Rapid City leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Rapid City typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rapid City, ~26% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rapid City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rapid City is the least Republican-leaning.
Rapid City runs about 7 points more Democratic than South Dakota as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rapid City. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+34) and the west side is the least Republican-leaning (R+16), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Rapid City leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Rapid City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rapid City votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 66%, far above the South Dakota average of 9%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Rapid City, SD sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Rapid City looks the way it does
Turnout in Rapid City sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sulphur, SD R+35
- Rapid Valley, SD R+39
- Ashland Heights, SD R+46
- Black Hawk, SD R+46
- Box Elder, SD R+59
- Johnson Siding, SD R+40
- Summerset, SD R+46
- Ellsworth Afb, SD R+26
- Piedmont, SD R+58
- Bethlehem, SD R+61
Cities with Similar Populations
- Milpitas, CA D+25
- Maryville, TN R+48
- Cranston, RI D+11
- Port Charlotte, FL R+32
- Bowie, MD D+64
- Buena Park, CA D+8
- Dallas, GA R+25
- Owensboro, KY R+26
- Farmington Hills, MI D+25
- Waipahu, HI D+10
All Local Stats
Home Services
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Dakota Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.