Akashic
1892–2024
Akashic
Rapid City, SD
presidential margin
2008R+24.02012R+32.62016R+37.62020R+30.52024R+32.6
full record · 1892 → 2024
R+32.6
2024
median income$75,129U.S. $80,734 · SD $75,081
median age40.6U.S. 39.1 · SD 38.2
poverty rate10.3%U.S. 12.5% · SD 12.0%
bachelor’s+ (25+)33.1%U.S. 35.6% · SD 31.9%
non-english4.3%U.S. 22.3% · SD 7.1%
race · ethnicity · ancestry
German29.6%
Irish13.3%
English11.1%
Oglala Sioux2.4%
Rosebud Sioux0.7%
Mexican3.4%
Puerto Rican0.6%
Spanish0.3%
African American†1.0%
Filipino0.4%
religion
other traditions
Mainline9.9%
Latter-day Saints1.8%
Other Christian0.6%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents, unaffiliated is the unclaimed remainder.

Rapid City, SD, South Dakota

Akashic
Rapid City, SDTrumpR+32.6
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Rapid City, SD, SDA map of the constituent counties of Rapid City, SD, SD, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), seated within the faint outlines of the surrounding states.Custer County, SD · R+45.8Meade County, SD · R+50.9Pennington County, SD · R+26.4
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican65.0%50,209
Kamala HarrisDemocratic32.4%25,039
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Other2.6%2,005
D+60
R+60
3 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
County-level results (3 counties) — table
2024 presidential result by county for Rapid City, SD, SD — winner and D-vs-R margin.
CountyWinnerMargin
Custer County, SDRepublicanR+45.8
Meade County, SDRepublicanR+50.9
Pennington County, SDRepublicanR+26.4
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
R
32.4%Harris25,039
65.0%Trump50,209
2.6%Kennedy2,005
−32.6%
77,253
R
33.1%Biden25,413
63.6%Trump48,790
3.2%Jorgensen2,479
−30.5%
76,682
R
27.2%Clinton17,418
64.8%Trump41,538
8.0%Johnson5,129
−37.6%
64,085
R
32.4%Obama19,388
65.0%Romney38,860
2.6%Johnson1,553
−32.6%
59,801
R
36.9%Obama23,028
60.9%McCain38,027
2.1%Nader1,338
−24.0%
62,393
R
30.3%Kerry18,426
67.9%Bush41,245
1.8%Nader1,105
−37.5%
60,776
R
29.0%Gore14,345
68.8%Bush34,061
2.2%Buchanan1,090
−39.8%
49,496
R
35.1%Clinton16,866
54.1%Dole26,017
10.8%Browne5,166
−19.0%
48,049
R
29.1%Clinton14,878
47.3%Bush24,198
23.5%Perot12,031
−18.2%
51,107
R
38.0%Dukakis16,460
61.3%Bush26,505
0.7%Paul301
−23.2%
43,266
R
26.9%Mondale11,175
72.4%Reagan30,038
0.7%Serrette280
−45.5%
41,493
R
24.7%Carter9,550
68.2%Reagan26,397
7.1%Anderson2,753
−43.5%
38,700
R
42.6%Carter13,531
56.1%Ford17,821
1.4%Macbride442
−13.5%
31,794
R
37.1%McGovern11,023
62.5%Nixon18,546
0.4%Schmitz126
−25.3%
29,695
R
39.0%Humphrey9,552
54.0%Nixon13,206
7.0%Wallace1,711
−14.9%
24,469
D
52.3%Johnson13,380
47.7%Goldwater12,208
0.0%
+4.6%
25,588
R
39.8%Kennedy10,279
60.2%Nixon15,541
0.0%
−20.4%
25,820
R
34.4%Stevenson7,843
65.6%Eisenhower14,936
0.0%
−31.1%
22,779
R
28.9%Stevenson6,456
71.1%Eisenhower15,863
0.0%
−42.1%
22,319
R
43.4%Truman7,527
55.8%Dewey9,662
0.8%Thurmond141
−12.3%
17,330
R
39.0%Roosevelt5,393
61.0%Dewey8,446
0.0%
−22.1%
13,839
R
42.1%Roosevelt7,960
57.9%Willkie10,959
0.0%
−15.9%
18,919
D
52.2%Roosevelt9,380
43.8%Landon7,871
3.9%Lemke705
+8.4%
17,956
D
58.6%Roosevelt9,413
39.6%Hoover6,350
1.8%Thomas288
+19.1%
16,051
R
32.9%Smith4,422
66.7%Hoover8,954
0.4%Thomas58
−33.7%
13,434
R
18.6%Davis1,876
59.9%Coolidge6,040
21.5%La Follette2,173
−41.3%
10,089
R
29.1%Cox2,482
61.5%Harding5,246
9.4%Debs804
−32.4%
8,532
D
52.9%Wilson3,051
40.9%Hughes2,358
6.2%Benson358
+12.0%
5,767
O
46.0%Wilson2,529
0.0%Taft0
54.0%Roosevelt2,971
Roosevelt +8.0
5,500
R
40.9%Bryan2,380
54.1%Taft3,142
5.0%Debs290
−13.1%
5,812
R
24.7%Parker888
67.2%Roosevelt2,416
8.1%Debs292
−42.5%
3,596
R
47.3%Bryan1,764
51.8%McKinley1,931
0.9%Woolley32
−4.5%
3,727
D
57.5%Bryan2,360
42.1%McKinley1,730
0.4%Palmer15
+15.3%
4,105
R
10.8%Cleveland441
46.3%Harrison1,889
42.9%Weaver1,752
−35.5%
4,082
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1892 to 2024. Most recent: −32.6% in 2024.flipped R · 1968−32.6%DR18922024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1892−35.5%
1896+15.3%
1900−4.5%
1904−42.5%
1908−13.1%
1912+46.0%
1916+12.0%
1920−32.4%
1924−41.3%
1928−33.7%
1932+19.1%
1936+8.4%
1940−15.9%
1944−22.1%
1948−12.3%
1952−42.1%
1956−31.1%
1960−20.4%
1964+4.6%
1968−14.9%
1972−25.3%
1976−13.5%
1980−43.5%
1984−45.5%
1988−23.2%
1992−18.2%
1996−19.0%
2000−39.8%
2004−37.5%
2008−24.0%
2012−32.6%
2016−37.6%
2020−30.5%
2024−32.6%
DemocraticRepublican

Rapid City anchors a metro that spans some of the most lopsided partisan precincts in South Dakota, with heavily Democratic voting on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations contrasting against reliably Republican returns in the surrounding white-majority suburbs and rural fringe.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 46.0 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 45.5 points in 1984. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved 2.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 32.6 points.

A population of 152,950, a 80% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $75,129 describe the metro. The metro's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Spearfish, SD and Kalispell, MT.

Political twins — metros

The metros whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.

Spearfish, SD
84.0twin score
2000–2004 trajectoryelasticityNorwegian ancestry≠ population scale
Kalispell, MT
82.5twin score
2000–2012 trajectory12-yr trend≠ Scottish ancestry
Warsaw, IN
80.5twin score
2000–2008 trajectory12-yr trend≠ Norwegian ancestry

Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Rapid City, SD, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/39660/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Places within Rapid City, SD

counties3
Custer CountyMeade CountyPennington County

Frequently asked questions

How did Rapid City, SD, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Rapid City, SD, South Dakota voted Republican by 32.6 points (R+32.6), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 77,253 votes cast, 25,039 went Democratic and 50,209 went Republican.
When did Rapid City, SD, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Rapid City, SD, South Dakota voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Rapid City, SD, South Dakota?
Rapid City, SD, South Dakota has a population of 152,950 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Rapid City, SD, South Dakota?
Median household income in Rapid City, SD, South Dakota is $75,129 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of Rapid City, SD, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Rapid City, SD, South Dakota from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 28 went Republican.