The map above shows Delaware and South Dakota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Delaware vs South Dakota Geography
Land area
- Delaware has a land area of 1,949 square miles (5,047 km²), while South Dakota has 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²).
- South Dakota's land area is 38.9 times larger than Delaware's.
Total area
- Delaware: 2,489 square miles (6,446 km²) vs South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- South Dakota's total area is 31.0 times larger than Delaware's.
Length
- Delaware is 98 miles (158 km) long from north to south; South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km).
- South Dakota's north-south length is 4.5 times (352%) longer than Delaware's.
Width
- Delaware spans 96 miles (155 km) east to west; South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km).
- South Dakota's east-west width is 3.9 times (286%) wider than Delaware's.
Highest point
- Delaware's highest point is Ebright Azimuth at 450 feet (137 m); South Dakota's is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m).
- Black Elk Peak is 6,748 feet higher than Ebright Azimuth.
Lowest point
- Delaware's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; South Dakota's is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet.
- Delaware's lowest point is 966 feet lower.
Delaware vs South Dakota Population and History
Population
- Delaware has a population of 1,051,917 (2024), while South Dakota has 924,669 (2024).
- Delaware's population is 1.1 times (14%) larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- Delaware: 539.9 people per square mile vs South Dakota: 12.2.
- Delaware's population density is 44.3 times higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- Delaware's biggest city is Wilmington with 73,176 people; South Dakota's is Sioux Falls with 209,289.
- Sioux Falls' population is 2.9 times (186%) larger than Wilmington's.
Largest metro area
- Delaware's largest metropolitan area is Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (6,330,422 people) vs South Dakota's Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266).
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area's population is 20.5 times larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History
- Delaware: Admitted to the Union on December 7, 1787, as the 1st state.
- South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state.
- In its current form, Delaware is the older of the two by 102 years.
Delaware vs South Dakota Economy
GDP
- Delaware's GDP is $111.0 billion (2024) vs South Dakota's $76.8 billion.
- Delaware's economic output is 1.4 times (45%) larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- Delaware: $105,495 per person vs South Dakota: $83,052.
- Delaware's GDP per capita is 1.3 times (27%) higher than South Dakota's.
Average income
- Delaware: $68,061 vs South Dakota: $75,699 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- South Dakota's average income is 1.1 times (11%) higher than Delaware's.
Delaware vs South Dakota Counties
Number of counties
- Delaware has 3 counties, while South Dakota has 66.
- South Dakota's county count is 22.0 times higher than Delaware's.
Biggest county by area
- Delaware's largest county is Sussex County at 936 square miles; South Dakota's is Meade County at 3,471 square miles.
- Meade County's land area is 3.7 times (271%) larger than Sussex County's.
Smallest county by area
- Delaware: New Castle County (426 sq mi) vs South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi).
- New Castle County and Clay County have about the same land area.
Most populous county
- Delaware: New Castle County (588,093 people) vs South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people).
- New Castle County's population is 2.8 times (182%) larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county
- Delaware: Kent County (192,690 people) vs South Dakota: Jones County (874 people).
- Kent County's population is 220.5 times larger than Jones County's.
Richest county
- Delaware: Sussex County ($73,647 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Union County ($146,712).
- Union County's income is 2.0 times (99%) richer than Sussex County's.
Poorest county
- Delaware: Kent County ($55,474 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778).
- Kent County's income is 1.7 times (69%) richer than Ziebach County's.
Delaware vs South Dakota Taxes
State income tax
- Delaware has a top income tax rate of 6.6%, while South Dakota has no state income tax.
- Delaware's top rate is 6.6 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Delaware: 0.47% effective rate vs South Dakota: 1.02% of home value per year.
- South Dakota's rate is 0.55 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Delaware: 0% combined state and average local rate vs South Dakota: 6.11%.
- South Dakota's combined rate is 6.11 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Delaware official website · South Dakota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Delaware 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.