akashic
1876–2024
State Senate District 28·South Dakota

South Dakota 28th State Senate District has voted Republican in six straight presidential cycles.

One of South Dakota's most reliably Republican legislative districts

1876 — 2024·38 elections
SD
Latest
R+43
in 2024
Archetype
Republican loyalist
since the recent cycles
Population
26,210
2024 ACS

South Dakota 28th State Senate District, South Dakota: Republican loyalist district. In 2024, voted R+43%. Republican peak: R+46 in 1924.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+43MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
Republican loyalistAkashic typology
Population
26,2102024 5-year
Median household income
$64,3682024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
61.8%2024 5-year
Black
0.2%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
2.3%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+40 in 1912MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+46 in 1924MIT Election Lab
2024 results by constituent county
6 counties · 1 D · 5 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
−42.7%
3,1117,93111,287
R
−37.2%
3,4617,72011,438
R
−42.1%
2,6987,06310,376
R
−26.1%
3,6976,40710,392
R
−12.2%
4,6596,00310,991
R
−20.7%
4,7407,28612,302
D
+34.4%
6,2953,0039,558
R
−10.4%
3,9535,02710,352
R
−14.3%
3,0954,54310,091
R
−14.6%
4,5226,08610,710
R
−35.4%
3,6077,59811,261
R
−44.3%
3,0118,30811,952
R
−6.5%
5,1295,85711,126
R
−28.7%
4,0047,24811,305
R
−23.0%
4,0446,64911,326
D
+3.9%
6,7456,23612,982
R
−18.2%
5,5127,96413,477
R
−21.3%
5,0907,84112,932
R
−42.8%
3,8069,50013,306
R
−9.9%
5,0296,16011,386
R
−18.8%
4,0715,95210,023
R
−13.5%
6,4708,49114,961
D
+10.6%
8,0116,43714,851
D
+22.6%
9,2435,74215,518
R
−27.4%
5,2099,18014,507
R
−46.2%
1,1766,30011,101
R
−38.5%
2,2986,53011,005
R
−8.5%
3,0773,6977,264
O
+40.0%
2,97307,433
R
−26.5%
9151,6362,717
R
−39.3%
3307931,178
R
−7.8%
420492925
D
+12.5%
286222510
O
−32.8%
28154384
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Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
21.6%
Irish
8.9%
English
7.3%
American
5.4%
Polish
1.7%
Italian
1.5%
Scottish
0.9%
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: 36.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.5%
85+
1.0%
2.4%
75–84
2.3%
5.5%
65–74
5.4%
6.4%
55–64
6.4%
5.0%
45–54
5.7%
5.7%
35–44
5.5%
5.5%
25–34
5.6%
4.2%
18–24
4.0%
10.2%
5–17
10.1%
4.6%
<5
3.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$64,368
State Senate District 28 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 28$64,368
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
21.4%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1826.3%
Working age (18–64)19.4%
Seniors (65+)14.8%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
93.9%
speak English only
Other languages4.3%
Spanish0.9%
Other Indo-European0.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
16.1%
Other Christian
15.1%
Mainline Protestant
14.5%
Baptist
2.6%
Pentecostal & Holiness
0.8%
Methodist
0.5%
Non-Christian
0.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 50.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+42.7 across a sparse rural population of roughly 26,000, this district's electoral outcomes have been among the most predictable in the state legislature.

The Republican margin in South Dakota 28th State Senate District reached its widest at forty-six points in 1924. The margin in 2024 was forty-three points, in line with the district's deep historical pattern.

Its loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $64,368, a 62% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 26,210 together describe a district whose political habits are deeply settled.

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 Senate District 28, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/46028/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State Senate District 28, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 28, South Dakota voted Republican by 42.7 points (R+43), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 11,287 votes cast, 3,111 went Democratic and 7,931 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 28, South Dakota's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 28, South Dakota as a "Republican loyalist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 27 times, and other 2 times.
When did State Senate District 28, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 28, South Dakota voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in State Senate District 28, South Dakota?
State Senate District 28, South Dakota has a population of 26,210 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State Senate District 28, South Dakota?
Median household income in State Senate District 28, South Dakota is $64,368 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of State Senate District 28, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 28, South Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 27 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Republican loyalist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.