The map above shows Colorado and South Dakota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Colorado vs South Dakota Geography
Land area
- Colorado has a land area of 103,637 square miles (268,419 km²), while South Dakota has 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²).
- Colorado's land area is 1.4 times (37%) larger than South Dakota's.
Total area
- Colorado: 104,095 square miles (269,605 km²) vs South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Colorado's total area is 1.3 times (35%) larger than South Dakota's.
Length
- Colorado is 467 miles (751 km) long from north to south; South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km).
- Colorado's north-south length is 1.1 times (5%) longer than South Dakota's.
Width
- Colorado spans 387 miles (622 km) east to west; South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km).
- Colorado and South Dakota have about the same east-west width.
Highest point
- Colorado's highest point is Mount Elbert at 14,422 feet (4,396 m); South Dakota's is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m).
- Mount Elbert is 7,224 feet higher than Black Elk Peak.
Lowest point
- Colorado's lowest point is Arikaree River at 3,326 feet; South Dakota's is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet.
- South Dakota's lowest point is 2,360 feet lower.
Colorado vs South Dakota Population and History
Population
- Colorado has a population of 5,957,493 (2024), while South Dakota has 924,669 (2024).
- Colorado's population is 6.4 times (544%) larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- Colorado: 57.5 people per square mile vs South Dakota: 12.2.
- Colorado's population density is 4.7 times (371%) higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- Colorado's biggest city is Denver with 729,019 people; South Dakota's is Sioux Falls with 209,289.
- Denver's population is 3.5 times (248%) larger than Sioux Falls'.
Largest metro area
- Colorado's largest metropolitan area is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (3,052,498 people) vs South Dakota's Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266).
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area's population is 9.9 times (890%) larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History
- Colorado: Admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876, as the 38th state.
- South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state.
- In its current form, Colorado is the older of the two by 13 years.
Colorado vs South Dakota Economy
GDP
- Colorado's GDP is $557.6 billion (2024) vs South Dakota's $76.8 billion.
- Colorado's economic output is 7.3 times (626%) larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- Colorado: $93,602 per person vs South Dakota: $83,052.
- Colorado's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (13%) higher than South Dakota's.
Average income
- Colorado: $83,055 vs South Dakota: $75,699 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Colorado's average income is 1.1 times (10%) higher than South Dakota's.
Colorado vs South Dakota Counties
Number of counties
- Colorado has 64 counties, while South Dakota has 66.
- Colorado and South Dakota have about the same county count.
Biggest county by area
- Colorado's largest county is Las Animas County at 4,773 square miles; South Dakota's is Meade County at 3,471 square miles.
- Las Animas County's land area is 1.4 times (38%) larger than Meade County's.
Smallest county by area
- Colorado: Broomfield County (33 sq mi) vs South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi).
- Clay County's land area is 12.5 times larger than Broomfield County's.
Most populous county
- Colorado: El Paso County (752,772 people) vs South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people).
- El Paso County's population is 3.6 times (261%) larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county
- Colorado: Hinsdale County (747 people) vs South Dakota: Jones County (874 people).
- Jones County's population is 1.2 times (17%) larger than Hinsdale County's.
Richest county
- Colorado: Pitkin County ($275,044 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Union County ($146,712).
- Pitkin County's income is 1.9 times (87%) richer than Union County's.
Poorest county
- Colorado: Crowley County ($27,232 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778).
- Ziebach County's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Crowley County's.
Colorado vs South Dakota Taxes
State income tax
- Colorado has a top income tax rate of 4.4%, while South Dakota has no state income tax.
- Colorado's top rate is 4.4 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Colorado: 0.49% effective rate vs South Dakota: 1.02% of home value per year.
- South Dakota's rate is 0.53 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Colorado: 7.89% combined state and average local rate vs South Dakota: 6.11%.
- Colorado's combined rate is 1.78 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Colorado official website · South Dakota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Colorado size comparisons · All South Dakota size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.