state senate districtSouth Dakota 5th State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+23.3
2008R+6.4
2012R+18.3
2016R+39.3
2020R+38.9
2024R+40.8
full record · 1892 → 2024
presidential returns
2024 turnout 13.7% of 19,684 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
767
1,868
64
2,699
19,684
13.7%
2020
767
1,790
73
2,629
18,701†
14.1%
2016
634
1,551
146
2,331
18,729†
12.4%
2012
917
1,338
48
2,302
18,238†
12.6%
2008
1,118
1,273
43
2,434
17,533†
13.9%
2004
960
1,554
34
2,547
16,829†
15.1%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
18922024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupSD SD 5South DakotaUnited States
German40.4%33.1%12.5%
Norwegian16.0%10.4%—
Irish9.2%9.9%9.4%
English6.3%7.7%9.5%
American4.2%4.4%5.3%
Swedish3.1%2.5%—
Polish2.8%—2.2%
Dutch2.4%3.4%—
Mexican2.0%2.6%11.3%
Cuban0.2%—0.7%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
SD SD 5
South Dakota
United States
Median age
39.3
38.2
39.1
Age 18–24
8.8%
9.2%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.7%
18.0%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
SD SD 5
South Dakota
United States
Median household income
$72,322
$75,081
$84,427
Poverty rate
9.1%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
21.4%
31.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
SD SD 5
South Dakota
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
3.0%
7.1%
22.3%
Spanish
2.0%
2.6%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
SD SD 5
South Dakota
United States
Catholic
—
14.8%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
20.1%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
44.9%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
South Dakota 5th State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1892–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
1892
−27.8%
1896
−15.4%
1900
−20.0%
1904
−48.1%
1908
−30.7%
1912
+45.0%
1916
−7.0%
1920
−40.8%
1924
−27.5%
1928
−6.6%
1932
+30.6%
1936
+16.4%
1940
−7.7%
1944
−3.6%
1948
+9.3%
1952
−31.8%
1956
−15.4%
1960
−10.5%
1964
+19.6%
1968
+3.6%
1972
−3.5%
1976
+1.9%
1980
−25.5%
1984
−26.6%
1988
−4.9%
1992
−2.2%
1996
−2.5%
2000
−22.7%
2004
−23.3%
2008
−6.4%
2012
−18.3%
2016
−39.3%
2020
−38.9%
2024
−40.8%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. † 2004, 2012 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for these cycles was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
28.4%Harris767
69.2%Trump1,868
2.4%
R+40.8
R+1.9
R+39.3
2,699
R
29.2%Biden767
68.1%Trump1,790
2.7%
R+38.9
D+0.4
R+43.4
2,629
R
27.2%Clinton634
66.5%Trump1,551
6.3%
R+39.3
R+21.1
R+41.4
2,331
R
39.8%Obama917
58.1%Romney1,338
2.0%
R+18.3
R+11.9
R+22.1
2,302
R
45.9%Obama1,118
52.3%McCain1,273
1.8%
R+6.4
D+17.0
R+13.6
2,434
R
37.7%Kerry960
61.0%Bush1,554
1.3%
R+23.3
R+0.6
R+20.9
2,547
R
37.6%Gore837
60.3%Bush1,342
2.1%
R+22.7
R+20.2
R+23.2
2,225
R
42.7%Clinton943
45.2%Dole998
12.1%
R+2.5
R+0.2
R+11.0
2,208
R
33.8%Clinton739
36.0%Bush788
30.1%
R+2.2
D+2.7
R+7.8
2,186
R
47.0%Dukakis913
52.0%Bush1,009
1.0%
R+4.9
D+21.7
D+2.8
1,941
R
36.5%Mondale705
63.1%Reagan1,220
0.4%
R+26.6
R+1.1
R+8.4
1,933
R
33.6%Carter670
59.1%Reagan1,179
7.4%
R+25.5
R+27.4
R+15.8
1,996
D
50.8%Carter935
48.9%Ford900
0.3%
D+1.9
D+5.4
R+0.2
1,841
R
48.1%McGovern919
51.6%Nixon986
0.3%
R+3.5
R+7.1
D+19.6
1,911
D
50.1%Humphrey846
46.5%Nixon785
3.4%
D+3.6
R+16.0
D+4.3
1,688
D
59.8%Johnson1,069
40.2%Goldwater718
0.0%
D+19.6
D+30.1
R+2.9
1,787
R
44.8%Kennedy860
55.3%Nixon1,061
0.0%
R+10.5
D+5.0
R+10.6
1,920
R
42.3%Stevenson754
57.7%Eisenhower1,029
0.0%
R+15.4
D+16.4
±0.0
1,782
R
34.1%Stevenson594
65.9%Eisenhower1,149
0.0%
R+31.8
R+41.1
R+21.1
1,743
D
54.3%Truman807
45.0%Dewey669
0.7%
D+9.3
D+12.8
D+4.8
1,487
R
48.2%Roosevelt623
51.8%Dewey669
0.0%
R+3.6
D+4.1
R+11.1
1,292
R
46.2%Roosevelt740
53.8%Willkie863
0.0%
R+7.7
R+24.1
R+17.6
1,603
D
55.8%Roosevelt850
39.4%Landon600
4.7%
D+16.4
R+14.2
R+7.8
1,522
D
65.0%Roosevelt960
34.3%Hoover507
0.7%
D+30.6
D+37.2
D+12.9
1,478
R
46.5%Smith659
53.1%Hoover752
0.4%
R+6.6
D+20.9
D+10.9
1,416
O
13.9%Davis125
41.4%Coolidge372
44.7%
La Follette +3.3
D+13.3
R+2.3
899
R
19.2%Cox173
59.9%Harding541
20.9%
R+40.8
R+33.7
R+14.6
903
R
44.8%Wilson268
51.8%Hughes310
3.3%
R+7.0
R+52.1
R+10.2
598
O
45.0%Wilson222
0.0%Taft0
55.0%
Roosevelt +9.9
D+75.8
D+25.5
493
R
32.5%Bryan166
63.2%Taft323
4.3%
R+30.7
D+17.4
R+21.2
511
R
24.1%Parker116
72.2%Roosevelt348
3.7%
R+48.1
R+28.1
R+28.5
482
R
38.3%Bryan161
58.3%McKinley245
3.3%
R+20.0
R+4.6
R+12.5
420
R
41.8%Bryan152
57.1%McKinley208
1.1%
R+15.4
D+12.4
R+9.3
364
R
24.3%Cleveland82
52.1%Harrison176
23.7%
R+27.8
—
R+29.5
338
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current representation
Current officeholders
RGlen VilhauerState Senate · 5
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+40.1 across roughly 25,000 residents, District 5 ranks among the state's most heavily one-sided constituencies, reflecting the rural, low-density character typical of western South Dakota legislative geography.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 45.0 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 48.1 points in 1904. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 1.9 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 40.8 points.
A population of 24,953, a 91% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $72,322 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 4 and State Senate District 25.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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.
South Dakota 5th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/46005/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did South Dakota 5th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, South Dakota 5th State Senate District voted Republican by 40.8 points (R+40.8), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 2,699 votes cast, 767 went Democratic and 1,868 went Republican.
When did South Dakota 5th State Senate District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which South Dakota 5th State Senate District voted Democratic was 1976.
How many people live in South Dakota 5th State Senate District?
South Dakota 5th State Senate District has a population of 24,953 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in South Dakota 5th State Senate District?
Median household income in South Dakota 5th State Senate District is $72,322 — below the national median of $80,734. The South Dakota state median is $75,081.
What is the political history of South Dakota 5th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in South Dakota 5th State Senate District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 26 went Republican.
