Now that we’re starting up the election swing to decide not only our next President, but many other local statewide initiatives, it’s important to put into context the types of decisions that will be made in the coming years.
Who makes the decisions? Not the people getting elected. It’s the voters.
Specifically, we wanted to know which cities have the highest number of liberal voters in the Mount Rushmore State?
In order to do so, we turned our sites on measuring how each city in South Dakota with populations greater than 5,000 voted and contributed to political campaigns in the past several years. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Democrat and gave the most to liberals where named the most liberal cities in the state.
If you’re wondering, Belle Fourche is the most conservative city in South Dakota of all those we measured.
And to be clear, we didn’t form this list based on our own biases — we relied on the cold hard data. For more on how we ran the numbers, keep on reading. Then we’ll take a closer look at each of our top 10 most liberal cities in South Dakota.
And if you already knew these places were liberal, check out some more reading about South Dakota and the most lberal places in the country:
How we determined the most liberal cities in South Dakota for 2019
We started by making a list of every city in South Dakota over 5,000 people based on the 2013-2017 American Community Survey (The most recent data). That left us with 17 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and donation data to determine which places lean the most rightward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Registered Democrats
- # Of Contributions To Democrats Per Capita
- $ Amount Contributed To Democrats Per Capita
Next, we ranked each city from 1 to 17 for each of the criteria where number one was the most liberal.
The winner, Vermillion, is “The Most liberal City in South Dakota For 2019”.
Let’s go through these liberal places, shall we?
The 10 Most liberal Places In South Dakota For 2019
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Vermillion is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, in the southeastern corner of the state of South Dakota, and the eleventh largest city in the state. According to the 2010 Census, the population was 10,571. The city lies atop a bluff near the Missouri River.
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Sioux Falls is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 145th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County. and also extends into Lincoln County to the south. It is the 47th fastest-growing city in the United States and the fastest-growing metro area in South Dakota, with a population increase of 22% between 2000 and 2010.
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Brandon is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States and is the largest suburb of Sioux Falls. Brandon is located five miles east of Sioux Falls. The population was estimated at 9,923 by the United States Census Bureau on July 1, 2016, which was up from 8,785 at the 2010 census.
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Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is the fourth largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 22,056 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State University, the largest institution of higher education in the state. Also found in Brookings are the South Dakota Art Museum, the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, the annual Brookings Summer Arts Festival, and the headquarters of a number of manufacturing companies and agricultural operations.
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Yankton is a city in, and the county seat of, Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,454 at the 2010 census. Yankton is the principal city of the Yankton Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the entirety of Yankton County, and which had an estimated population of 22,702 as of July 1, 2015.
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Madison is a city in Lake County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 6,474 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lake County and is home to Dakota State University.
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Aberdeen is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States, about 125 miles northeast of Pierre. The city population was 26,091 at the 2010 census, making it the third most populous city in the state after Sioux Falls and Rapid City. Aberdeen is the principal city of the Aberdeen Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Brown and Edmunds counties and has a population of 40,602 in 2010. Aberdeen is considered a college town, being the home of both Northern State University and Presentation College.
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Population: 5,429
Percent Democrat: 32.0%
$ Democrat Amount Per Capita: $1.72
# Democrat Contributions Per Capita: 0.03
More on Harrisburg: Data
Harrisburg is a city in Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States and is a suburb of Sioux Falls. The population was 4,089 by the 2010 census, having grown from 958 in 2000 census. The population of the Harrisburg zip code has grown from 2,476 in 2000 to 10,342 in 2010.
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Mitchell is the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,254 at the 2010 census.
Summing Up The Liberal Snowflakes in South Dakota
Well there you have it, the places in South Dakota that have the highest number of liberals per capita, with Vermillion ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.
If you’re curious, here are the least liberal cities in South Dakota:
- Belle Fourche
- Sturgis
- Watertown
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In South Dakota
- These Are The 10 Best Counties To Live In South Dakota
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In South Dakota
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Retire In South Dakota
- These Are The 10 Richest Cities In South Dakota
- 10 Safest Places In South Dakota
- 10 Worst Places To Live In South Dakota
Detailed List Of The Most Liberal Places In South Dakota
| Rank | City | % Liberal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermillion, SD | 51.4% |
| 2 | Sioux Falls, SD | 39.1% |
| 3 | Brandon, SD | 39.1% |
| 4 | Brookings, SD | 38.5% |
| 5 | Yankton, SD | 34.3% |
| 6 | Madison, SD | 34.1% |
| 7 | Aberdeen, SD | 33.8% |
| 8 | Harrisburg, SD | 32.0% |
| 9 | Pierre, SD | 30.0% |
| 10 | Mitchell, SD | 29.6% |
| 11 | Rapid City, SD | 29.5% |
| 12 | Box Elder, SD | 29.5% |
| 13 | Spearfish, SD | 28.3% |
| 14 | Huron, SD | 28.2% |
| 15 | Watertown, SD | 27.2% |
| 16 | Sturgis, SD | 19.1% |
| 17 | Belle Fourche, SD | 16.0% |
