South Dakota’s population is up by 8.9%, according to new numbers from the 2020 Census. The state is also more racially diverse and urban.
Half of South Dakota’s counties lost population in the past 10 years, and half grew.
Jerauld County, in a rural eastern part of the state, saw the greatest decline. Lincoln County, which includes part of Sioux Falls, grew the most.
But the urban areas are growing more than the rural counties are shrinking.
“The counties that already are adjacent to Sioux Falls, Rapid or the urban centers in our state, they are gaining population. And it’s the counties that already had a smaller population and they’re still losing population,” said Weiwei Zhang, state demographer and a sociology professor at South Dakota State University.
For example, Jerauld County, which has Wessington Springs as its county seat, lost about 400 residents, a nearly 20% change. But Lincoln gained more than 20,000 residents, a 45% change.