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Watertown, SD

A regional hub where agriculture and healthcare employment anchor the economy

Watertown anchors the northeast corner of South Dakota, drawing workers and voters from a wide rural catchment. Its Codington County electorate has leaned heavily Republican in recent presidential cycles, often by margins exceeding 30 points.

Presidential margin · 2024
Data unavailable for this race.
Race data unavailable
Geography
Race data unavailable
No current race for this office.
2024FIPS 47980
Population109K
Median ageU.S. 38.9y
37.9y▼ 1.0
Bachelor's+U.S. 35%
20.6%▼ 14.4
  • White93.6%
  • Native2.2%
  • Two or more2.1%
  • Hispanic1.8%
  • Other0.6%
  • Black0.5%
  • Asian0.5%
Trajectory · 2008–2024
Watertown, SDBaseline
Reagan → Bush IIObama → TrumpR+40R+30R+20R+1002020D+5R+45
Cycle2024
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Constituent Counties

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Similarity Explorer

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Reads like Ottawa, KS, Greensburg, IN, and Wilmington, OH.
8 visible matches
Constituent Geography

Counties in Watertown, SD

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
CountyPop.MarginDemRepTotalShare
Codington29K
R+40.8
3,8409,34913,51025.0%
Codington28K
R+40.8
3,8409,34913,51025.0%
Codington26K
R+40.8
3,8409,34913,51025.0%
Codington26K
R+40.8
3,8409,34913,51025.0%
4 countiesTotal votes: 54,040
Historian Query

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Explore Watertown, SD's political evolution with the Historian
Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Watertown, SDCensus 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) 93.6%Native American 2.2%Hispanic 1.8%Multiracial 1.5%Black 0.5%Asian 0.5%
GroupWatertown, SDNational
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(12)
93.6%57.4%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2)
2.2%0.9%
▶Hispanic / Latino(6)
1.8%19.3%
Multiracial / Other
1.5%4.0%
▶Black / African American(2)
0.5%12.2%
▶Asian(4)
0.5%6.0%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(2)
0.1%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:
64.4%(18.5K people)
U.S. Religion Census 2020
Browse all religions
Tradition% Pop% AdherentsUS PopUS Adherents
Mainline Protestant
24.1%37.5%——
Catholic
20.8%32.3%——
Evangelical Protestant
17.7%27.6%——
Other
1.7%2.6%——
LDS (Mormon)
1.3%2.0%——
Non-religiousPopulation
35.6%———
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 Mainline Protestant adherence nationally

Who lives in the Watertown, SD metro area? 108,679 residents across 4 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
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Watertown, SD vs National109K residents

21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 12pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 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.
109K
local
109KNational 334.9M
Share of U.S. population
Local vs state vs U.S.
0.03%
local
0.03%National 100%
Voting-age population
Local vs state vs U.S.
38.7%
local
38.7%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.
$51,081
local
$51,081National $83,960
Poverty rate
Local vs state vs U.S.
10.4%
local
10.4%National 12.5%
College degree
Local vs state vs U.S.
20.6%
local
20.6%National 35.6%
Homeownership
Local vs state vs U.S.
67.9%
local
67.9%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.
37.9 yrs
local
37.9 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.
12.7%
local
12.7%National 17.0%
Foreign born
Local vs state vs U.S.
1.1%
local
1.1%National 14.1%
Non-English at home
Local vs state vs U.S.
2.7%
local
2.7%National 22.2%
English only
Local vs state vs U.S.
97.3%
local
97.3%National 77.8%
Voter Turnout

Turnout in Watertown, SD

Turnout % = votes cast ÷ citizen voting-age population (CVAP). Source: CVAP Special Tab 2020-2024.
2024 Turnout
61.5%
vs Previous
+1.6pp
Eligible Non-Voters
8K · 38.5%
Citizen VAP
21,984
History
1988–2024
Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Watertown, SD split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
ConsistencyHeavy splitting (0/100)
2022 Office Comparisons
OfficesMargin AMargin BSplit
Senate vs GovernorR+54.7R+38.516.1pp
Average divergence across office pairs: 25.9pp
Containing Geography

Located In

Watertown, SD sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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