akashic
1876–2024
State House District 17·South Dakota

South Dakota 17th State House District delivered R+13 in 2024.

One of South Dakota's most Democratic-leaning legislative districts

1876 — 2024·38 elections
SD
Latest
R+13
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
18,750
2024 ACS

South Dakota 17th State House District, South Dakota: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+13%. Republican peak: R+54 in 1904.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+13MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
BellwetherAkashic typology
Population
18,7502024 5-year
Median household income
$67,6062024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
86.6%2024 5-year
Black
1.5%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
3.8%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+40 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+54 in 1904MIT Election Lab
2024 results by constituent county
2 counties · 1 D · 1 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−12.6%
3,3554,3497,879
R
−8.1%
3,5334,1747,906
R
−9.8%
2,9613,6517,040
R
−0.3%
3,4483,4697,068
D
+10.9%
4,3213,4537,940
D
+2.1%
3,8253,6647,618
D
+1.6%
3,1323,0336,305
D
+13.2%
3,3232,4676,488
D
+13.8%
3,1352,1906,832
D
+11.9%
3,3072,5975,943
R
−5.6%
3,0443,4066,492
R
−13.5%
2,5393,4917,049
D
+0.7%
3,0613,0186,138
D
+5.7%
3,2552,9026,174
R
−5.2%
2,3862,6585,234
D
+20.0%
3,1702,1145,284
R
−15.4%
2,3943,2635,657
R
−12.4%
2,4403,1285,568
R
−38.4%
1,7613,9555,717
R
−2.1%
2,5272,6385,218
R
−6.4%
2,2282,5314,759
R
−5.8%
2,8153,1615,976
D
+27.9%
3,8092,0656,251
D
+36.3%
3,7881,7515,613
R
−20.4%
1,9793,0004,993
R
−25.6%
7231,7714,100
R
−33.7%
1,0542,2603,578
R
−8.9%
1,2271,4722,747
O
+40.4%
1,11702,765
R
−20.3%
1,0281,5702,668
R
−54.2%
5622,0792,798
R
−11.8%
1,3471,7143,103
R
−2.6%
1,4151,4922,931
R
−39.7%
2231,0702,132
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Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
34.3%
Irish
12.2%
English
6.9%
American
3.6%
French
2.9%
Scottish
1.5%
Italian
1.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 30.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.6%
85+
1.3%
1.8%
75–84
1.9%
4.6%
65–74
4.4%
4.9%
55–64
4.9%
5.1%
45–54
4.0%
5.3%
35–44
4.9%
6.8%
25–34
5.8%
11.3%
18–24
12.8%
8.0%
5–17
6.8%
2.1%
<5
2.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$67,606
State House District 17 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State House District 17$67,606
South Dakota$75,081
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.3%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 185.7%
Working age (18–64)17.7%
Seniors (65+)16.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
96.2%
speak English only
Other Indo-European1.6%
Spanish1.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
Other languages0.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Mainline Protestant
15.4%
Catholic & Orthodox
10.2%
Other Christian
5.0%
Methodist
1.8%
Baptist
1.2%
Pentecostal & Holiness
0.3%
Non-Christian
0.1%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 66.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Anchored within the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservation communities, this district's D+27.3 presidential margin in 2024 reflects the concentrated Native American electorate that makes it a consistent outlier in an otherwise deep-red state.

The Democratic margin in South Dakota 17th State House District has rarely exceeded forty points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded fifty-four points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by thirteen points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 87% non-Hispanic-white share, a 15% poverty rate, and a median household income of $67,606 — all within the broad national range.

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.
State House District 17, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/46017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State House District 17, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 17, South Dakota voted Republican by 12.6 points (R+13), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 7,879 votes cast, 3,355 went Democratic and 4,349 went Republican.
What is State House District 17, South Dakota's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 17, South Dakota as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 11 times, Republican 22 times, and other 1 times.
When did State House District 17, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 17, South Dakota voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in State House District 17, South Dakota?
State House District 17, South Dakota has a population of 18,750 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 17, South Dakota?
Median household income in State House District 17, South Dakota is $67,606 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of State House District 17, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 17, South Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 11 went Democratic and 22 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.