Whitest cities in South Dakota research summary. We analyzed South Dakota’s most recent Census data to determine the whitest cities in South Dakota based on the percentage of White residents.
91.3% White · #1 whitest in South Dakota
Located in
Lake County, South Dakota
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
91.1% White · #2 whitest in South Dakota
Located in
Meade County, South Dakota
Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 6,627 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Union General Samuel D. Sturgis.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
89.9% White · #3 whitest in South Dakota
Located in
Codington County, South Dakota
Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Codington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 21,482 at the 2010 census. It is the fifth largest city in South Dakota. It is also the principal city of the Watertown Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Codington and Hamlin counties.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
89.5% White · #4 whitest in South Dakota
Located in
Butte County, South Dakota
Belle Fourche is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 5,594 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
89.0% White · #5 whitest in South Dakota
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
87.6% White · #6 whitest in South Dakota
Located in
Davison County, South Dakota
Mitchell is the county seat of Davison County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 15,254 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
87.3% White · #7 whitest in South Dakota
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
86.2% White · #8 whitest in South Dakota
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
84.8% White · #9 whitest in South Dakota
Located in
Yankton County, South Dakota
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
81.9% White · #10 whitest in South Dakota
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
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 White population is concentrated
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the whitest places in South Dakota for 2026
To rank the whitest places in South Dakota, we used Saturday Night Science to look at Census demographic data.
We had to look at the number of white people living in each city in South Dakota on a per capita basis. In other words, the percentage of white people living in each city in South Dakota.
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*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as White alone.
We limited our analysis to places with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 16 cities.
We then calculated the percentage of residents that are White. The percentages ranked from 91.3% to 59.8%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percentage of the White population, with a higher percentage being more White. Madison took the distinction of being the most White, while Huron was the least White city.
We updated this article for 2026. This report represents our eleventh time ranking the whitest cities in South Dakota.
The full plate
Cities In South Dakota By White Population
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | White Population | % White |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madison | 6,094 | 5,561 | 91.3% |
| 2 | Sturgis | 7,086 | 6,456 | 91.1% |
| 3 | Watertown | 23,044 | 20,721 | 89.9% |
| 4 | Belle Fourche | 5,804 | 5,196 | 89.5% |
| 5 | Brandon | 10,996 | 9,788 | 89.0% |
| 6 | Mitchell | 15,649 | 13,711 | 87.6% |
| 7 | Spearfish | 12,930 | 11,290 | 87.3% |
| 8 | Brookings | 23,948 | 20,646 | 86.2% |
| 9 | Yankton | 15,540 | 13,183 | 84.8% |
| 10 | Vermillion | 11,878 | 9,725 | 81.9% |
| 11 | Aberdeen | 28,189 | 22,964 | 81.5% |
| 12 | Pierre | 13,948 | 11,112 | 79.7% |
| 13 | Sioux Falls | 201,469 | 157,056 | 78.0% |
| 14 | Rapid City | 77,946 | 59,460 | 76.3% |
| 15 | Box Elder | 12,902 | 9,177 | 71.1% |
| 16 | Huron | 14,385 | 8,607 | 59.8% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 16 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: White Populations Across South Dakota
We measured the locations with the highest percentage of white people in South Dakota. According to the most recent data, this list provides accurate information on the whitest places in South Dakota.
The most White cities in South Dakota are Madison, Sturgis, Watertown, Belle Fourche, Brandon, Mitchell, Spearfish, Brookings, Yankton, and Vermillion. Not sold on South Dakota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
