Gayest places in South Dakota research summary. We used Saturday Night Science to research the cities in South Dakota with the highest percent of same-sex households for 2026. The data comes from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year vintage, which counts same-sex married spouses and same-sex unmarried partners at the city level.
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The city with the highest rate of same-sex houesholds in South Dakota is Vermillion. 2.37% of households in Vermillion are gay.
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The city in South Dakota with the most same-sex houesholds is Sioux Falls with 432 gay households.
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South Dakota is the 50th most gay in the United States.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
An estimated 0.38% of South Dakota residents are gay.
That means there are a total of 1,397 gay households in The Mount Rushmore State.
Our goal with this post is to use Saturday Night Science and data to determine the gayest cities in South Dakota.
After analyzing 30 cities with over 1,000 households, we’ve determined these are The Gayest Cities in South Dakota for 2026.
The 10 Gayest Places In South Dakota For 2026
What’s the gayest place in South Dakota? According to the facts, Vermillion is the gayest place in South Dakota for 2026.
For more on how we calculated the top ten, and for more information about these places, read on.
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Gayest cities in the United States
- Best Places To Live In South Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota
- Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota
The 10 Gayest Cities In South Dakota For 2026
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Households: 4,312
Gay Households: 102 (2nd highest)
% Gay Households: 2.37% (1st highest)
More on Vermillion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 3,008
Gay Households: 51 (4th highest)
% Gay Households: 1.7% (2nd highest)
More on Harrisburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 5,932
Gay Households: 43 (6th highest)
% Gay Households: 0.72% (4th highest)
More on Spearfish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 9,145
Gay Households: 49 (5th highest)
% Gay Households: 0.54% (5th highest)
More on Brookings: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 85,992
Gay Households: 432 (1st highest)
% Gay Households: 0.5% (6th highest)
More on Sioux Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Winner
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Households: 1,146
Gay Households: 5 (15th highest)
% Gay Households: 0.44% (7th highest)
More on Winner: Crime | Movers
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Households: 6,638
Gay Households: 27 (8th highest)
% Gay Households: 0.41% (8th highest)
More on Yankton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 10,394
Gay Households: 40 (7th highest)
% Gay Households: 0.38% (9th highest)
More on Watertown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Households: 5,584
Gay Households: 20 (12th highest)
% Gay Households: 0.36% (10th highest)
More on Huron: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
How do you determine the best cities for same-sex households in South Dakota for 2026
In order to rank the gayest cities in South Dakota, we used Saturday Night Science and the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census. We looked at:
- Percentage of all households that are unmarried, same sex partners
We limited the analysis to non-CDPs that have over 1,000 households.
We ranked each place from 1 to 30 with the city containing the highest percentage of unmarried, same sex partners households being the most gay.
In the end, ended up being the the most gay place with 2.37% gay households.
Skip to the end to see the list of all the places in the state from gayest to straighest.
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the gayest places in South Dakota.
There You Have It – The Most LGBT Friendly Cities In South Dakota For 2026
If you’re looking at the number of gay households in South Dakota, this is an accurate list.
The gayest cities in South Dakota are .
If you’re curious enough, here are the least gay places in South Dakota:
- Pierre
- Tea
- North Sioux City
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In South Dakota
- Safest Places In South Dakota
- Worst Places To Live In South Dakota
- Most Expensive Places To Live In South Dakota
Table: Gayest Places To Live In South Dakota
| Rank | City | Households | % Gay Households |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermillion | 4,312 | 2.37% |
| 2 | Harrisburg | 3,008 | 1.7% |
| 3 | Canton | 1,409 | 1.63% |
| 4 | Spearfish | 5,932 | 0.72% |
| 5 | Brookings | 9,145 | 0.54% |
| 6 | Sioux Falls | 85,992 | 0.5% |
| 7 | Winner | 1,146 | 0.44% |
| 8 | Yankton | 6,638 | 0.41% |
| 9 | Watertown | 10,394 | 0.38% |
| 10 | Huron | 5,584 | 0.36% |
| 11 | Box Elder | 4,679 | 0.34% |
| 12 | Mitchell | 7,305 | 0.33% |
| 13 | Rapid City | 32,368 | 0.21% |
| 14 | Brandon | 4,072 | 0.2% |
| 15 | Aberdeen | 12,469 | 0.18% |
| 16 | Hot Springs | 1,885 | 0.0% |
| 17 | Dell Rapids | 1,551 | 0.0% |
| 18 | Belle Fourche | 2,455 | 0.0% |
| 19 | Hartford | 1,373 | 0.0% |
| 20 | Custer | 1,169 | 0.0% |
| 21 | Summerset | 1,076 | 0.0% |
| 22 | Milbank | 1,530 | 0.0% |
| 23 | Sturgis | 3,048 | 0.0% |
| 24 | Fort Pierre | 1,066 | 0.0% |
| 25 | Madison | 2,573 | 0.0% |
| 26 | Mobridge | 1,478 | 0.0% |
| 27 | Lead | 1,345 | 0.0% |
| 28 | North Sioux City | 1,591 | 0.0% |
| 29 | Tea | 2,171 | 0.0% |
| 30 | Pierre | 5,864 | 0.0% |