The map above shows South Dakota and Utah side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
South Dakota vs Utah Geography
Land area
- South Dakota has a land area of 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²), while Utah has 82,596 square miles (213,922 km²).
- Utah's land area is 1.1 times (9%) larger than South Dakota's.
Total area
- South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²) vs Utah: 84,898 square miles (219,885 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Utah's total area is 1.1 times (10%) larger than South Dakota's.
Length
- South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km) long from north to south; Utah is 436 miles (702 km).
- South Dakota and Utah have about the same north-south length.
Width
- South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km) east to west; Utah spans 268 miles (431 km).
- South Dakota's east-west width is 1.4 times (38%) wider than Utah's.
Highest point
- South Dakota's highest point is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m); Utah's is Kings Peak at 13,512 feet (4,118 m).
- Kings Peak is 6,314 feet higher than Black Elk Peak.
Lowest point
- South Dakota's lowest point is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet; Utah's is Beaver Dam Wash at 2,180 feet.
- South Dakota's lowest point is 1,214 feet lower.
South Dakota vs Utah Population and History
Population
- South Dakota has a population of 924,669 (2024), while Utah has 3,503,613 (2024).
- Utah's population is 3.8 times (279%) larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- South Dakota: 12.2 people per square mile vs Utah: 42.4.
- Utah's population density is 3.5 times (248%) higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- South Dakota's biggest city is Sioux Falls with 209,289 people; Utah's is Salt Lake City with 217,783.
- Sioux Falls and Salt Lake City have about the same population.
Largest metro area
- South Dakota's largest metropolitan area is Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266 people) vs Utah's Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area (1,300,762).
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area's population is 4.2 times (322%) larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History
- South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state.
- Utah: Admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896, as the 45th state.
- In its current form, South Dakota is the older of the two by 7 years.
South Dakota vs Utah Economy
GDP
- South Dakota's GDP is $76.8 billion (2024) vs Utah's $299.5 billion.
- Utah's economic output is 3.9 times (290%) larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- South Dakota: $83,052 per person vs Utah: $85,475.
- South Dakota and Utah have about the same GDP per capita.
Average income
- South Dakota: $75,699 vs Utah: $67,333 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- South Dakota's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Utah's.
South Dakota vs Utah Counties
Number of counties
- South Dakota has 66 counties, while Utah has 29.
- South Dakota's county count is 2.3 times (128%) higher than Utah's.
Biggest county by area
- South Dakota's largest county is Meade County at 3,471 square miles; Utah's is San Juan County at 7,824 square miles.
- San Juan County's land area is 2.3 times (125%) larger than Meade County's.
Smallest county by area
- South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi) vs Utah: Davis County (325 sq mi).
- Clay County's land area is 1.3 times (27%) larger than Davis County's.
Most populous county
- South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people) vs Utah: Salt Lake County (1,216,274 people).
- Salt Lake County's population is 5.8 times (483%) larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county
- South Dakota: Jones County (874 people) vs Utah: Daggett County (956 people).
- Daggett County's population is 1.1 times (9%) larger than Jones County's.
Richest county
- South Dakota: Union County ($146,712 per capita income) vs Utah: Summit County ($280,510).
- Summit County's income is 1.9 times (91%) richer than Union County's.
Poorest county
- South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778 per capita income) vs Utah: Beaver County ($39,179).
- Beaver County's income is 1.2 times (20%) richer than Ziebach County's.
South Dakota vs Utah Taxes
State income tax
- South Dakota has no state income tax, while Utah has a top income tax rate of 4.5%.
- Utah's top rate is 4.5 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- South Dakota: 1.02% effective rate vs Utah: 0.49% of home value per year.
- South Dakota's rate is 0.53 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- South Dakota: 6.11% combined state and average local rate vs Utah: 7.42%.
- Utah's combined rate is 1.31 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
South Dakota official website · Utah official website
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More Size Comparisons
All South Dakota size comparisons · All Utah 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.