HarrisDemocratic28.4%38,820TrumpRepublican69.0%94,367OtherAll other candidates2.5%3,480
R+40.6- Lead
- 55,547
- Total
- 136,667
- vs nation
- R+39.2
Akashicmedia market
Rapid City
Office (updates table and map)
President margin by year
Place winner margin
18 counties by 2024 margin · County returns · MIT Election Lab
President results by year
Vote totals, margins, and source status
BidenDemocratic29.0%38,972TrumpRepublican67.9%91,150OtherAll other candidates3.1%4,165
R+38.9- Lead
- 52,178
- Total
- 134,287
- vs nation
- R+43.3
ClintonDemocratic23.9%27,604TrumpRepublican68.4%79,114OtherAll other candidates7.8%8,969
R+44.5- Lead
- 51,510
- Total
- 115,687
- vs nation
- R+46.6
ObamaDemocratic29.5%32,580RomneyRepublican67.7%74,646OtherAll other candidates2.8%3,110
R+38.1- Lead
- 42,066
- Total
- 110,336
- vs nation
- R+42.0
ObamaDemocratic34.3%39,514McCainRepublican63.2%72,716OtherAll other candidates2.5%2,838
R+28.9- Lead
- 33,202
- Total
- 115,068
- vs nation
- R+36.1
KerryDemocratic29.3%33,109BushRepublican68.7%77,566OtherAll other candidates2.0%2,257
R+39.4- Lead
- 44,457
- Total
- 112,932
- vs nation
- R+36.9
GoreDemocratic27.1%25,440BushRepublican70.2%65,854OtherAll other candidates2.7%2,558
R+43.1- Lead
- 40,414
- Total
- 93,852
- vs nation
- R+43.6
ClintonDemocratic34.6%32,301DoleRepublican53.2%49,631OtherAll other candidates12.2%11,387
R+18.6- Lead
- 17,330
- Total
- 93,319
- vs nation
- R+27.1
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+40.6MIT Election Lab
- Population
- 265,6942024 5-year
- Population density
- 6.9 / sq mi2024 5-year · TIGER/Line
- Land area
- 38,467 sq miTIGER/Line
- Median household income
- $73,3852024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 81.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.8%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 4.9%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+35.2 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+45.5 in 1984MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Casper-Riverton, WY · twin score 87.5
presidential history
Party record book
Rapid City · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 · 34 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1932
57.7%
35,322 votes · D+17.7
Runner-up · William J. Bryan, 1896 · 55.0%
Republican
Ronald Reagan1984
72.4%
63,125 votes · R+45.5
Runner-up · Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952 · 71.8%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Barack Obama2008
39,514votes
34.3% of the vote · R+28.9
Runner-up · Joe Biden, 2020 · 38,972 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2024
94,367votes
69.0% of the vote · R+40.6
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2020 · 91,150 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
William J. Bryan1896
+16.6pts D vs U.S.
Place D+10.6 · U.S. R+6.1
Runner-up · Woodrow Wilson, 1912 · +15.7 pts
Republican
Donald Trump2016
+46.6pts R vs U.S.
Place R+44.5 · U.S. D+2.1
Runner-up · George W. Bush, 2000 · +43.6 pts
U.S. House elections · 3 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
On a multi-state Place, each row sums votes cast in the separate U.S. House races held inside the Place that year. It is a geographic vote total, not one contest or a seat tally.
voter registration
Registered voters
By party of registration, over time
Party registration · 2026R+45.3
Presidential vote · 2024R+40.6
Registration leans Republican; the presidential vote runs 4.7 points more Democratic than the rolls.
DemocraticRepublicanUnaffiliatedOther parties
† Some years predate full county coverage; a flagged year sums only the counties reporting it.
| Year | Total registered | Democratic | Republican | Unaffiliated | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (partial) | 191,694 | 29,633 | 116,522 | 21,470 | 24,069 |
domestic migration
Who moves in and out
Net domestic migration over time
+1,045 net domestic migration · 2025
20112025
Net +23,747 over 2011–2025 · gain loss
| Year | Net domestic migration |
|---|---|
| 2011 | +531 |
| 2012 | +1,034 |
| 2013 | +1,890 |
| 2014 | +629 |
| 2015 | −223 |
| 2016 | +1,125 |
| 2017 | +976 |
| 2018 | +1,232 |
| 2019 | +1,981 |
| 2021 | +4,710 |
| 2022 | +4,759 |
| 2023 | +2,923 |
| 2024 | +1,135 |
| 2025 | +1,045 |
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
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.