The 10 South Dakota Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the cities in South Dakota with the largest African American population.

Most African American cities in South Dakota research summary. We analyzed South Dakota’s most recent Census data to determine the blackest cities in South Dakota based on the percentage of Black residents. Here are the results of our analysis:

  • The city with the largest African American population in South Dakota is Sioux Falls based on the most recent Census data.

  • Sioux Falls is 6.63% Black.

  • The least African American city in South Dakota is Belle Fourche.

  • Belle Fourche is 0.0% Black.

  • South Dakota is 2.1% Black.

  • South Dakota is the 40th blackest state in the United States.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Black community is one of the fastest-growing communities in America this decade.

Roughly 42 million people identifying as Black or African American live in the United States, making up 12% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Black population in South Dakota is 18,736 – at 2.1% of the total population of South Dakota.

The percentage growth of Blacks in America is the third largest percentage change for any race according to the Census’s race and ethnicity definition. Most scholars and historians agree that increasing diversity in America is a good thing.

We agree.

But how has the increase in the black population impacted South Dakota? Which cities and towns in South Dakota have seen the greatest increase in its Black population?

We broke down the most recent census data to determine the cities in South Dakota with the largest African American population in 2023:

Most African American Places In South Dakota

  1. Sioux Falls
  2. Aberdeen
  3. Brandon
  4. Vermillion
  5. Box Elder
  6. Yankton
  7. Brookings
  8. Sturgis
  9. Rapid City
  10. Huron

What’s the blackest city in South Dakota? The city with the largest Black population in South Dakota for 2023 is Sioux Falls. See if Sioux Falls ranked as one of the most african american places in America.

And if you already knew these places were Black, check out the best places to live in South Dakota or the most diverse places in South Dakota.

The 10 Blackest Cities In South Dakota For 2023

1. Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, SD

Source: Wikipedia User Jonathunder |
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 189,258
% African American: 6.63%
# Of African American Residents: 12,547
Percent Change Since 2010: 142.59%
More on Sioux Falls:  Data | Cost Of Living

2. Aberdeen

Aberdeen, SD

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 28,500
% African American: 3.04%
# Of African American Residents: 866
Percent Change Since 2010: 633.9%
More on Aberdeen:  Data | Cost Of Living

3. Brandon

Brandon, SD

Source: Wikipedia User TCN7JM | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 10,745
% African American: 2.24%
# Of African American Residents: 241
Percent Change Since 2010: 1753.85%
More on Brandon:  Data | Cost Of Living

4. Vermillion

Vermillion, SD

Source: Wikipedia User User:Magicpiano | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,506
% African American: 2.04%
# Of African American Residents: 235
Percent Change Since 2010: 128.16%
More on Vermillion:  Data | Cost Of Living

5. Box Elder

Box Elder, SD

Source: Wikipedia User Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,527
% African American: 2.02%
# Of African American Residents: 233
Percent Change Since 2010: 44.72%
More on Box Elder:  Data | Cost Of Living

6. Yankton

Yankton, SD

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 15,332
% African American: 1.82%
# Of African American Residents: 279
Percent Change Since 2010: 2.2%
More on Yankton:  Data | Cost Of Living

7. Brookings

Brookings, SD

Source: Wikipedia User Jon Platek | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 23,432
% African American: 1.74%
# Of African American Residents: 408
Percent Change Since 2010: 191.43%
More on Brookings:  Data | Cost Of Living

8. Sturgis

Sturgis, SD

Source: Wikipedia User Cumulus Clouds | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,088
% African American: 1.69%
# Of African American Residents: 120
Percent Change Since 2010: inf%
More on Sturgis:  Data | Cost Of Living

9. Rapid City

Rapid City, SD

Source: Wikipedia User tochichi | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 73,942
% African American: 1.37%
# Of African American Residents: 1,015
Percent Change Since 2010: 22.29%
More on Rapid City:  Data | Cost Of Living

10. Huron

Huron, SD

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,060
% African American: 1.26%
# Of African American Residents: 177
Percent Change Since 2010: -46.69%
More on Huron:  Data | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In South Dakota With The Largest Black Population For 2023

We still believe in the accuracy of data — especially from the Census. So that’s where we went to get the race breakdown across South Dakota.

That leads us to the Census’s most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.

Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:

  • Hispanic or Latino
  • White alone*
  • Black or African American alone*
  • American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
  • Asian alone*
  • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
  • Some other race alone*
  • Two or more races*
* Not Hispanic or latino

Our particular column of interest was the number of people who identified as Black or African American.

We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people in South Dakota. That left us with 16 cities.

We then calculated the percentage of residents that are Black or African American. The percentages ranked from 6.6% to 0.0%.

Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the Black population, with a higher score being more Black than a lower score. Sioux Falls took the distinction of being the most Black, while Belle Fourche was the least African American city.

We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the cities in South Dakota with the largest African American population.

Read on for more information on how the cities in South Dakota ranked by population of African American residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.

Summary: Black Populations Across South Dakota

If you’re looking for a breakdown of African American populations across South Dakota according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the least African American places in South Dakota:

  1. Belle Fourche
  2. Pierre
  3. Madison

For more South Dakota reading, check out:

African American Population By City In South Dakota

Rank City % African American Population
1 Sioux Falls 6.63% 189,258
2 Aberdeen 3.04% 28,500
3 Brandon 2.24% 10,745
4 Vermillion 2.04% 11,506
5 Box Elder 2.02% 11,527
6 Yankton 1.82% 15,332
7 Brookings 1.74% 23,432
8 Sturgis 1.69% 7,088
9 Rapid City 1.37% 73,942
10 Huron 1.26% 14,060
11 Watertown 1.09% 22,577
12 Mitchell 0.77% 15,677
13 Spearfish 0.68% 12,031
14 Madison 0.19% 6,388
15 Pierre 0.09% 14,126
16 Belle Fourche 0.0% 5,561
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.

One thought on “The 10 South Dakota Cities With The Largest Black Population For 2023

  1. Thanks for the information you that you provided in this article. But I think that it would have been really nice to find out what it is like for the African American’s that live in those cities. Do they have to live in certain areas of the city, how do they feel they are treated by the majority population? Do they feel as if they are looked at as being different because of their race? South Dakota seems like great place to live but if you happen to be an African-American, and wanted to relocate a little more information would be very helpful. Thank you for the information.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *