How did Rapid City vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Rapid City voted Republican in 2024 with a margin of R+40.3. Kamala D Harris received 38,715 votes and Donald Trump received 93,363 out of 135,538 total votes cast, a 1.5-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Rapid City's political history?

Rapid City has 34 presidential elections on record, spanning 1892 to 2024. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968. The largest single-election swing was 53.4 points in 1912.

What are the demographics of Rapid City?

Rapid City has a population of 996,762 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 82.9% non-Hispanic white, 3.8% Hispanic. About 26% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $51,484.

Which places are most similar to Rapid City?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar media markets to Rapid City are Billings, Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson (Williston), Spokane. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Live · Media market

Rapid City

Black Hills hub where ranching counties meet a fast-growing regional city

The Rapid City media market anchors western South Dakota and pulls in corners of Wyoming and Nebraska, blending rural agricultural precincts with an urban core that has shifted measurably as the metro's population climbed past 80,000.

Presidential margin · 2024

Data unavailable for this race.

Race data unavailable

Geography

Race data unavailable

No current race for this office.

2024FIPS 764

Population997K

Median ageU.S. 38.9y

39y▲ 0.1

Bachelor's+U.S. 35%

25.7%▼ 9.3

White82.9%
Native8.8%
Two or more4.2%
Hispanic3.8%
Other0.9%
Black0.8%
Asian0.8%

Trajectory · 2008–2024

Rapid CityBaseline

Cycle2024

Open in Cartographer

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer

Similarity Explorer

Similar media markets

Reads like Billings, Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson (Williston), and Spokane.

8 visible matches

Billings

Small-town rural republican

R+35.4

Similarity score93%

Minot-Bismarck-Dickinson (Williston)

Small-town rural republican

R+51.8

Similarity score90%

Spokane

Small-town rural republican 3

R+24.5

Similarity score86%

Sioux City

Small-town rural republican

R+45.5

Similarity score85%

Chattanooga

Small-town rural republican

R+41.8

Similarity score85%

Evansville

Small-town rural republican

R+36.7

Similarity score85%

Sioux Falls(Mitchell)

Small-town rural republican 3

R+30.4

Similarity score84%

Sherman-Ada

Small-town rural republican

R+57.0

Similarity score83%

Constituent Geography

Counties in Rapid City

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Pennington	114K	R+26.4	20,051	35,009	56,580	10.4%
Pennington	107K	R+26.4	20,051	35,009	56,580	10.4%
Pennington	97K	R+26.4	20,051	35,009	56,580	10.4%
Pennington	89K	R+26.4	20,051	35,009	56,580	10.4%
Sheridan	32K	R+49.4	3,920	12,041	16,425	3.0%
Meade	31K	R+50.9	3,421	10,887	14,672	2.7%
Sheridan	30K	R+49.4	3,920	12,041	16,425	3.0%
Sheridan	28K	R+49.4	3,920	12,041	16,425	3.0%
Lawrence	27K	R+31.4	5,074	9,904	15,409	2.8%
Meade	27K	R+50.9	3,421	10,887	14,672	2.7%
Sheridan	27K	R+49.4	3,920	12,041	16,425	3.0%
Lawrence	25K	R+31.4	5,074	9,904	15,409	2.8%
Meade	24K	R+50.9	3,421	10,887	14,672	2.7%
Meade	24K	R+50.9	3,421	10,887	14,672	2.7%
Lawrence	23K	R+31.4	5,074	9,904	15,409	2.8%
Lawrence	22K	R+31.4	5,074	9,904	15,409	2.8%
Legacy FIPS 46113	14K	E	0	0	0	0.0%
Legacy FIPS 46113	12K	E	0	0	0	0.0%
Butte	11K	R+60.6	942	4,024	5,082	0.9%
Butte	10K	R+60.6	942	4,024	5,082	0.9%
Butte	9K	R+60.6	942	4,024	5,082	0.9%
Butte	9K	R+60.6	942	4,024	5,082	0.9%
Custer	9K	R+45.8	1,567	4,313	6,001	1.1%
Custer	8K	R+45.8	1,567	4,313	6,001	1.1%
Custer	8K	R+45.8	1,567	4,313	6,001	1.1%
Crook	7K	R+77.4	443	3,805	4,344	0.8%
Fall River	7K	R+49.3	1,030	3,135	4,274	0.8%
Crook	7K	R+77.4	443	3,805	4,344	0.8%
Custer	7K	R+45.8	1,567	4,313	6,001	1.1%
Fall River	7K	R+49.3	1,030	3,135	4,274	0.8%
Fall River	7K	R+49.3	1,030	3,135	4,274	0.8%
Weston	7K	R+76.6	378	3,069	3,512	0.6%
Fall River	7K	R+49.3	1,030	3,135	4,274	0.8%
Weston	7K	R+76.6	378	3,069	3,512	0.6%
Weston	7K	R+76.6	378	3,069	3,512	0.6%
Weston	7K	R+76.6	378	3,069	3,512	0.6%
Crook	6K	R+77.4	443	3,805	4,344	0.8%
Crook	6K	R+77.4	443	3,805	4,344	0.8%
Morrill	5K	R+68.4	366	2,026	2,426	0.4%
Morrill	5K	R+68.4	366	2,026	2,426	0.4%
Morrill	5K	R+68.4	366	2,026	2,426	0.4%
Morrill	5K	R+68.4	366	2,026	2,426	0.4%
Bennett	4K	R+26.4	389	676	1,088	0.2%
Bennett	3K	R+26.4	389	676	1,088	0.2%
Bennett	3K	R+26.4	389	676	1,088	0.2%
Perkins	3K	R+70.0	228	1,342	1,591	0.3%
Bennett	3K	R+26.4	389	676	1,088	0.2%
Jackson	3K	R+35.1	357	753	1,129	0.2%
Perkins	3K	R+70.0	228	1,342	1,591	0.3%
Perkins	3K	R+70.0	228	1,342	1,591	0.3%
Jackson	3K	R+35.1	357	753	1,129	0.2%
Perkins	3K	R+70.0	228	1,342	1,591	0.3%
Ziebach	3K	R+2.8	366	388	781	0.1%
Jackson	3K	R+35.1	357	753	1,129	0.2%
Jackson	3K	R+35.1	357	753	1,129	0.2%
Ziebach	3K	R+2.8	366	388	781	0.1%
Ziebach	3K	R+2.8	366	388	781	0.1%
Ziebach	2K	R+2.8	366	388	781	0.1%
Haakon	2K	E	0	0	0	0.0%
Haakon	2K	E	0	0	0	0.0%
Haakon	2K	E	0	0	0	0.0%
Haakon	2K	E	0	0	0	0.0%
Carter	1K	R+80.2	75	760	854	0.2%
Harding	1K	R+86.1	48	754	820	0.2%
Carter	1K	R+80.2	75	760	854	0.2%
Carter	1K	R+80.2	75	760	854	0.2%
Harding	1K	R+86.1	48	754	820	0.2%
Carter	1K	R+80.2	75	760	854	0.2%
Harding	1K	R+86.1	48	754	820	0.2%
Jones	1K	R+75.8	60	477	550	0.1%
Harding	1K	R+86.1	48	754	820	0.2%
Jones	1K	R+75.8	60	477	550	0.1%
Jones	1K	R+75.8	60	477	550	0.1%
Jones	767	R+75.8	60	477	550	0.1%

74 countiesTotal votes: 542,152

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Rapid City's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Rapid City media market voted in presidential elections?”

Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.

Rapid CityCensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available

Census race profile

Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.

Expand rows for ancestry detail

White (Non-Hispanic) 82.9%Native American 8.8%Hispanic 3.8%Multiracial 2.9%Asian 0.8%Black 0.8%

Group	Rapid City	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	82.9%	57.4%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(7)	8.8%	0.9%
▶Hispanic / Latino(14)	3.8%	19.3%
Multiracial / Other	2.9%	4.0%
▶Asian(6)	0.8%	6.0%
▶Black / African American(9)	0.8%	12.2%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(9)	0.3%	0.9%

Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:

42.5%(113.0K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -30.0pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.

Ecological pattern — how to read this

Reflects patterns in counties where this religious tradition concentrates — not a claim about individual voters.

Values are derived by joining Religion Census 2020 (U.S. Religion Data Archive) with certified election results at the county level. That means we know what counties with more or fewer of this group did — not how any individual voted.

This is known as ecological inference. It is a valid way to surface geographic correlation but must not be read as a personal-vote claim about anyone in the group.

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents	US Pop	US Adherents
Evangelical Protestant	20.1%	47.3%	—	—
Mainline Protestant	9.5%	22.3%	—	—
Catholic	9.3%	21.8%	—	—
Other	3.5%	8.2%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	2.6%	6.1%	—	—
Black Protestant	0.1%	0.3%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	57.5%	—	—	—

Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Explore Evangelical Protestant adherence nationally

Who lives in the Rapid City media market? 996,762 residents across 74 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.

Export CSVPro

Rapid City vs National997K residents

26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 7pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+3 on average nationally.

Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population

Local vs state vs U.S.

997K

local

997KNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.30%

local

0.30%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

38.9%

local

38.9%National 75.7%

Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income

Local vs state vs U.S.

$51,484

local

$51,484National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

13.7%

local

13.7%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

25.7%

local

25.7%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

69.2%

local

69.2%National 65.2%

Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age

Local vs state vs U.S.

39.0 yrs

local

39.0 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

11.7%

local

11.7%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

13.5%

local

13.5%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

1.9%

local

1.9%National 14.1%

Non-English at home

Local vs state vs U.S.

5.0%

local

5.0%National 22.2%

English only

Local vs state vs U.S.

95.0%

local

95.0%National 77.8%

Voter Turnout

Turnout in Rapid City

Turnout % = votes cast ÷ citizen voting-age population (CVAP). Source: CVAP Special Tab 2020-2024.

2024 Turnout

65.6%

vs Previous

+0.6pp

Eligible Non-Voters

71K · 34.4%

Citizen VAP

206,558

History

1988–2024

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Rapid City split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (0/100)

2024 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
President vs Governor	R+40.3	R+85.3	45.0pp
President vs Senate	R+40.3	R+72.1	31.8pp
Senate vs Governor	R+72.1	R+85.3	13.2pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 23.0pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Rapid City sits inside these higher-level geographies.

Montana(State)Nebraska(State)South Dakota(State)Wyoming(State)

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