S.D. population increase more than triple national rate

In three years since pandemic start, five West River counties seeing influx of new residents

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Nearly half of South Dakota’s counties saw population declines in the three years since the start of the Covid pandemic, while overall the state’s population grew by 3.7 percent.

Thirty-two counties had decreasing populations, with Jones County suffering a 7 percent loss in population followed by Hyde County with a 6 percent loss. Those numbers were based on U.S. Census Bureau estimates of county populations that were made public on March 14.

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The Census Bureau measured annual population gains and losses from 2020 to 2023. State responses to the Covid pandemic dictated domestic migration patterns for many people during that period, and states like South Dakota that reacted with lose-to-no restrictions saw growing populations.

South Dakota’s 3.7 percent gain in population was more than triple the 1 percent increase nationally.

Gov. Kristi Noem in an interview with The Dakota Scout Wednesday touted a strong economy, high quality of life and her administration’s decision to buck lockdowns and mask mandates during the pandemic for South Dakota’s growth in recent years.

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