Akashic
1892–2024
Akashic
Rapid City
presidential margin
2008R+28.92012R+38.12016R+44.52020R+38.92024R+40.6
full record · 1892 → 2024
R+40.6
2024
median income$73,385U.S. $80,734 · SD $75,081
median age41.7U.S. 39.1
poverty rate11.3%U.S. 12.5%
bachelor’s+ (25+)30.6%U.S. 35.6%
non-english4.3%U.S. 22.3%
race · ethnicity · ancestry
German27.7%
Irish12.4%
English11.4%
Oglala Sioux2.6%
Rosebud Sioux0.6%
Mexican3.3%
Puerto Rican0.5%
Spanish0.2%
religion
other traditions
Mainline9.8%
Other Christian0.7%
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, South Dakota

Akashic
Rapid CityTrumpR+40.6
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Rapid City, SDA map of the constituent counties of Rapid City, 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.Jones County, SD · R+75.8Harding County, SD · R+86.1Bennett County, SD · R+26.4Carter County, MT · R+80.2Perkins County, SD · R+70.0Morrill County, NE · R+68.3Butte County, SD · R+60.6Pennington County, SD · R+26.4Jackson County, SD · R+35.1Meade County, SD · R+50.9Sheridan County, WY · R+49.4Lawrence County, SD · R+31.3Ziebach County, SD · R+2.8Crook County, WY · R+77.4Custer County, SD · R+45.8Weston County, WY · R+76.6Haakon County, SD · R+79.9Fall River County, SD · R+49.3
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican69.0%94,367
Kamala HarrisDemocratic28.4%38,820
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Other2.5%3,480
D+60
R+60
18 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
County-level results (18 counties) — table
2024 presidential result by county for Rapid City, SD — winner and D-vs-R margin.
CountyWinnerMargin
Bennett County, SDRepublicanR+26.4
Butte County, SDRepublicanR+60.6
Carter County, MTRepublicanR+80.2
Crook County, WYRepublicanR+77.4
Custer County, SDRepublicanR+45.8
Fall River County, SDRepublicanR+49.3
Haakon County, SDRepublicanR+79.9
Harding County, SDRepublicanR+86.1
Jackson County, SDRepublicanR+35.1
Jones County, SDRepublicanR+75.8
Lawrence County, SDRepublicanR+31.3
Meade County, SDRepublicanR+50.9
Morrill County, NERepublicanR+68.3
Pennington County, SDRepublicanR+26.4
Perkins County, SDRepublicanR+70.0
Sheridan County, WYRepublicanR+49.4
Weston County, WYRepublicanR+76.6
Ziebach County, SDRepublicanR+2.8
34 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
R
28.4%Harris38,820
69.0%Trump94,367
2.5%Kennedy3,480
−40.6%
136,667
R
29.0%Biden38,972
67.9%Trump91,150
3.1%Jorgensen4,165
−38.9%
134,287
R
23.9%Clinton27,604
68.4%Trump79,114
7.8%Johnson8,969
−44.5%
115,687
R
29.5%Obama32,580
67.7%Romney74,646
2.8%Johnson3,110
−38.1%
110,336
R
34.3%Obama39,514
63.2%McCain72,716
2.5%Nader2,838
−28.9%
115,068
R
29.3%Kerry33,109
68.7%Bush77,566
2.0%Nader2,257
−39.4%
112,932
R
27.1%Gore25,440
70.2%Bush65,854
2.7%Buchanan2,558
−43.1%
93,852
R
34.6%Clinton32,301
53.2%Dole49,631
12.2%Browne11,387
−18.6%
93,319
R
29.6%Clinton28,713
45.6%Bush44,214
24.8%Perot24,033
−16.0%
96,960
R
37.7%Dukakis32,910
61.4%Bush53,651
0.9%Paul830
−23.7%
87,391
R
26.9%Mondale23,417
72.4%Reagan63,125
0.8%Serrette661
−45.5%
87,203
R
24.8%Carter20,608
68.2%Reagan56,700
7.1%Anderson5,883
−43.4%
83,191
R
41.1%Carter29,656
57.4%Ford41,462
1.5%Macbride1,070
−16.4%
72,188
R
33.1%McGovern23,410
66.4%Nixon46,999
0.5%Schmitz337
−33.3%
70,746
R
34.2%Humphrey21,442
58.4%Nixon36,565
7.4%Wallace4,641
−24.1%
62,648
D
50.0%Johnson34,153
50.0%Goldwater34,095
0.0%
+0.1%
68,248
R
38.3%Kennedy27,039
61.7%Nixon43,545
0.0%Byrd4
−23.4%
70,588
R
35.2%Stevenson22,400
64.8%Eisenhower41,286
0.0%
−29.7%
63,686
R
28.1%Stevenson18,787
71.8%Eisenhower48,029
0.1%Hallinan34
−43.7%
66,850
R
43.9%Truman23,736
55.1%Dewey29,800
1.0%Thurmond547
−11.2%
54,083
R
40.8%Roosevelt19,745
59.2%Dewey28,668
0.0%Thomas1
−18.4%
48,414
R
43.2%Roosevelt28,324
56.7%Willkie37,143
0.0%Thomas29
−13.5%
65,496
D
52.6%Roosevelt33,352
44.7%Landon28,375
2.7%Lemke1,711
+7.8%
63,438
D
57.7%Roosevelt35,322
40.0%Hoover24,462
2.4%Thomas1,446
+17.7%
61,230
R
33.6%Smith17,644
65.7%Hoover34,518
0.7%Thomas388
−32.1%
52,550
R
20.7%Davis8,836
55.4%Coolidge23,594
23.9%La Follette10,157
−34.7%
42,587
R
27.5%Cox10,010
62.0%Harding22,608
10.5%Debs3,829
−34.6%
36,447
D
53.3%Wilson15,492
41.6%Hughes12,092
5.2%Benson1,507
+11.7%
29,091
O
43.1%Wilson11,164
7.9%Taft2,043
49.0%Roosevelt12,681
Roosevelt +5.9
25,888
R
36.5%Bryan8,141
54.7%Taft12,188
8.8%Debs1,959
−18.2%
22,288
R
25.3%Parker4,577
65.8%Roosevelt11,932
8.9%Debs1,613
−40.6%
18,122
R
44.5%Bryan7,078
54.4%McKinley8,637
1.1%Woolley176
−9.8%
15,891
D
55.0%Bryan8,098
44.5%McKinley6,544
0.5%Palmer79
+10.6%
14,721
R
10.4%Cleveland1,277
48.6%Harrison5,954
41.0%Weaver5,021
−38.2%
12,252
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: −40.6% in 2024.flipped R · 1968−40.6%DR18922024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1892−38.2%
1896+10.6%
1900−9.8%
1904−40.6%
1908−18.2%
1912+35.2%
1916+11.7%
1920−34.6%
1924−34.7%
1928−32.1%
1932+17.7%
1936+7.8%
1940−13.5%
1944−18.4%
1948−11.2%
1952−43.7%
1956−29.7%
1960−23.4%
1964+0.1%
1968−24.1%
1972−33.3%
1976−16.4%
1980−43.4%
1984−45.5%
1988−23.7%
1992−16.0%
1996−18.6%
2000−43.1%
2004−39.4%
2008−28.9%
2012−38.1%
2016−44.5%
2020−38.9%
2024−40.6%
DemocraticRepublican

The Rapid City media market anchors western South Dakota and pulls in corners of Wyoming and Nebraska, blending rural agricultural precincts with an urban core that has shifted measurably as the metro's population climbed past 80,000.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 35.2 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 45.5 points in 1984. Between 2020 and 2024 the market moved 1.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 40.6 points.

A population of 265,694, a 82% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $73,385 describe the market. The market's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Casper-Riverton and Cheyenne-Scottsbluff.

Political twins — media markets

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

Casper-Riverton
Wyoming
87.5twin score
2000–2016 trajectory≠ Scottish ancestry
Cheyenne-Scottsbluff
Wyoming
84.6twin score
2000–2016 trajectory≠ Scottish ancestry
Billings
Montana
82.4twin score
2000–2024 trajectory≠ elasticity

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, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/dma/764/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
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Places within Rapid City

counties18
Bennett CountyButte CountyCarter CountyCrook CountyCuster CountyFall River CountyHaakon CountyHarding CountyJackson CountyJones CountyLawrence CountyMeade CountyMorrill CountyPennington CountyPerkins CountySheridan CountyWeston CountyZiebach County

Frequently asked questions

How did Rapid City, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Rapid City, South Dakota voted Republican by 40.6 points (R+40.6), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 136,667 votes cast, 38,820 went Democratic and 94,367 went Republican.
When did Rapid City, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Rapid City, South Dakota voted Democratic was 1964.
How many people live in Rapid City, South Dakota?
Rapid City, South Dakota has a population of 265,694 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Rapid City, South Dakota?
Median household income in Rapid City, South Dakota is $73,385 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of Rapid City, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 34 presidential elections in Rapid City, South Dakota from 1892 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 28 went Republican.