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State Guide39th/40th StateEst. 1889
South Dakota SD
"The Mount Rushmore State"
Four presidents carved into sacred Lakota land. One of the most important massacre sites in American history. The credit card capital of the United States. Half a million bikers descending on a town of 7,000 every August. South Dakota is endlessly surprising, a state where the Great Plains meet granite mountains, ancient fossil beds, and some of the most dramatic unresolved history in the American West.
South Dakota state finances at a glance
State Debt - FY2024
$4.7 billion
Total state government debt outstanding at the close of fiscal 2024, including long-term bonds and short-term borrowing across state agencies and public universities.
Tax Revenue - FY2024
$2.7 billion
Total South Dakota state tax collections in fiscal 2024. South Dakota has no individual or corporate income tax, so collections are led by the state sales and use tax ($1.7B), followed by contractor's excise and selective sales taxes.
Borrowing
South Dakota's constitution limits state debt to $100,000, so the state issues no general obligation bonds. All borrowing is done through revenue and lease bonds issued by building authorities and sold to investors in the municipal market and repaid from appropriations. The state reported about $137 million in interest on its debt in fiscal 2024.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Annual Survey of State Government Finances.
1889
Year of statehood
920K
People (2025 est.)
3.5M+
Cattle, more than people
$2B+
Uncollected Lakota land judgment