> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sdnewswatch.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fact brief: Does SD have the highest percentage of Native American residents? - URL: https://www.sdnewswatch.org/fact-brief-sd-native-american-population-reservations/ - Published: 2025-12-18T11:00:36.000Z - Updated: 2025-12-18T11:00:35.000Z - Description: A fact brief that refutes or confirms a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context. - Author: Michael Klinski - Tags: Fact briefs, #feature-5 ## No. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cb/ab/cbabab5e-2dc6-462c-94a0-b72956c0d224/content/images/2025/01/WhiteFACT-BRIEF--500-x-200-px--2-1-1.png) South Dakota ranks fourth in the nation for the percentage of residents who identify as Native American. As of the 2020 census, almost 100,000 people in South Dakota identify at least partially as Native American – 11.1% of the population (98,842 total). Alaska has the highest percentage (22%), followed by Oklahoma (16%) and New Mexico (12%). In 1980, 6.5% of South Dakota was Native American (44,948) – the third highest-percentage in the country. Indigenous people make up more than 50% of the population in nine South Dakota counties, with the highest percentage being Oglala Lakota County on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation at 95.6%. Native Americans have been undercounted in the official U.S. Census historically. In 2010, for instance, the Census estimated that the population was undercounted by 4.9%. The Census moved the response deadline up 30 days in 2020, prompting concerns that the earlier deadline would lead to greater undercounts. *This fact brief responds to conversations such as* [*this one.*](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1g11rvb/native%5Famerican%5Fpopulation%5Fdensity%5Fmap%5Fas%5Fof%5F2020/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) ### **Source** 2020 Census, [South Dakota](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/south-dakota.html?ref=sdnewswatch.org#pop-housing) South Dakota State University, [American Indians of South Dakota (1987)](https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1249&context=agexperimentsta%5Fcirc&ref=sdnewswatch.org) Sioux Falls Argus Leader, [Earlier census deadline sparks concern about undercounting Native Americans](https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/07/earlier-census-deadline-sparks-concern-undercounting-native-americans/3289141001/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) South Dakota Tribal Relations, [Tribes of South Dakota](https://sdtribalrelations.sd.gov/tribes/nine-tribes.aspx?ref=sdnewswatch.org) --- [South Dakota News Watch](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/) partners with [Gigafact](https://gigafact.org/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) to publish fact briefs that refute or confirm a claim with supporting information and additional evidence and context. - [Read previous fact briefs](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/tag/fact-brief/). - Read our verification standards and other [best practices policies](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/best-practices/). - Submit a question for us to answer on the [South Dakota News Watch Tipline](https://gigafact.org/tipline/south-dakota-news-watch/?ref=sdnewswatch.org). - Send questions or feedback to [factbrief@sdnewswatch.org](mailto:factbrief@sdnewswatch.org). [Share your thoughts on this story](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdTmGFf24Uhwiwd%5FndSxHkv6oBGSAy1LxF9BbwRbhBK5KflA/viewform?usp=sf%5Flink&ref=sdnewswatch.org) *This story was produced by *South Dakota News Watch*, an independent, nonprofit organization. Read more stories and donate at* [*sdnewswatch.org*](http://sdnewswatch.org/?ref=sdnewswatch.org) *and* [*sign up for an email*](https://www.sdnewswatch.org/email/) *to get stories when they're published. *Contact Michael Klinski* at michael.klinski@sdnewswatch.org.*