What is the capital of South Dakota?

The capital of South Dakota is Pierre. Rapid City is the gateway to the Black Hills and is called the City of Presidents for its downtown statues of every U.S. president.

How many people live in South Dakota?

South Dakota has a population of approximately 887,000 people, making it the 46th most populous state in the U.S.

When was South Dakota admitted to the Union?

South Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, becoming the 40th state, on the same day as North Dakota.

What is South Dakota known for?

South Dakota is known as the Mount Rushmore State, home to the iconic presidential sculpture in the Black Hills, Badlands National Park's otherworldly landscape, the Crazy Horse Memorial (largest mountain carving in the world when completed), Wind Cave National Park, and Deadwood's Wild West history.

South Dakota

The Mount Rushmore State

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Quick Stats

0.9MPopulation

#46Rank

1889Joined

77.1kArea (mi²)

Map

Seal & Motto

"Under God, the People Rule"

Additional Information

AbbreviationSD

Motto Origin

The state's constitutional motto, affirming democratic principles grounded in faith.

Adopted 1889.

Official WebsiteSouthDakota.gov

Population Growth

Overview

South Dakota, the 'Mount Rushmore State,' is a land of dramatic contrasts and quiet grandeur. The flat golden prairies of the east give way dramatically to the ancient granite peaks of the Black Hills, a sacred landscape where four presidents gaze from a cliff face, a Lakota warrior is slowly being carved into a mountain, and bison still roam free across the rolling grasslands.

Historical Significance

South Dakota officially joined the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state — admitted simultaneously with North Dakota. Its history is inseparable from that of the Great Sioux Nation, from the 1876 Black Hills Gold Rush that violated the Fort Laramie Treaty, through the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890, to the completion of Mount Rushmore in 1941.

Top Cities & Hubs

Sioux Falls

Population: ~195,000

The state's largest and fastest-growing city, a thriving financial and healthcare hub on the Big Sioux River known for its stunning quartzite waterfalls and a booming economy anchored by major banking institutions.

Rapid City

Population: ~75,000

The "Gateway to the Black Hills," the primary tourist hub for Mount Rushmore, Badlands National Park, and Crazy Horse Memorial, known as the "City of Presidents" for its life-size presidential statues downtown.

Aberdeen

Population: ~28,000

The commercial and healthcare hub of northeastern South Dakota, home to Northern State University and serving as a regional center for agriculture and logistics.

Brookings

Population: ~24,000

A college town anchored by South Dakota State University, a growing center for agricultural research, high-tech manufacturing, and sustainable energy development.

Pierre

Population: ~14,000

The state capital and one of the most isolated state capitals in the nation, a small riverside city on the Missouri River known for its beautiful waterfront and historic role in government.

Neighbors

Region: Midwest

Capital: Pierre

Key Landmarks & Economy

Mount Rushmore National Memorial: The iconic 60-foot granite faces of Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln, carved by sculptor Gutzon Borglum between 1927 and 1941 into the Black Hills of the Lakota Sioux.

Badlands National Park: 245,000 acres of haunting, eroded buttes and pinnacles containing one of the world's richest Oligocene-era fossil beds, home to bison, bighorn sheep, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs.

Crazy Horse Memorial: The world's largest mountain carving in progress, honoring the Oglala Lakota warrior Crazy Horse at the request of Chief Henry Standing Bear, begun in 1948 and still being carved by the Ziolkowski family.

Did You Know?

The Black Hills are among the oldest geological formations in North America, with granite cores predating the Rocky Mountains by hundreds of millions of years, formed over 1.8 billion years ago.
The Corn Palace in Mitchell is the world's only corn palace, entirely re-decorated with new murals made from corn and other grains each year since 1892 — a unique South Dakota tradition.
South Dakota has no state income tax and is home to more national bank credit-card operations than almost any other state, thanks to laws passed in 1981 eliminating interest-rate caps.