South Dakota

Population
	2000	2008
Population	754,844	804,194
State Rank	46	46
Median Age	35.6	37.3
Total 8 year-olds	11,262	10,400
Boys	5,786	5,368
Girls	5,476	5,032
Total 9 year-olds	11,370	10,566
Boys	5,912	5,495
Girls	5,458	5,071
Total 10 year-olds	11,654	10,205
Boys	5,954	5,186
Girls	5,700	5,019
Total 11 year-olds	11,690	10,451
Boys	6,010	5,361
Girls	5,680	5,090
Total 12 year-olds	11,739	10,691
Boys	5,910	5,445
Girls	5,829	5,246

How People Get to Work:
Drive Alone	77%	78%
Car Pool	10%	10%
Public Transportation	1%	0%

Geography
Capital	Pierre
Largest City	Sioux Falls
Second Largest City	Rapid City
Persons per square mile	10

Business
	2000	2007
Dentist Offices	264	278
Amusement Parks	6	5
FastFood Restaurants	570	684
Toy Stores	37	32
Video/Disc Rental Stores	60	44
Zoos & Botanical Gardens	2	4
Candy & Nut Stores	6	7
Pet & Pet Supply Stores	29	23
Ice Cream & Frozen Dessert Makers	1	0

Note: As is the case with all surveys, statistics from sample surveys are subject to sampling and nonsampling error.

A value of NA indicates that data are not available for the indicated time period, or is not applicable for the current region.

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History

Date of Statehood: November 2, 1889
Population 1900: 401,570
Population 1950: 652,740

I never knew that! *

Nickname: Mount Rushmore State
Flower: American Pasqueflower
Tree: Black Hills Spruce
Bird: Ring-necked Pheasant
Sport: Rodeo
Fossil: Triceratops
Bread: Fry Bread

Teachers: Download the Picture Your State lesson plan. [pdf]

Who told you this stuff?

The U.S. Census Bureau takes a census of the population every 10 years, and censuses of economic activity and governments every five years. And every year, the Census Bureau conducts more than 100 other surveys. Data on this page come from Population Estimates, the Census of Population and Housing, the American Community Survey, and County Business Patterns.

How are these data collected?

The U.S. Census Bureau sends questionnaires in the mail or contacts businesses and households to participate in its surveys.

* State symbol information was obtained from various non-Census Bureau resources including state web sites, educational web sites, and commercial entities.