Fall River County, South Dakota: Farm Belt county. In 2024, voted R+49%. Republican peak: R+49 in 2024.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+49MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Farm BeltAkashic typology
- Population
- 7,2582024 5-year
- Median household income
- $67,9172024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 83.9%2024 5-year
- Black
- 0.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 3.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+42 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+49 in 2024MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Graham County, NC · similarity 1.00
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Fall River CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Fall River County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −29.0% |
| 1896 | +2.3% |
| 1900 | −10.5% |
| 1904 | −48.5% |
| 1908 | −20.6% |
| 1912 | +42.2% |
| 1916 | −15.5% |
| 1920 | −27.4% |
| 1924 | −39.3% |
| 1928 | −27.5% |
| 1932 | +31.1% |
| 1936 | +1.3% |
| 1940 | −26.5% |
| 1944 | −26.7% |
| 1948 | −20.2% |
| 1952 | −47.9% |
| 1956 | −34.8% |
| 1960 | −27.2% |
| 1964 | −8.6% |
| 1968 | −28.4% |
| 1972 | −36.2% |
| 1976 | −14.1% |
| 1980 | −45.5% |
| 1984 | −41.3% |
| 1988 | −18.2% |
| 1992 | −3.1% |
| 1996 | −8.1% |
| 2000 | +30.7% |
| 2004 | −28.3% |
| 2008 | −26.5% |
| 2012 | −31.8% |
| 2016 | −47.4% |
| 2020 | −45.2% |
| 2024 | −49.3% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 1,030 | 3,135 | 4,274 | ||
| R | 1,053 | 2,878 | 4,042 | ||
| R | 821 | 2,511 | 3,563 | ||
| R | 1,140 | 2,258 | 3,516 | ||
| R | 1,338 | 2,348 | 3,809 | ||
| R | 1,326 | 2,413 | 3,845 | ||
| D | 2,185 | 1,133 | 3,429 | ||
| R | 1,357 | 1,636 | 3,458 | ||
| R | 1,416 | 1,533 | 3,754 | ||
| R | 1,380 | 2,002 | 3,417 | ||
| R | 1,135 | 2,748 | 3,905 | ||
| R | 982 | 2,831 | 4,067 | ||
| R | 1,537 | 2,046 | 3,615 | ||
| R | 1,107 | 2,374 | 3,497 | ||
| R | 965 | 1,843 | 3,094 | ||
| R | 1,706 | 2,026 | 3,732 | ||
| R | 1,426 | 2,492 | 3,918 | ||
| R | 1,150 | 2,377 | 3,527 | ||
| R | 1,008 | 2,863 | 3,871 | ||
| R | 1,348 | 2,037 | 3,411 | ||
| R | 1,122 | 1,938 | 3,060 | ||
| R | 1,405 | 2,420 | 3,825 | ||
| D | 1,927 | 1,876 | 3,982 | ||
| D | 2,603 | 1,351 | 4,029 | ||
| R | 1,258 | 2,216 | 3,489 | ||
| R | 342 | 1,392 | 2,670 | ||
| R | 680 | 1,236 | 2,026 | ||
| R | 668 | 922 | 1,644 | ||
| O | 712 | 0 | 1,689 | ||
| R | 466 | 726 | 1,260 | ||
| R | 248 | 777 | 1,091 | ||
| R | 421 | 521 | 948 | ||
| D | 555 | 530 | 1,089 | ||
| R | 262 | 569 | 1,059 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
30.0%
Irish
15.0%
English
15.0%
American
4.5%
Scottish
2.6%
French
1.3%
Italian
0.6%
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
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.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 55.3 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$67,917
Fall River County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Fall River County$67,917
South Dakota$75,081
United States$80,734
Fall River County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
16.6%
Children face higher poverty than working-age adults.
Children under 1827.1%
Working age (18–64)15.2%
Seniors (65+)9.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.9%
speak English only
Spanish1.7%
Other Indo-European0.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
Other languages0.8%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 53.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Fall River County, anchored by Hot Springs near the Nebraska border, has delivered lopsided Republican presidential margins for decades. Its sparse, ranch-heavy landscape and small elderly population define an electorate with little demographic pressure toward competitive outcomes.
The Republican margin here reached forty-nine points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved four points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was forty-nine points.
A population of 7,258, a 84% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $67,917 describe an agricultural county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Graham County and Gregory County.
Most similar counties
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.
Fall River County, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/46047/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in South Dakota
More farm belt counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Fall River County, South Dakota vote in 2024?
In 2024, Fall River County, South Dakota voted Republican by 49.3 points (R+49), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 4,274 votes cast, 1,030 went Democratic and 3,135 went Republican.
What is Fall River County, South Dakota's political typology?
Akashic places Fall River County, South Dakota in the "Farm Belt" typology — Rural Plains and Midwest farm counties — Republican, with modest recent movement. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 4 times, Republican 29 times, and other 1 times.
When did Fall River County, South Dakota last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Fall River County, South Dakota voted Democratic was 2000.
How many people live in Fall River County, South Dakota?
Fall River County, South Dakota has a population of 7,258 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Fall River County, South Dakota?
Median household income in Fall River County, South Dakota is $67,917 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of Fall River County, South Dakota?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Fall River County, South Dakota from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 29 went Republican. The county's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.