Largest Cities in South Dakota: Ranked by Population
The largest city in South Dakota in our data is Sioux Falls, SD, with an estimated 187,239 people, followed by Rapid City, SD (92,664) and Aberdeen, SD (28,257). This list ranks the top 19 places among the 19 South Dakota communities with at least 5,000 residents.
What are the top 19 in South Dakota?
| # | City | County | Population | Per sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sioux Falls, SD | Minnehaha County | 187,239 | 2,349 |
| 2 | Rapid City, SD | Pennington County | 92,664 | 1,414 |
| 3 | Aberdeen, SD | Brown County | 28,257 | 1,761 |
| 4 | Brookings, SD | Brookings County | 24,887 | 1,813 |
| 5 | Watertown, SD | Codington County | 22,174 | 1,222 |
| 6 | Mitchell, SD | Davison County | 15,679 | 1,365 |
| 7 | Yankton, SD | Yankton County | 14,872 | 1,709 |
| 8 | Pierre, SD | Hughes County | 14,659 | 1,062 |
| 9 | Huron, SD | Beadle County | 13,427 | 1,406 |
| 10 | Spearfish, SD | Lawrence County | 12,836 | 712 |
| 11 | Vermillion, SD | Clay County | 10,926 | 2,391 |
| 12 | Box Elder, SD | Pennington County | 10,228 | 686 |
| 13 | Brandon, SD | Minnehaha County | 10,074 | 1,870 |
| 14 | Rapid Valley, SD | Pennington County | 9,114 | 1,414 |
| 15 | Madison, SD | Lake County | 7,270 | 1,575 |
| 16 | Sturgis, SD | Meade County | 6,922 | 1,155 |
| 17 | Harrisburg, SD | Lincoln County | 6,710 | 1,831 |
| 18 | Tea, SD | Lincoln County | 6,031 | 3,121 |
| 19 | Belle Fourche, SD | Butte County | 5,702 | 642 |
How big are the largest cities in South Dakota?
Of the 19 places with pages, 1 has more than 100,000 residents, 2 have between 25,000 and 100,000, and 16 have fewer than 25,000. The median place has about 12,836 people. The ten largest places account for about 85% of the combined population of all pages, which shows how concentrated the state's population is across communities. Pennington County contributes 3 of the top 19.
Which counties do the top 19 belong to?
The 19 places on this list are spread across 15 counties of South Dakota. Pennington County has 3 (Rapid City, Box Elder, Rapid Valley); Minnehaha County has 2 (Sioux Falls, Brandon); Lincoln County has 2 (Harrisburg, Tea). Counties with several entries are usually centers of a metropolitan area, where one large city is surrounded by many suburbs that each pass the 5,000-resident threshold.
How does South Dakota compare with the rest of the country?
The median South Dakota place with a page has about 12,836 residents, compared with about 13,459 nationwide, so the state's typical community is about the same size as the national typical place. Sioux Falls, SD ranks 240th among all US places by estimated population in our data. The state has 382 communities in total, of which 19 reach 5,000 residents. See the national ranking of the largest cities for comparison.
Quick answers about South Dakota cities
- Which is the largest city in South Dakota? Sioux Falls (187,239 people).
- How many South Dakota cities have more than 100,000 people? 1 in our data.
- How many have 25,000 to 100,000? 2.
- What is the typical size? About 12,836 residents for a place with a page.
How is this ranking made?
The data comes from the SimpleMaps US Cities Database, which gives each place an estimated population and a density in people per square kilometer. We convert density to people per square mile and rank the places with at least 5,000 residents. Boundaries matter: a city that includes large parks or farmland scores lower on density than a compact city of the same size, and population estimates can include areas that share a city's ZIP codes. Read why population figures differ and how density is calculated before you quote a number.
Where to go next
Rankings use dataset estimates, not official counts.