Wanderlust World Wanderlust World As of the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates (2023), South Dakota holds a modest population edge over its northern neighbor.
South Dakota’s larger land area (77,116 sq mi vs. 70,698 sq mi) and the presence of Rapid City and Sioux Falls—two metropolitan anchors—drive higher growth. North Dakota’s population surged during the Bakken oil boom (2010–2015) but has since stabilized, while South Dakota has seen steadier, diversified growth in healthcare, finance, and tourism.
Both states were admitted simultaneously in 1889. For decades North Dakota actually had more people; South Dakota overtook it in the 1990s and has widened the gap since.