Census ACS 5-Year · 18 metrics compared
Missouri vs South Dakota
Missouri and South Dakota compared across 18 demographic and economic metrics. South Dakota leads in 10 of the comparable categories.
3
Missouri wins
10
South Dakota wins
| Metric | Missouri | South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,168,181 | 899,194 |
| Median Age | 38.9 | 37.7 |
| Median Household Income | $68,920 | $72,421 |
| Per Capita Income | $38,497 | $38,880 |
| Poverty Rate | 8.4% | 7.4% |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.6% | 2.0% |
| Median Home Value | $215,600 | $236,800 |
| Median Rent | $996 | $912 |
| Homeownership Rate | 67.9% | 68.6% |
| Bachelor's Degree+ | 31.9% | 31.1% |
| High School+ | 91.6% | 93.0% |
| Work From Home | 11.6% | 9.3% |
| Avg Commute (min) | 23.7 | 17.6 |
| White | 78.3% | 81.5% |
| Hispanic | 1.6% | 10.1% |
| Black | 11.1% | 2.2% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Foreign Born | 29.0% | 32.5% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Missouri has a population of 6,168,181 compared to South Dakota's 899,194.
Across the metrics compared, Missouri leads in 3 categories while South Dakota leads in 10. However, "better" depends on what matters most to you, income, cost of living, education, climate, and personal preferences all play a role.
All data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates by the US Census Bureau.
Comparison based on American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Green highlighting indicates the "better" value where applicable (higher income is better, lower poverty is better, etc.). Race and ethnicity metrics are not highlighted as there is no "better" value.
Comparing Missouri and South Dakota on U.S. population demographics requires lining up the underlying the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files data side by side. The table above runs the comparison on the canonical fields; the narrative below identifies the factor or factors that drive the most meaningful difference between the two.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual Missouri and South Dakota detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.