2011 | url = https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/ranks/rank34.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110817031706/http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/ranks/rank34.html | archive-date = August 17, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} CNBC's list of "Top States for Business for 2010" has recognized South Dakota as the seventh-best state in the nation.[https://web.archive.org/web/20111226183123/http://www.cnbc.com/id/37516043 "America's Top States for Business 2010"]. . CNBC Special Report (2010): 1. Web. May 9, 2011. In July 2011, the state's unemployment rate was 4.7%.{{cite web | title = Local Area Unemployment Statistics | publisher = Bureau of Labor Statistics | access-date = May 9, 2011 | url = http://www.bls.gov/lau/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725005015/https://www.bls.gov/lau/ | archive-date = July 25, 2018 | url-status = live }}

The service industry is the largest economic contributor in South Dakota. This sector includes the retail, finance, and healthcare industries. Citibank, which was at one time the largest bank holding company in the United States, established national banking operations in South Dakota in 1981 to take advantage of favorable banking regulations. Today the trust fund industry manages hundreds of billions of dollars and is known as tax haven for foreigners.{{cite news |last=Bullough |first=Oliver |date=November 14, 2019 |title=The great American tax haven: why the super-rich love South Dakota |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/14/the-great-american-tax-haven-why-the-super-rich-love-south-dakota-trust-laws |access-date=October 21, 2023}} Government spending is another important segment of the state's economy, providing over ten percent of the gross state product. Ellsworth Air Force Base, near Rapid City, is the second-largest single employer in the state.Reha, Bob. [http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/08/26_rehab_ellsworthopen/ "South Dakota's Ellsworth AFB to stay open"]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127161020/http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/08/26_rehab_ellsworthopen/ |date=January 27, 2007}}. Minnesota Public Radio. August 26, 2005. Accessed September 8, 2007.

File:SDethnl1.jpg plant in Turner County]]

Agriculture has historically been the key component of the South Dakota economy. Although other industries have expanded rapidly in recent decades, agricultural production is still very important to the state's economy, especially in rural areas. The five most valuable agricultural products in South Dakota are cattle, corn (maize), soybeans, wheat, and hogs.{{cite web | title = State Fact Sheets: South Dakota | publisher = United States Department of Agriculture | access-date = June 25, 2009 | url = http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=46&StateName=South%20Dakota#.U8LWu_ldUeo | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120729083935/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=46&StateName=South%20Dakota | archive-date = July 29, 2012 | url-status = live }} Agriculture-related industries such as meat packing and ethanol production also have a considerable economic impact on the state. South Dakota is the sixth leading ethanol-producing state in the nation.{{cite web | title = Ethanol Production By State | publisher = Nebraska Energy Office | access-date = June 30, 2007 | url = http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/121.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070415050748/http://www.neo.ne.gov/statshtml/121.htm | archive-date = April 15, 2007 | url-status = live }}

Another important sector in South Dakota's economy is tourism. Many travel to view the attractions of the state, particularly those in the Black Hills region, such as historic Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, and the nearby state and national parks. One of the largest tourist events in the state is the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The five-day event drew over 739,000 attendees in 2015; significant considering the state has a total population of 850,000.{{cite web | url = http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/08/04/sturgis-rally-attendance-expected-top-last-year/13563401/ | title = Sturgis rally attendance expected to top last year | publisher = Argus Leader | date = August 4, 2014 | access-date = August 24, 2014 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20140824145325/http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2014/08/04/sturgis-rally-attendance-expected-top-last-year/13563401/ | archive-date = August 24, 2014 | url-status = live }} In 2006, tourism provided an estimated 33,000 jobs in the state and contributed over two billion dollars to the economy of South Dakota.{{cite web | title = South Dakota Tourism Statistics | publisher = South Dakota Department of Tourism | access-date = April 6, 2007 | url = http://sdvisit.com/tools/facts/index.asp | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110216210634/http://www.sdvisit.com/tools/facts/index.asp | archive-date = February 16, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}

{{Main|Transportation in South Dakota}}

{{See also|List of South Dakota railroads|List of South Dakota numbered highways}}

File:Beaver Creek Bridge in Wind Cave National Park.jpg]]

South Dakota has {{convert|83,609|mi|km}} of highways, roads, and streets, along with {{convert|679|mi|km}} of interstate highways.{{cite web | title = General Information/Key Facts | publisher = South Dakota Department of Transportation | access-date = September 3, 2007 | url = http://www.sddot.com/geninfo_facts.asp | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120412194435/http://sddot.com/geninfo_facts.asp | archive-date = April 12, 2012 }} Two major interstates pass through South Dakota: Interstate 90, which runs east and west through the southern half of the state; and Interstate 29, running north and south in the eastern portion of the state. The I-29 corridor features generally higher rates of population and economic growth than areas in eastern South Dakota further from the interstate.

Also in the state are the shorter Interstates 190, a spur into central Rapid City, and 229, a loop around southern and eastern Sioux Falls. Several major U.S. highways pass through the state. U.S. routes 12, 14, 16, 18 and 212 travel east and west, while U.S. routes 81, 83, 85 and 281 run north and south. South Dakota and Montana are the only states sharing a land border that is not traversed by a paved road.

South Dakota contains two National Scenic Byways. The Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway is in the Black Hills, while the Native American Scenic Byway runs along the Missouri River in the north-central part of the state.{{cite web | title = South Dakota | publisher = Federal Highway Administration | access-date = February 10, 2016 | url = http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/states/SD | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160125193013/http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/states/SD | archive-date = January 25, 2016 | url-status = dead }} Other scenic byways include the Badlands Loop Scenic Byway, the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, and the Wildlife Loop Road Scenic Byway.

Railroads have played an important role in South Dakota transportation since the mid-19th century. Some {{convert|4420|mi|km}} of railroad track were built in South Dakota during the late 19th century and early 20th century,Thompson (ed.) p. 489. but only {{convert|1839|mi|km}} are active.{{cite web | title = South Dakota State Rail Plan | publisher = South Dakota Department of Transportation | access-date = February 10, 2016 | url = http://www.sddot.com/transportation/railroads/railplan/DR2_Vol1_SDDOT_StateRlPln.pdf | page = 9 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161001200635/http://sddot.com/transportation/railroads/railplan/DR2_Vol1_SDDOT_StateRlPln.pdf | archive-date = October 1, 2016 }} BNSF is the largest railroad in South Dakota; the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (formerly the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern) is the state's other major carrier. Other state carriers include Dakota Southern Railway, D&I Railroad, Ellis & Eastern, Sunflour Railroad, CPKC, and the Sisseton Milbank Railroad. Rail transportation in the state is mostly freight, but there are two passenger heritage railroads: the Black Hills Central and the Prairie Village, Herman, and Milwaukee. However, South Dakota is one of the two contiguous states that lack Amtrak service. (South Dakota is the only contiguous state that never had Amtrak—Wyoming used to be served by the San Francisco Zephyr and the Pioneer.){{cite web | title = Planning a Trip | publisher = frommers.com | access-date = September 3, 2007 | url = http://www.frommers.com/destinations/southdakota/3738010002.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070926215949/http://www.frommers.com/destinations/southdakota/3738010002.html | archive-date = September 26, 2007 | url-status = live }}

South Dakota's largest commercial airports in terms of passenger traffic are the Sioux Falls Regional Airport and Rapid City Regional Airport. Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, and Allegiant Airlines, as well as commuter airlines using the brand affiliation with major airlines serve the two largest airports. Several other cities in the state also have commercial air service: Aberdeen Regional Airport, Pierre Regional Airport, and Watertown Regional Airport, some of which are subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.{{cite web | title = What is Essential Air Service? | publisher = United States Department of Transportation | access-date = December 13, 2008 | url = http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/1000/1500/1548/eas.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081217015828/http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/1000/1500/1548/eas.pdf | archive-date = December 17, 2008 | url-status = live }}

Public transit played a large role in the development of cities in South Dakota. There were seven cities with a streetcar system in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, all of these were discontinued over time. Today, only three fixed route public transit systems exist in the state, those being in Sioux Falls, Rapid City and on the Yankton Reservation.

{{Main|Government of South Dakota}}

File:SD Capitol.jpg in Pierre]]

{{See also|Governor of South Dakota|South Dakota Legislature|South Dakota Supreme Court}}

Like other U.S. states, the structure of the government of South Dakota follows the same separation of powers as the federal government, with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The structure of the state government is laid out in the Constitution of South Dakota, the highest law in the state. The constitution may be amended by a majority vote of both houses of the legislature, or by voter initiative.{{cite web | title = Article XXIII, Section 1, Constitution of South Dakota | publisher = South Dakota Legislature | access-date = December 3, 2015 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-23-1 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151207170852/http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-23-1 | archive-date = December 7, 2015 | df = mdy-all }}

The Governor of South Dakota occupies the executive branch of the state government.{{cite web | title = Article IV, Section 1, Constitution of South Dakota | publisher = South Dakota Legislature | access-date = December 3, 2015 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-1 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151207170522/http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-1 | archive-date = December 7, 2015 | df = mdy-all }} The current governor is Larry Rhoden, a Republican. The state constitution gives the governor the power to sign into law or veto bills passed by the state legislature, to serve as commander-in-chief of the South Dakota National Guard, to appoint a cabinet, and to commute criminal sentences or to pardon those convicted of crimes.{{cite web | title = Article IV, Section 3, Constitution of South Dakota | publisher = South Dakota Legislature | access-date = December 3, 2015 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-3 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151207170524/http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-3 | archive-date = December 7, 2015 | df = mdy-all }}{{cite web | title = Article IV, Section 4, Constitution of South Dakota | publisher = South Dakota Legislature | access-date = December 3, 2015 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-4 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151207170525/http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-4 | archive-date = December 7, 2015 | df = mdy-all }} The governor serves for a four-year term, and may not serve more than two consecutive terms.{{cite web | title = Article IV, Section 2, Constitution of South Dakota | publisher = South Dakota Legislature | access-date = December 3, 2015 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-2 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151207170523/http://legis.sd.gov/Statutes/Constitution/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=0N-4-2 | archive-date = December 7, 2015 | df = mdy-all }}

The state legislature is made up of two bodies, the Senate, which has 35 members, and the House of Representatives, with 70 members. South Dakota is divided into 35 legislative districts,{{cite web | title = The South Dakota Legislature: An Overview | publisher = State of South Dakota | access-date = December 3, 2015 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/docs/studentspage/studentguide/Overview.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113514/http://legis.sd.gov/docs/studentspage/studentguide/Overview.pdf | archive-date = March 4, 2016 | df = mdy-all }} with voters electing two representatives and one senator per district. The legislature meets for an annual session which begins on the second Tuesday in January and lasts for 30 days; it also meets if a special session is called by the governor.

The judicial branch is made up of several levels. The state supreme court, with four justices and a chief justice, is the highest court in the state.{{cite web | title = UJS Structure | publisher = South Dakota Unified Judicial System | access-date = December 3, 2015 | url = http://ujs.sd.gov/About_the_Courts/structure.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190320015626/http://ujs.sd.gov/About_the_Courts/structure.aspx | archive-date = March 20, 2019 }} Below the supreme court are the circuit courts; 41 circuit judges serve in seven judicial circuits in the state. Below the circuit courts are the magistrate courts, which deal with lesser criminal and civil actions.

As of 2005, South Dakota has the lowest per capita total state tax rate in the United States.{{cite web | title = States Ranked by Total State Taxes and Per Capita Amount: 2005 | publisher = U.S. Census Bureau | access-date = April 4, 2007 | url = https://www.census.gov/govs/statetax/05staxrank.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070409064417/http://www.census.gov/govs/statetax/05staxrank.html | archive-date = April 9, 2007 | df = mdy-all }} The state does not levy personal or corporate income taxes,{{cite web | title = South Dakota | publisher = The Tax Foundation | access-date = January 31, 2010 | url = http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/58.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100415005420/http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/topic/58.html | archive-date = April 15, 2010 | url-status = live }} inheritance taxes,{{cite web | title = Inheritance/Estate Tax | publisher = South Dakota Department of Revenue & Regulation | access-date = January 27, 2008 | url = http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/propspectax/inheritance.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080207123321/http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/propspectax/inheritance.htm | archive-date = February 7, 2008 | url-status = live }} or taxes on intangible personal property. The state sales tax rate is 4.2 percent.{{cite web | title = 2016 State Sales and Use Tax Increase | publisher = South Dakota Department of Revenue | access-date = December 4, 2016 | url = http://dor.sd.gov/Taxes/Business_Taxes/HB1182.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161203123205/http://dor.sd.gov/Taxes/Business_Taxes/HB1182.aspx | archive-date = December 3, 2016 | url-status = live }} Various localities have local levies so in some areas the rate is six percent. The state sales tax does not apply to sales to Indians on Indian reservations, but many reservations have a compact with the state. Businesses on the reservation collect the tax and the state refunds to the Indian Tribes the percentage of sales tax collections relating to the ratio of Indian population to total population in the county or area affected. Ad valorem property taxes are local taxes and are a large source of funding for school systems, counties, municipalities and other local government units. The South Dakota Special Tax Division regulates some taxes including cigarette and alcohol-related taxes.{{cite web | last =South Dakota Department of Revenue & Regulation | title =Special Tax Information | url =http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/propspectax/index.htm | access-date =March 18, 2008 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080308025844/http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/propspectax/index.htm | archive-date =March 8, 2008 | url-status =live }}

{{See also|List of United States Senators from South Dakota|List of United States Representatives from South Dakota}}

South Dakota is represented at the federal level by Senator John Thune, Senator Mike Rounds, and Representative Dusty Johnson. All three are Republicans. South Dakota is one of seven states with only one seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.{{cite web | title = Member Information | publisher = Office of the Clerk—United States House of Representatives | access-date = April 5, 2009 | url = http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/olm110.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090528120146/http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/olm110.html | archive-date = May 28, 2009 | df = mdy-all }} In United States presidential elections, South Dakota is allotted three of 538 votes in the Electoral College.{{cite web | title = U.S. Electoral College—2008 Presidential Election | publisher = archives.gov | access-date = December 15, 2008 | url = http://archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/allocation.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081205183218/http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/allocation.html | archive-date = December 5, 2008 | url-status = live }} As in all other states except Maine and neighboring Nebraska, South Dakota's electoral votes are granted in a winner-take-all system.{{cite web | title = U.S. Electoral College—Frequently Asked Questions | publisher = archives.gov | access-date = December 15, 2008 | url = https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081218002735/http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html | archive-date = December 18, 2008 | url-status = live }}

{{See also|Political party strength in South Dakota}}

File:South Dakota Congressional Delegation 114th Congress.jpg: (from left) Senator Mike Rounds, Senator John Thune, and Representative Kristi Noem.]]

South Dakota politics are generally dominated by the Republican Party. Since statehood, Republicans have carried the state's electoral votes in all but five presidential elections: 1896, 1912 (by Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party), 1932, 1936 and 1964. (Democrat George McGovern—a native South Dakotan—failed to carry his home state in 1972.) Only Alaska has been carried fewer times by a Democrat.{{cite encyclopedia |title=McGovern, George Stanley, (1922–) |dictionary=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000452 |url-status=live |access-date=October 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927002702/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000452 |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}{{cite web |title=Presidential General Election Graph Comparison—South Dakota |url=http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/comparegraphs.php?year=2004&fips=46&f=0&off=0&elect=0 |url-status=live |website=uselectionatlas.org |access-date=October 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015072307/http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/comparegraphs.php?year=2004&fips=46&f=0&off=0&elect=0 |archive-date=October 15, 2007}} Additionally, a Democrat has not won the governorship since 1974. As of 2024, Republicans hold a 2-to-1 voter registration advantage over Democrats{{cite web | title = Voter Registration Tracking | publisher = South Dakota Secretary of State | access-date = July 18, 2024| url = https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/upcoming-elections/voter-registration-totals/voter-registration-comparison-table.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240718125931/https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/upcoming-elections/voter-registration-totals/voter-registration-comparison-table.aspx | archive-date = July 18, 2024 | url-status = live }} and hold supermajorities in both the state House{{cite web | title = Official Listing—South Dakota Representatives—2016 | publisher = State of South Dakota | access-date = February 3, 2016 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/Roster.aspx?Body=H&CurrentSession=True | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160203202328/http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/Roster.aspx?Body=H&CurrentSession=True | archive-date = February 3, 2016 | df = mdy-all }} and the state Senate.{{cite web | title = Official Listing—South Dakota Senators—2016 | publisher = State of South Dakota | access-date = February 3, 2016 | url = http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/Roster.aspx?Body=S&CurrentSession=True | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160203202331/http://legis.sd.gov/Legislators/Legislators/Roster.aspx?Body=S&CurrentSession=True | archive-date = February 3, 2016 | df = mdy-all }}

Despite the state's general Republican and conservative leanings, Democrats have found success in various statewide elections, most notably in those involving South Dakota's congressional representatives in Washington. American Indians have been becoming more active in state and county electoral politics. In the 2002 election, American Indian voting carried Tim Johnson as the Democratic candidate by a margin of 532 votes.[http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E1095196%257E,00.html Gwen Florio, "Indians Show Political Clout; Natives Throng Polls in 'White' S.D. County"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116003953/http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0%2C1413%2C36~53~1095196~%2C00.html |date=November 16, 2008 }} The Denver Post, January 8, 2003, accessed June 8, 2011{{cite web | title = Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2002 | publisher = Office of the Clerk—U.S. House of Representatives | access-date = June 9, 2011 | url = http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2002/2002Stat.htm#41 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070105011809/http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2002/2002Stat.htm#41 | archive-date = January 5, 2007 | url-status = live }} Until his electoral defeat in 2004, Senator Tom Daschle was the Senate minority leader (and briefly its majority leader during Democratic control of the Senate in 2001–02).{{cite news | title = Daschle Loses S.D. Senate Seat to Thune | publisher = Fox News | access-date = April 10, 2007 | url = http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137397,00.html | date = November 3, 2004 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070523071147/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,137397,00.html | archive-date = May 23, 2007 | df = mdy-all }} Other prominent South Dakota Democrats include former presidential nominees George McGovern and Hubert Humphrey.

In 2016, South Dakota voted for Republican nominee Donald Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by a margin of 30%.{{cite web | url = http://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2016/11/05/sd-election-results-president-congress-ballot-measures/93370222/ | title = Election Results:President, Congress, ballot measures | publisher = Argus Leader | access-date = December 4, 2016 | archive-date = July 28, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200728143654/https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2016/11/05/sd-election-results-president-congress-ballot-measures/93370222/ | url-status = live }} In 2018, Republican congresswoman Kristi Noem defeated Democrat Billie Sutton in the gubernatorial election by a small margin, and Republican Dusty Johnson defeated Democrat Tim Bjorkman for the state's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.{{cite web | url = http://electionresults.sd.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=SWR&map=CTY | title = Statewide Races | publisher = South Dakota Secretary of State | access-date = December 16, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190330070533/http://electionresults.sd.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=SWR&map=CTY | archive-date = March 30, 2019 | url-status = live }} Noem was sworn in on January 5, 2019, making her the first female governor of the state.{{cite web |last1=Nord |first1=James |title=Kristi Noem sworn in as South Dakota's 1st female governor |url=https://apnews.com/article/cde32361793e40cea06dc270794b57e8 |website=AP |date=January 5, 2019}}

Contemporary political issues in South Dakota include the costs and benefits of the state lottery,{{cite web | title = About SD Lottery—History | publisher = South Dakota Lottery | access-date = June 26, 2009 | url = http://lottery.sd.gov/about/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090710011936/http://lottery.sd.gov/about/ | archive-date = July 10, 2009 | url-status = live }} South Dakota's relatively low rankings in education spending (particularly teacher pay—recently the State Sales Tax was increased from 4% to 4.5% to finance an increase in teacher pay),{{cite news | title = Quality Counts 2000—Who Should Teach? | newspaper = Education Week | access-date = April 9, 2007 | url = http://counts.edweek.org/sreports/qc00/templates/state-policy.cfm?slug=sd-up.htm }}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and recent legislative and electoral attempts to ban abortion in the state.{{Cite news | title = South Dakota Abortion Ban Rejected | work = USA Today | date = November 8, 2006 | url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2006/SD/2006-11-08-abortion-ban_x.htm | access-date = December 14, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081211073549/http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2006/SD/2006-11-08-abortion-ban_x.htm | archive-date = December 11, 2008 | url-status = live }}Rovner, Julie. South Dakotans Again Consider An Abortion Ban [https://web.archive.org/web/20081028192051/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95942981] National Public Radio. October 27, 2008. (accessed August 13, 2009).

A Republican-supported bill passed in March 2019 requires that all public schools display "In God We Trust" in a prominent location.{{cite web|url=https://legiscan.com/SD/text/SB55/id/1945148|title=South Dakota SB55 {{!}} 2019 {{!}} Regular Session|website=LegiScan |access-date=July 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726190623/https://legiscan.com/SD/text/SB55/id/1945148|archive-date=July 26, 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/07/south-dakota-law-public-schools-display-in-god-we-trust-motto.html|title=South Dakota Law Requires Every Public School to Display "In God We Trust" National Motto|last=Hannon|first=Elliot|date=July 26, 2019|website=Slate Magazine |access-date=July 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190726190622/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/07/south-dakota-law-public-schools-display-in-god-we-trust-motto.html|archive-date=July 26, 2019|url-status=live}}

In a 2020 study, South Dakota was ranked as the 22nd hardest state for citizens to vote in.{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free}}

{{Main|Culture of South Dakota}}

File:Black Elk.jpg with his family, circa 1910]]

South Dakota's culture reflects the state's American Indian, rural, Western, and European roots.{{Cite book|title=American nations: a history of the eleven rival regional cultures of North America|last=Woodard, Colin |date=2012|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=9781101544457|oclc=934597110}} A number of annual events celebrating the state's ethnic and historical heritage take place around the state, such as Days of '76 in Deadwood,{{cite web|title=Days of '76 Celebration to include Saturday evening performance |publisher=Tri-State Livestock News |access-date=January 29, 2010 |url=http://www.tsln.com/article/20090601/TSLN01/906019995/1023/NONE&parentprofile=1013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717110400/http://www.tsln.com/article/20090601/TSLN01/906019995/1023/NONE%26parentprofile%3D1013 |archive-date=July 17, 2011 }} Czech Days in Tabor,Thompson (ed.), p. 133. and the annual St. Patrick's Day and Cinco de Mayo festivities in Sioux Falls. The various tribes hold many annual pow wows at their reservations throughout the state, to which non-Native Americans are sometimes invited.{{cite web|title=South Dakota Powwow Schedule |publisher=South Dakota Office of Tribal Government Relations |access-date=January 29, 2010 |url=http://www.state.sd.us/oia/powwow.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204153350/http://www.state.sd.us/oia/powwow.asp |archive-date=February 4, 2010 }} Custer State Park holds an annual Buffalo Roundup, in which volunteers on horseback gather the park's herd of around 1,500 bison.{{cite web|title=Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival |publisher=South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks |access-date=January 29, 2010 |url=http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/round.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204173345/http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/Custer/round.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2010 }}

Black Elk (Lakota) was a medicine man and heyokha, whose life spanned the transition to reservations. His accounts of the 19th-century Indian Wars and Ghost Dance movement, and his deep thoughts on personal visions and Native American religion, form the basis of the book Black Elk Speaks, first published in 1932. (Among several editions, a premier annotated edition was published in 2008.){{cite book|author1=Black Elk|author2=John G. Neihardt|title=Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, the Premier Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7p9VqRLiKqcC&pg=PA149|date=October 16, 2008|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-1-4384-2540-5|pages=149–|access-date=July 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319061526/https://books.google.com/books?id=7p9VqRLiKqcC&pg=PA149|archive-date=March 19, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web | title = Writings of Black Elk | publisher = C-SPAN | website = American Writers: A Journey Through History | date = July 10, 2001 | access-date = March 12, 2016 | url = http://www.c-span.org/video/?165060-1/writings-black-elk | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160312012706/http://www.c-span.org/video/?165060-1%2Fwritings-black-elk | archive-date = March 12, 2016 | url-status = live }} Paul Goble, a children's book author and illustrator, was based in the Black Hills from 1977.{{cite web|title=Paul Goble|publisher=HarperCollins|url=http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/20771/Paul_Goble/index.aspx|access-date=January 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206130901/http://harpercollins.com/authors/20771/Paul_Goble/index.aspx|archive-date=February 6, 2010}}

Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose semi-autobiographical books are based on her experiences as a child and young adult on the frontier, is one of South Dakota's best-known writers. She drew from her life growing up on a homestead near De Smet as the basis for five of her novels: By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.{{cite web| title = Laura's History | publisher=Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum | access-date =December 19, 2008 | url = http://www.lauraingallswilderhome.com/history1.htm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081201053959/http://www.lauraingallswilderhome.com/history1.htm | archive-date =December 1, 2008}} These gained renewed popularity in the United States when Little House on the Prairie was adapted and produced as a television series in 1974. Wilder's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, who became a well-known writer in her own right, was born near De Smet in 1886.

South Dakota has also produced several notable artists. Harvey Dunn grew up on a homestead near Manchester in the late 19th century. While Dunn worked most of his career as a commercial illustrator, his most famous works showed various scenes of frontier life; he completed these near the end of his career.Hasselstrom, pp. 34–36. Oscar Howe (Crow) was born on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation and won fame for his watercolor paintings.Hasselstrom, pp. 215–217. Howe was one of the first Native American painters to adopt techniques and style heavily influenced by the mid-20th century abstraction movement, rather than relying on traditional Native American styles. Terry Redlin, originally from Watertown, was an accomplished painter of rural and wildlife scenes. Many of his works are on display at the Redlin Art Center in Watertown.{{cite web | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=410 | title = Terry Redlin | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = May 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719104714/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=410 | archive-date = July 19, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}

{{See also|List of cities in South Dakota|List of South Dakota counties}}

File:Downtown Sioux Falls 61.jpg, with a population of around 192,000, is the largest city in South Dakota.]]

Sioux Falls is the most populous city in South Dakota, with a 2020 population of 192,517,{{cite news | url = http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/sd | title = South Dakota | newspaper = USA Today | access-date = December 11, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121212105439/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/SD | archive-date = December 12, 2012 | url-status = live }}

and a metropolitan area population of 281,958.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2009/CBSA-EST2009-alldata.csv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100326160039/http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/files/2009/CBSA-EST2009-alldata.csv |archive-date=March 26, 2010 |title=Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area population and estimated components of change: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 27, 2010 }}

The city, founded in 1856, is in the southeast corner of the state.{{cite web|title=History of Sioux Falls |publisher=City of Sioux Falls |access-date=October 6, 2008 |url=http://www.siouxfalls.org/Information/history/siouxfalls.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705075009/http://www.siouxfalls.org/Information/history/siouxfalls.aspx |archive-date=July 5, 2008 }} Retail, finance, and healthcare have assumed greater importance in Sioux Falls,Thompson (ed.), p. 554. where the economy was originally centered on agri-business and quarrying.

Rapid City, with a 2020 population of 74,703, and a metropolitan area population of 144,558, is the second-largest city in the state. It is on the eastern edge of the Black Hills, and was founded in 1876.Hasselstrom, p. 331. Rapid City's economy is largely based on tourism and defense spending, because of the proximity of many tourist attractions in the Black Hills and Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The next eight largest cities in the state, in order of descending 2010 population, are Aberdeen (28,495), Brookings (23,337), Watertown (22,655), Mitchell (15,660), Yankton (15,411), Huron (14,263), Pierre (14,091), and Spearfish (12,193). Pierre is the state capital, and Brookings and Vermillion are the locations of the state's two largest universities (South Dakota State University and University of South Dakota, respectively). With a population of about 14,000, Pierre is the second smallest state capital in the United States.{{cite book|last=Jensen|first=Jamie|title=Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b9SuD5jagdwC&pg=PA194|date=December 1, 2012|publisher=Avalon Travel Publishing|isbn=978-1-61238-315-6|page=194|access-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509173434/https://books.google.com/books?id=b9SuD5jagdwC&pg=PA194|archive-date=May 9, 2016|url-status=live}} Of the ten largest cities in the state, only Rapid City and Spearfish are west of the Missouri River.{{cite web | title = South Dakota | publisher = National Atlas | access-date = August 7, 2009 | url = http://www.nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/reference/pagegen_sd.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090826102340/http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/reference/pagegen_sd.pdf | archive-date = August 26, 2009 | df = mdy-all }}

{{See also|List of newspapers in South Dakota|List of television stations in South Dakota|List of radio stations in South Dakota}}

South Dakota's first newspaper, the Dakota Democrat, began publishing in Yankton in 1858.Hasselstrom, p. 202. Today, the state's largest newspaper is the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, with a Sunday circulation of 63,701 and a weekday circulation of 44,334.{{cite web | url = http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/newsform.asp | title = US Newspaper—Search Results (South Dakota) | publisher = Audit Bureau of Circulation | access-date = December 13, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101001095406/http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/newsform.asp | archive-date = October 1, 2010 | df = mdy-all }} The Rapid City Journal, with a Sunday circulation of 32,638 and a weekday circulation of 27,827, is South Dakota's second largest newspaper. The next four largest newspapers in the state are the Aberdeen American News, the Watertown Public Opinion, the Huron Plainsman, and the Brookings Register. In 1981, Tim Giago founded the Lakota Times as a newspaper for the local American Indian community on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The newspaper, now published in New York and known as Indian Country Today, is available in every state in the country.{{cite web | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=164 | title = Tim Giago | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = May 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930093145/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=164 | archive-date = September 30, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} The Sioux City Journal also covers parts of South Dakota.

There are nine television stations broadcasting in South Dakota;{{cite web| year = 2007| url = http://www.globalcomputing.com/GetTV_Map1.cfm?PageNum_q_GetTV_Map=1&stateid=SD| title = U.S. Television Stations in South Dakota| publisher = Global Computing| access-date = December 13, 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110711101343/http://www.globalcomputing.com/GetTV_Map1.cfm?PageNum_q_GetTV_Map=1&stateid=SD| archive-date = July 11, 2011| df = mdy-all}} South Dakota Public Television broadcasts from a number of locations around the state, while the other stations broadcast from Sioux Falls or Rapid City. The two largest television media markets in South Dakota are Sioux Falls-Mitchell, with a viewership of 246,020, and Rapid City, with a viewership of 91,070.{{cite web|date=2005–2006|url=http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060517010320/http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html|archive-date=May 17, 2006|title=Nielson Media Research Local Universe Estimates (US)|publisher=Nielson Media|access-date=December 13, 2008}} The two markets rank as 114th and 177th largest in the United States, respectively. The state's first television station, KELO-TV, began airing in Sioux Falls in 1953. Among KELO's early programs was Captain 11, an afternoon children's program. Captain 11 ran from 1955 until 1996, making it the nation's longest continuously running children's television program.{{cite web | url = http://keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=95595 | title = Dave Dedrick: 1928–2010 | publisher = KELO-TV | access-date = January 23, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100126082805/http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=95595 | archive-date = January 26, 2010 | df = mdy-all }}

A number of South Dakotans are famous for their work in television and publishing. Former NBC Nightly News anchor and author Tom Brokaw is from Webster and Yankton,{{cite web | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=58 | title = Tom Brokaw | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = May 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930093137/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=58 | archive-date = September 30, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} USA Today founder Al Neuharth was from Eureka and Alpena,{{cite web | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=368 | title = Allen Neuharth | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = May 26, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930093210/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=368 | archive-date = September 30, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} gameshow host Bob Barker spent much of his childhood in Mission,{{cite web | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=24 | title = Robert (Bob) Barker | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = May 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930093128/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=24 | archive-date = September 30, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} and entertainment news hosts Pat O'Brien{{cite web | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=375 | title = Pat O'Brien | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = May 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930093116/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=375 | archive-date = September 30, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} and Mary Hart{{cite web | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=203 | title = Mary Hart | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = May 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110930093049/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=203 | archive-date = September 30, 2011 | df = mdy-all }} are from Sioux Falls.

{{See also|List of colleges and universities in South Dakota|List of high schools in South Dakota|List of school districts in South Dakota}}

File:Coughlin Campanile 1.jpg, a landmark on the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings]]

As of 2006, South Dakota has a total primary and secondary school enrollment of 136,872, with 120,278 of these students being educated in the public school system.{{cite web| title = Student Demographics | publisher=South Dakota Department of Education | access-date =November 26, 2007 | url = http://www.doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/studentdeomographics/k12enrollment.asp |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071108120008/http://doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/studentdeomographics/k12enrollment.asp |archive-date = November 8, 2007}} There are 703 public schools{{cite web| title = School System By Type (2006–07) | publisher=South Dakota Department of Education | access-date =November 26, 2007 | url = http://www.doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/schoolsandpersonnel/type.asp |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071108115945/http://doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/schoolsandpersonnel/type.asp |archive-date = November 8, 2007}} in 168 school districts,{{cite web| title = Schools & Personnel | publisher=South Dakota Department of Education | access-date =November 26, 2007 | url = http://www.doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/schoolsandpersonnel/numberofSD.asp |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071108115954/http://doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/schoolsandpersonnel/numberofSD.asp |archive-date = November 8, 2007}} giving South Dakota the highest number of schools per capita in the United States.{{cite web | title = Number of Schools (most recent) (per capita) | publisher = statemaster.com | access-date = November 26, 2007 | url = http://www.statemaster.com/graph/edu_ele_sec_tot_num_of_sch_percap-total-number-schools-per-capita | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080420102845/http://www.statemaster.com/graph/edu_ele_sec_tot_num_of_sch_percap-total-number-schools-per-capita | archive-date = April 20, 2008 }} The current high school graduation rate is 89.9%,{{cite web| title = South Dakota Graduation Rate | publisher=South Dakota Department of Education | access-date =November 26, 2007 | url = http://www.doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/studentachievement/Graduationrate.asp |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071108120013/http://doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/studentachievement/Graduationrate.asp |archive-date = November 8, 2007}} and the average ACT score is 21.8, slightly above the national average of 21.1.{{cite web| title = ACT Average Composite Score South Dakota vs. National | publisher=South Dakota Department of Education | access-date =November 26, 2007 | url = http://www.doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/studentachievement/ACT.asp |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071108120016/http://doe.sd.gov/publications/annualreport/2007/studentachievement/ACT.asp |archive-date = November 8, 2007}} 89.8% of the adult population has earned at least a high school diploma, and 25.8% has earned a bachelor's degree or higher.{{cite web|title=South Dakota QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/46000.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=December 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040911075056/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/46000.html|archive-date=September 11, 2004}} South Dakota's 2008 average public school teacher salary of $36,674 was the lowest in the nation (national average was $52,308).{{cite web | title = Rankings and Estimates 2008 | publisher = National Education Association | access-date = January 30, 2010 | url = http://www.nea.org/home/29402.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100211170141/http://www.nea.org/home/29402.htm | archive-date = February 11, 2010 | df = mdy-all }} In 2007 South Dakota passed legislation modeled after Montana's Indian Education for All Act (1999), mandating education about Native American tribal history, culture, and heritage in all the schools, from pre-school through college, in an effort to increase knowledge and appreciation about Indian culture among all residents of the state, as well as to reinforce Indian students' understanding of their own cultures' contributions.{{cite web |url=http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/04/12/montana-schools-try-keep-indian-students-engaged-teaching-indian-culture-all-107543 |author=Jawort, Adrian |title=Montana Schools Try to Keep Indian Students Engaged by Teaching Indian Culture to All |website=Indian Country Today |date=April 12, 2012 |access-date=June 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020091328/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/04/12/montana-schools-try-keep-indian-students-engaged-teaching-indian-culture-all-107543 |archive-date=October 20, 2016 }}

The South Dakota Board of Regents, whose members are appointed by the governor, controls the six public universities in the state. South Dakota State University (SDSU), in Brookings, is the state's largest university, with an enrollment of 12,831.{{cite web | url = https://www.sdbor.edu/mediapubs/documents/SP12Total30TablesCensus.pdf | title = 2012 School Enrollments (Page 1) | publisher = South Dakota Board of Regents | access-date = August 24, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140114113847/http://sdbor.edu/mediapubs/documents/SP12Total30TablesCensus.pdf | archive-date = January 14, 2014 | url-status = live }} The University of South Dakota (USD), in Vermillion, is the state's oldest university, and has South Dakota's only law school and medical school.{{cite web| url = http://www.sdbor.edu/jobopps/locations/locations.cfm | title = Locations | publisher=South Dakota Board of Regents | access-date =April 18, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080713023555/http://www.sdbor.edu/jobopps/locations/locations.cfm |archive-date = July 13, 2008}} South Dakota also has several private universities, the largest of which is Augustana University in Sioux Falls.

Because of its low population, South Dakota does not host any major league professional sports franchises. The state has minor league and independent league teams, all of which play in Sioux Falls or Rapid City. Sioux Falls is home to four teams: the Sioux Falls Canaries (baseball), the Sioux Falls Skyforce (basketball), the Sioux Falls Stampede (hockey), and the Sioux Falls Storm (indoor American football).{{cite web | title = About Augustana—City of Sioux Falls | publisher = Augustana College | access-date = December 21, 2008 | url = http://www.augie.edu/about/sioux-falls | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080918223802/http://www.augie.edu/about/sioux-falls | archive-date = September 18, 2008 }} The Canaries play in the American Association, and their home field is Sioux Falls Stadium. The Skyforce plays in the NBA G League and is owned by the NBA's Miami Heat. It plays at the Sanford Pentagon. The Stampede and Storm share the Denny Sanford Premier Center. The Stampede plays in the USHL, and the Storm plays in the IFL. Rapid City has a hockey team named the Rapid City Rush that plays in the ECHL. The Rush began its inaugural season in 2008 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.{{cite web | title = Rapid City Rush Hockey | publisher = Rapid City Visitors & Convention Bureau | access-date = December 21, 2008 | url = http://vacations.visitrapidcity.inntopia.travel/aspnet/2.0/packageselect07.aspx?salesid=650555&packageid=3338&returnxml=0 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120604113120/http://vacations.visitrapidcity.inntopia.travel/aspnet/2.0/packageselect07.aspx?salesid=650555&packageid=3338&returnxml=0 | archive-date = June 4, 2012 }}

Universities in South Dakota host a variety of sports programs. For many years, South Dakota was one of the only states in the country without an NCAA Division I football or basketball team. However, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits decided to move their teams from Division{{nbsp}}II to Division{{nbsp}}I in 2007,{{cite web | title = SDSU approved for Division I membership | date = June 26, 2008 | publisher = South Dakota State University | access-date = December 21, 2008 | url = http://www.gojacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=15000&ATCLID=1498295&SPID=7147&SPSID=64578 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110711105345/http://www.gojacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=15000&ATCLID=1498295&SPID=7147&SPSID=64578 | archive-date = July 11, 2011 | url-status = live }} a move followed by the South Dakota Coyotes in 2011.{{cite web | title = South Dakota leaves North Central Conference for D-I | date = November 30, 2006 | publisher = ESPN | access-date = December 21, 2008 | url = https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=2680524 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121019002422/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2680524 | archive-date = October 19, 2012 | url-status = live }} Other universities in the state compete at the NCAA's Division II level, or in the NAIA.

Famous South Dakota athletes include Billy Mills, Mike Miller, Mark Ellis, Becky Hammon, Brock Lesnar, Chad Greenway, and Adam Vinatieri. Mills is from the town of Pine Ridge and competed at the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, becoming the only American to win a gold medal in the 10,000-meter event.{{cite web | title = Billy Mills | publisher = South Dakota Hall of Fame | access-date = March 15, 2016 | url = http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=349&first=&last=&catid=4&home_town=&date_inducted= | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161220105849/http://www.sdhalloffame.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=78&iid=349&first=&last=&catid=4&home_town=&date_inducted= | archive-date = December 20, 2016 | df = mdy-all }} Miller, of Mitchell, is a two-time NBA champion who played college basketball at the University of Florida, leading them to the 2000 NCAA Championship game his sophomore year, and won the 2001 NBA rookie of the year award. Ellis, of Rapid City, played for the University of Florida and four MLB teams before retiring in 2015.{{cite web | title = Oakland Athletics—Mark Ellis | publisher = ESPN | access-date = January 29, 2010 | url = https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/_/id/5086/mark-ellis | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100412054943/http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5086 | archive-date = April 12, 2010 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | title = Mark Ellis retires from baseball at age 37 | publisher = NBC Sports | date = February 25, 2015 | access-date = March 29, 2015 | url = http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/25/mark-ellis-retires-from-baseball-at-age-37/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150328064624/http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/25/mark-ellis-retires-from-baseball-at-age-37/ | archive-date = March 28, 2015 | url-status = live }} Hammon, of Rapid City, played for the WNBA's New York Liberty and San Antonio Silver Stars before becoming an assistant coach for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs in 2014.{{cite news | title = Profile—Becky Hammon | work = Yahoo! Sports | access-date = January 29, 2010 | url = https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/players/289 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090804085447/http://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/players/289 | archive-date = August 4, 2009 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | title = Becky Hammon Hired to Spurs' Staff | date = August 5, 2014 | publisher = ESPN | access-date = March 29, 2015 | url = https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/11312366/becky-hammon-hired-san-antonio-spurs | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150407013912/http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11312366/becky-hammon-hired-san-antonio-spurs | archive-date = April 7, 2015 | url-status = live }} Lesnar, of Webster, is a former heavy-weight champion in the UFC and WWE. Vinatieri is an NFL placekicker who grew up in Rapid City and attended SDSU.{{cite news | title = New exhibit details Rapid City native Adam Vinatieri's kick | newspaper = Rapid City Journal | access-date = March 19, 2016 | url = http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/top-stories/new-exhibit-details-rapid-city-native-adam-vinatieri-s-kick/article_c4587602-c6ee-5b4e-bfb5-4ae958802016.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170725094023/http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/top-stories/new-exhibit-details-rapid-city-native-adam-vinatieri-s-kick/article_c4587602-c6ee-5b4e-bfb5-4ae958802016.html | archive-date = July 25, 2017 | url-status = live }}

File:Mickelson Trail Tunnel.jpg in the Black Hills]]

Fishing and hunting are popular outdoor activities in South Dakota. Fishing contributes over $224 million to South Dakota's economy, and hunting contributes over $303 million.{{cite web | title = Economic Impact | publisher = South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks | access-date = March 12, 2016 | url = http://gfp.sd.gov/agency/information/economic-impact.aspx | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160311212616/http://www.gfp.sd.gov/agency/information/economic-impact.aspx | archive-date = March 11, 2016 | df = mdy-all }} In 2007, over 275,000 hunting licenses and 175,000 fishing licenses were sold in the state; around half of the hunting licenses and over two-thirds of the fishing licenses were purchased by South Dakotans.{{cite web | title = How many people hunt and fish in South Dakota? | publisher = South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks | access-date = December 21, 2008 | url = http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Economics/Howmanyhuntandfish.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081210033903/http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Economics/Howmanyhuntandfish.htm | archive-date = December 10, 2008 | df = mdy-all }} Popular species of game include pheasants, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and turkeys, as well as waterfowl such as Canada geese, snow geese, and mallards. Targets of anglers include walleye in the eastern glacial lakes and Missouri River reservoirs,{{cite web | title = Fishing in South Dakota (Northeastern) | publisher = South Dakota Office of Tourism | access-date = January 29, 2010 | url = http://www.travelsd.com/Outdoors/Fishing/Northeast-Region | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100204164423/http://www.travelsd.com/Outdoors/Fishing/Northeast-Region | archive-date = February 4, 2010 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | title = Fishing in South Dakota (Central) | publisher = South Dakota Office of Tourism | access-date = January 29, 2010 | url = http://www.travelsd.com/Outdoors/Fishing/Central-Region | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100204164730/http://www.travelsd.com/Outdoors/Fishing/Central-Region | archive-date = February 4, 2010 | url-status = live }} Chinook salmon in Lake Oahe, and trout in the Black Hills.{{cite web | title = Fishing in South Dakota (Western) | publisher = South Dakota Office of Tourism | access-date = January 29, 2010 | url = http://www.travelsd.com/Outdoors/Fishing/Western-Region | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100204164852/http://www.travelsd.com/Outdoors/Fishing/Western-Region | archive-date = February 4, 2010 | url-status = live }}

Other sports, such as cycling and running, are also popular in the state. In 1991, the state opened the George S. Mickelson Trail, a {{convert|109|mi|km|adj=on}} rail trail in the Black Hills.{{cite web | title = George S. Mickelson Trail Guide | publisher = South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks | access-date = January 29, 2010 | url = http://www.sdgfp.info/parks/regions/NorthernHills/MickelsonTrail/GSMTrailGuide.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100104185447/http://www.sdgfp.info/Parks/Regions/NorthernHills/MickelsonTrail/GSMTrailGuide.pdf | archive-date = January 4, 2010 | df = mdy-all }} Besides being used by cyclists, the trail is also the site of a portion of the annual Mount Rushmore marathon; the marathon's entire course is at an elevation of over 4,000 feet (1,200 m).{{cite web | title = Course Info | publisher = Mount Rushmore Marathon | access-date = December 21, 2008 | url = http://www.mtrushmoremarathon.com/new/Route/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20051013062504/http://www.mtrushmoremarathon.com/new/Route/ | archive-date = October 13, 2005 }} Other events in the state include the Tour de Kota, a {{convert|478|mi|km|adj=on}}, six-day cycling event that covers much of eastern and central South Dakota,{{cite web | title = Tour de Kota | publisher = Tour de Kota | access-date = June 25, 2009 | url = http://www.tourdekota.com/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090105161516/http://tourdekota.com/ | archive-date = January 5, 2009 | url-status = live }} and the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which draws hundreds of thousands of participants from around the United States.

{{Main|List of South Dakota state symbols}}

Some of South Dakota's official state symbols include:{{cite web | url = https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/about-south-dakota/south-dakota-facts | website = South Dakota Department of Tourism | title = South Dakota Facts | access-date = May 12, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150518072246/https://www.travelsouthdakota.com/about-south-dakota/south-dakota-facts | archive-date = May 18, 2015 | url-status = live }}

:State bird: Ring-necked pheasant

:State flower: American pasque flower

:State tree: Black Hills spruce

: State nicknames: Mount Rushmore State (official), Coyote state and Sunshine state (both unofficial)

: State motto: "Under God, the people rule"

: State slogan: "Great Faces. Great Places."

:State mineral: Rose quartz

:State insect: Honey bee (Apis mellifera)

:State animal: Coyote

:State fish: Walleye

:State gemstone: Fairburn agate

:State song: "Hail, South Dakota!"

{{Clear}}

• Index of South Dakota-related articles
• Outline of South Dakota
• {{portal-inline|South Dakota}}
• {{portal-inline|United States}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{Cite book |title=Roadside History of South Dakota |last=Hasselstrom |first=Linda M. |year=1994 |publisher=Mountain Press Publishing Company |location=Missoula, MT |isbn=978-0-87842-262-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/roadsidehistoryo0000hass }}
• {{Cite book|title=History of South Dakota |last=Schell |first=Herbert S. |year=2004 |publisher=South Dakota State Historical Society Press |location=Pierre, SD |isbn=978-0-9715171-3-4}}
• {{Cite book|editor=Thompson, Harry F. |year=2009 |title=A New South Dakota History |edition=Second |publisher=Center for Western Studies—Augustana College |location=Sioux Falls, SD |isbn=978-0-931170-00-3}}

• Lauck, Jon K. Prairie Republic: The Political Culture of Dakota Territory, 1879–1889 (University of Oklahoma Press; 2010) 281 pages
• Wishart, David J. ed. Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, University of Nebraska Press, 2004, {{ISBN|0-8032-4787-7}}. [http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/ complete text online]; 900 pages of scholarly articles
• {{cite book|last1=Karolevitz|first1=Robert F.|last2=Hunhoff|first2=Bernie|title=Uniquely South Dakota|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J1blPQAACAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Donning Company|isbn=978-0-89865-730-2}} From the publisher of South Dakota Magazine, with many photographs.

{{Sister project links|voy=South Dakota}}

• {{Official website | http://www.sd.gov/ }}
• [http://www.travelsd.com/ South Dakota Department of Tourism]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080515220918/http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/South_Dakota South Dakota State Databases]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20101117132214/http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=SD Energy Profile for South Dakota]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070106170210/http://www.usgs.gov/state/state.asp?State=SD USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of South Dakota]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040911075056/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/46000.html U.S. Census Bureau]
• [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=46&StateName=South%20Dakota#.U8LWu_ldUeo South Dakota State Facts from USDA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729083935/http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=46&StateName=South%20Dakota#.U8LWu_ldUeo |date=July 29, 2012 }}
• [http://www.sdshspress.com/ South Dakota State Historical Society Press] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126164137/https://www.sdshspress.com/ |date=January 26, 2021 }}
• {{Cite Collier's | wstitle = South Dakota}}
• {{osmrelation-inline|161652}}
• [http://dakotapathways.org/ Dakota Pathways]

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