Year-end counts push Sioux Falls population past 219K, construction total to $1B
City Hall releases final growth report for 2024
Another 5,700 new arrivals to Sioux Falls last year has South Dakota’s largest city knocking on the door of population 220,000.
The city of Sioux Falls on Thursday released its year-end population and building statistics, indicating a strong year of building permit valuations that marked the fourth busiest construction year in city history and another influx in residents.
According to City Hall, building permits for the year exceeded the $1 billion, with the planning office permitting a total of $1,076,691,818 worth of project’s last year over a total of 6,183 building permits.
Sioux Falls grew by an estimated 5,697 people in 2024, marking a 2.66 percent increase in the city’s population, now at an estimated 219,588 people. Last year outpaced the population growth of 2023, which was at 2.4 percent. Population growth was slightly higher in the record-setting years of 2021 and 2022, at 6,750 people or 3.5 percent and 6,284 people or 3.1 percent, respectively. Since the 2020 Census, when Sioux Falls’ population was 192,517, the population has grown by an estimated 27,071 people at an average rate of 2.7 percent per year.
“Despite some of the ebbs and flows of the economy, the numbers indicate Sioux Falls is in a strong position. Our community remains a place where people want to invest and raise their families,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said. “In 2025, we will continue to strategically plan for growth while dreaming big in the process, striving to keep Sioux Falls investible and build upon the momentum of 2024.”
Commercial and residential new construction and addition and remodel work held steady in 2024. For new commercial valuation, office, institutional, educational, and other commercial, like strip malls, hotels, and restaurants, increased slightly over 2023, while manufacturing and apartments decreased.
Other notable statistics from the year highlighted by the city include:
New single-family housing units increased in 2024, reversing a decline in total units from 2023. In 2024, 532 new units were added, a 26 percent increase from 2023.
For town house units, 344 permits were issued in 2024, slightly up from the 331 permits issued in 2023. This has been a relatively steady number, with slight increases and decreases in the past few years.
Multifamily housing, including non-transient housing such as apartments, independent living centers, congregate living facilities, and condominiums, added 1,256 units in 2024, a 35 percent decrease from 2023.
In 2024, 14 projects exceeded $10 million. The highest valued project at $71 million is the State of South Dakota’s One Stop, followed by healthcare projects and several apartment complexes.
“Sioux Falls is growing in a steady, balanced way, and that is in great part because of our public and private partners who drive and respond to growth, and the planning our community did decades ago that we are reaping the benefits of today,” said Kevin Smith, Assistant Director of Planning and Development Services. “Responding to and balancing growth is not static. There are times when we need to be flexible to meet current needs while still keeping our eye on the horizon for the future demands of Sioux Falls. We don’taccomplish that without great partnerships across the community.”
We can see the increase in crime.