South Dakota Facts for Kids

A Map of the U.S. state South Dakota
  • U.S. State: South Dakota
  • Abbreviation: SD
  • Joined the USA: November 2nd, 1889 (40th State)
  • Located: Midwestern United States
  • Capital City: Pierre, SD
  • Most Populated City: Sioux Falls, SD

36 South Dakota Facts for Kids

  1. South Dakota is a state in the United States of America.
  2. South Dakota is in the midwestern region of the United States.
  3. South Dakota became a U.S. state on Saturday, November 2nd, 1889.
  4. South Dakota was the 40th state to join the United States.
  5. The U.S. state of South Dakota covers 77,116 square miles.
  6. South Dakota is the 17th largest state by area in the United States.
  7. In 2019, the population of South Dakota was estimated to be 884,659 residents by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  8. In 2019, South Dakota was the 46th most populated state in the United States.
  9. A person who is from or lives in South Dakota is called a South Dakotan.
  10. The capital city of South Dakota is Pierre.
  11. The two largest cities in South Dakota are Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
  12. The largest city in by population in South Dakota is Sioux Falls.
  13. The largest metropolitan area in South Dakota is the Sioux Falls metropolitan area.
  14. The U.S. state of South Dakota has 66 counties.
  15. The most populated county in South Dakota is Minnehaha County with 193,134 residents (2019, U.S. Census Bureau).
  16. The largest county by area in South Dakota is Meade County with 3,471 square miles.
  17. The highest elevation point in South Dakota is Black Elk Peak at 7,244 feet above sea level.
  18. The lowest elevation point in South Dakota is Big Stone Lake at 968 feet above sea level.
  19. The average precipitation (rain and snow) in South Dakota is 22 inches.
  20. South Dakota is the 41st wettest state by precipitation (rain and snow) in the United States.
  21. The average temperature in South Dakota is 45.5 °F.
  22. South Dakota is the 41st warmest state in the United States.
  23. The warmest temperature ever recorded in South Dakota was 120 °F on July 15th, 2006.
  24. The coldest temperature ever recorded in South Dakota was -58 °F on February 17th, 1936.
  25. A few natural disasters that can affect South Dakota are blizzards, flash floods, hail, ice storms, river flooding, thunderstorms and tornadoes.
  26. South Dakota is in two time zones, Mountain Time Zone (MT) and Central Time Zone (CT).
  27. The USPS abbreviation for South Dakota is SD.
  28. South Dakota is also known as the Mount Rushmore State.
  29. The motto for the U.S. state for South Dakota is “Under God the People Rule”.
  30. The official state insect of South Dakota is the honeybee
  31. The official state fish of South Dakota is the walleye
  32. The official state bird of South Dakota is the ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus).
  33. The official state animal of South Dakota is the coyote (Canis latrans).
  34. The official state flower of South Dakota is the American pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens).
  35. The official state tree of South Dakota is the black hills spruce (Picea glauca).
  36. The official state gemstone of South Dakota is the fairburn agate.

Additional Resources on South Dakota

  • About South Dakota – Discover more about South Dakota, United States on the History Channel website.
  • History of South Dakota – Learn about the history of the U.S. state of South Dakota on the South Dakota State Historical Society website.
  • Facts About South Dakota – Find more awesome facts about South Dakota on the Travel South Dakota website.
  • South Dakota – Britannica – Read the article about South Dakota on the Britannica website to learn more about it.

About the author
Facts Editor

This is an author profile for articles that are created from a collaborative effort. It is not uncommon that articles on this site were either written, researched or fact checked by several authors and team members. So this author profile will be displayed to reflect that. Our team of editors, writers and fact checkers do extensive research before publishing articles on the site, and we do our best to provide the most accurate information possible.