The map above shows Massachusetts and South Dakota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Massachusetts vs South Dakota Geography
Land area
- Massachusetts has a land area of 7,801 square miles (20,204 km²), while South Dakota has 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²).
- South Dakota's land area is 9.7 times (872%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Total area
- Massachusetts: 10,554 square miles (27,335 km²) vs South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- South Dakota's total area is 7.3 times (631%) larger than Massachusetts'.
Length
- Massachusetts is 123 miles (198 km) long from north to south; South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km).
- South Dakota's north-south length is 3.6 times (260%) longer than Massachusetts'.
Width
- Massachusetts spans 185 miles (297 km) east to west; South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km).
- South Dakota's east-west width is 2.0 times (101%) wider than Massachusetts'.
Highest point
- Massachusetts's highest point is Mount Greylock at 3,489 feet (1,063 m); South Dakota's is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m).
- Black Elk Peak is 3,709 feet higher than Mount Greylock.
Lowest point
- Massachusetts's lowest point is Atlantic Ocean at 0 feet; South Dakota's is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet.
- Massachusetts's lowest point is 966 feet lower.
Massachusetts vs South Dakota Population and History
Population
- Massachusetts has a population of 7,136,171 (2024), while South Dakota has 924,669 (2024).
- Massachusetts' population is 7.7 times (672%) larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- Massachusetts: 914.8 people per square mile vs South Dakota: 12.2.
- Massachusetts' population density is 75.0 times higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- Massachusetts's biggest city is Boston with 673,458 people; South Dakota's is Sioux Falls with 209,289.
- Boston's population is 3.2 times (222%) larger than Sioux Falls'.
Largest metro area
- Massachusetts's largest metropolitan area is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area (5,025,517 people) vs South Dakota's Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266).
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area's population is 16.3 times larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History
- Massachusetts: Admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788, as the 6th state.
- South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state.
- In its current form, Massachusetts is the older of the two by 101 years.
Massachusetts vs South Dakota Economy
GDP
- Massachusetts's GDP is $778.5 billion (2024) vs South Dakota's $76.8 billion.
- Massachusetts' economic output is 10.1 times larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- Massachusetts: $109,095 per person vs South Dakota: $83,052.
- Massachusetts' GDP per capita is 1.3 times (31%) higher than South Dakota's.
Average income
- Massachusetts: $93,607 vs South Dakota: $75,699 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Massachusetts' average income is 1.2 times (24%) higher than South Dakota's.
Massachusetts vs South Dakota Counties
Number of counties
- Massachusetts has 14 counties, while South Dakota has 66.
- South Dakota's county count is 4.7 times (371%) higher than Massachusetts'.
Biggest county by area
- Massachusetts's largest county is Worcester County at 1,511 square miles; South Dakota's is Meade County at 3,471 square miles.
- Meade County's land area is 2.3 times (130%) larger than Worcester County's.
Smallest county by area
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (46 sq mi) vs South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi).
- Clay County's land area is 8.9 times (792%) larger than Nantucket County's.
Most populous county
- Massachusetts: Middlesex County (1,668,956 people) vs South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people).
- Middlesex County's population is 8.0 times (700%) larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County (14,670 people) vs South Dakota: Jones County (874 people).
- Nantucket County's population is 16.8 times larger than Jones County's.
Richest county
- Massachusetts: Nantucket County ($129,250 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Union County ($146,712).
- Union County's income is 1.1 times (14%) richer than Nantucket County's.
Poorest county
- Massachusetts: Hampshire County ($65,432 per capita income) vs South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778).
- Hampshire County's income is 2.0 times (100%) richer than Ziebach County's.
Massachusetts vs South Dakota Taxes
State income tax
- Massachusetts has a top income tax rate of 9%, while South Dakota has no state income tax.
- Massachusetts's top rate is 9 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Massachusetts: 1% effective rate vs South Dakota: 1.02% of home value per year.
- South Dakota's rate is 0.02 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Massachusetts: 6.25% combined state and average local rate vs South Dakota: 6.11%.
- Massachusetts's combined rate is 0.14 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Massachusetts official website · South Dakota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Massachusetts 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.