Is being in an area of South Dakota that’s growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?
Depends on who you ask.
Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Sioux Falls and Rapid City, while others want peace and quiet like in Belle Fourche and Madison, thank you very much.
But today, we’re going to put opinions aside and look at the cold, hard facts — since 2010, which cities in South Dakota have grown the fastest.
After getting knee-deep in the Census’s American Community Survey using Saturday Night Science, we emerged with this set of cities in the Mount Rushmore State that have people climbing over each other to get in.
139.4% growth since 2010 · 4,960 net new residents
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
96.5% growth since 2010 · 3,333 net new residents
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
67.9% growth since 2010 · 5,216 net new residents
Located in
Pennington County, South Dakota
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
35.4% growth since 2010 · 52,621 net new residents
Located in
Minnehaha County, South Dakota
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
33.6% growth since 2010 · 2,763 net new residents
Located in
Minnehaha County, South Dakota
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
26.8% growth since 2010 · 2,735 net new residents
Located in
Lawrence County, South Dakota
Spearfish is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 10,494 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
18.7% growth since 2010 · 2,271 net new residents
Located in
Beadle County, South Dakota
Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 12,592 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beadle County. Huron was the home of now-defunct Huron University. The Huron Plainsman, also referred to as the Plainsman, is the newspaper. The first settlement at Huron was made in 1880. The city was named after the Huron Indians. It is currently the ninth largest city in South Dakota, but it once was the fourth. Huron was in the running for capital of South Dakota but lost out to Pierre due to Pierres positioning.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
17.8% growth since 2010 · 11,802 net new residents
Located in
Pennington County, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Known as the “Gateway to the Black Hills” and the “City of Presidents”, it is split by a low mountain ridge that divides the western and eastern parts of the city. Ellsworth Air Force Base is located on the outskirts of the city. Camp Rapid, a part of the South Dakota Army National Guard, is located in the western part of the city. The historic “Old West” town of Deadwood is nearby. In the neighboring Black Hills are the popular tourist attractions of Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, and Wind Cave National Park.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
12.9% growth since 2010 · 1,361 net new residents
Located in
Clay County, South Dakota
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
11.6% growth since 2010 · 2,482 net new residents
Located in
Brookings County, South Dakota
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Dakota’s statewide median.
On the map
Where South Dakota’s growth is happening
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Mount Rushmore State for 2026
To figure out which cities are growing the most, we used Saturday Night Science to look at the growth rates for cities since the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:
- Current Population
- Population in 2010
- Growth rate from 2010 to Current (the latest available data, which came out in Dec 2024)
We ranked all 18 South Dakota cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.
The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest-growing city in the Mount Rushmore State.
And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula: [Current Population – Population 2010] / [Population 2010].
The data has been updated for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the fastest growing cities in South Dakota.
The full plate
Fastest Growing Places In South Dakota For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Population 2010 | Growth | Absolute Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrisburg | 8,519 | 3,559 | 139.4% | 4,960 |
| 2 | Tea | 6,786 | 3,453 | 96.5% | 3,333 |
| 3 | Box Elder | 12,902 | 7,686 | 67.9% | 5,216 |
| 4 | Sioux Falls | 201,469 | 148,848 | 35.4% | 52,621 |
| 5 | Brandon | 10,996 | 8,233 | 33.6% | 2,763 |
| 6 | Spearfish | 12,930 | 10,195 | 26.8% | 2,735 |
| 7 | Huron | 14,385 | 12,114 | 18.7% | 2,271 |
| 8 | Rapid City | 77,946 | 66,144 | 17.8% | 11,802 |
| 9 | Vermillion | 11,878 | 10,517 | 12.9% | 1,361 |
| 10 | Brookings | 23,948 | 21,466 | 11.6% | 2,482 |
| 11 | Aberdeen | 28,189 | 25,713 | 9.6% | 2,476 |
| 12 | Yankton | 15,540 | 14,243 | 9.1% | 1,297 |
| 13 | Watertown | 23,044 | 21,318 | 8.1% | 1,726 |
| 14 | Sturgis | 7,086 | 6,617 | 7.1% | 469 |
| 15 | Belle Fourche | 5,804 | 5,565 | 4.3% | 239 |
| 16 | Mitchell | 15,649 | 15,166 | 3.2% | 483 |
| 17 | Pierre | 13,948 | 13,604 | 2.5% | 344 |
| 18 | Madison | 6,094 | 6,381 | -4.5% | -287 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS, 2010-current. 18 South Dakota cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In South Dakota, You Know?
So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in South Dakota are led by Harrisburg which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.
The fastest-growing cities in South Dakota are Harrisburg, Tea, Box Elder, Sioux Falls, Brandon, Spearfish, Huron, Rapid City, Vermillion, and Brookings.
It’ll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We’ll be here to let you know!
