Japanese Population in South Dakota by City : 2025 Ranking & Insights
The Japanese population in South Dakota totals 1,509, according to recent U.S. Census estimates. Leading cities include Sioux Falls (546), followed by Rapid City (206) and Harrisburg (131), each hosting visible segments of the community. While these urban centers anchor much of the population, the statewide total points to a broader presence in unincorporated areas and smaller towns beyond major city boundaries. The analysis below explores how Japanese residents are distributed across South Dakota''s urban and rural landscape.
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Top 5 cities with the largest Japanese population in South Dakota
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1Sioux FallsJapanese population in Sioux Falls is 5460.28% of Sioux Falls population is Japanese
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2Rapid CityJapanese population in Rapid City is 2060.27% of Rapid City population is Japanese
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3HarrisburgJapanese population in Harrisburg is 1311.68% of Harrisburg population is Japanese
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4Box ElderJapanese population in Box Elder is 1140.92% of Box Elder population is Japanese
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5WatertownJapanese population in Watertown is 800.35% of Watertown population is Japanese
Overview of Japanese population in South Dakota
- Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey data indicate South Dakota contains 1,509 Japanese residents (0.17% of 899,194 total state population), positioning the state at the 4th percentile nationally among U.S. states for Japanese population concentrations.
- Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show South Dakota's Japanese demographic representation of 0.17% remains below the national average of 0.49%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
- Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey data indicates South Dakota contains 1,509 Japanese residents, representing less than 1% of the nation's total Japanese population of 1.6 million, constituting a minimal fraction of the national demographic community relative to the state's overall population size.
- Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data indicate South Dakota maintains fewer than 1 Japanese per square mile, compared to the national average of 0.46 per square mile, placing the state among jurisdictions with minimal demographic representation nationally.
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114 Cities in South Dakota Ranked by Japanese Population
American Community Survey data [1] show Japanese population in South Dakota present in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Harrisburg, along with several other incorporated cities reporting non-zero populations. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all incorporated cities included in this analysis*.
Methodology
This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks city in South Dakota by their Japanese population, using the most recent ACS data available.
How the Census defines Japanese population
The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having Japanese ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
- Some people identify as Japanese alone, while others identify as Japanese along with another race (such as Japanese and German).
- We’ve used the “Japanese alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the Japanese population in each area.
How We Ranked the Data
This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as Japanese alone or in combination in city. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
- % of Total City Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as Japanese .
- % of Total South Dakota Japanese Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. Japanese population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.
Things to Keep in Mind
Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
- In places with very small Japanese populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
- Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
- City that don’t have any reported Japanese population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where Japanese populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles 2023.
