The map above shows South Dakota and Wisconsin side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
South Dakota vs Wisconsin Geography
Land area
- South Dakota has a land area of 75,808 square miles (196,342 km²), while Wisconsin has 54,168 square miles (140,294 km²).
- South Dakota's land area is 1.4 times (40%) larger than Wisconsin's.
Total area
- South Dakota: 77,116 square miles (199,729 km²) vs Wisconsin: 65,497 square miles (169,636 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- South Dakota's total area is 1.2 times (18%) larger than Wisconsin's.
Length
- South Dakota is 443 miles (712 km) long from north to south; Wisconsin is 368 miles (593 km).
- South Dakota's north-south length is 1.2 times (20%) longer than Wisconsin's.
Width
- South Dakota spans 371 miles (597 km) east to west; Wisconsin spans 323 miles (521 km).
- South Dakota's east-west width is 1.1 times (15%) wider than Wisconsin's.
Highest point
- South Dakota's highest point is Black Elk Peak at 7,198 feet (2,194 m); Wisconsin's is Timms Hill at 1,946 feet (593 m).
- Black Elk Peak is 5,252 feet higher than Timms Hill.
Lowest point
- South Dakota's lowest point is Big Stone Lake at 966 feet; Wisconsin's is Lake Michigan at 577 feet.
- Wisconsin's lowest point is 389 feet lower.
South Dakota vs Wisconsin Population and History
Population
- South Dakota has a population of 924,669 (2024), while Wisconsin has 5,960,975 (2024).
- Wisconsin's population is 6.4 times (545%) larger than South Dakota's.
Population density
- South Dakota: 12.2 people per square mile vs Wisconsin: 110.0.
- Wisconsin's population density is 9.0 times (802%) higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest city
- South Dakota's biggest city is Sioux Falls with 209,289 people; Wisconsin's is Milwaukee with 563,531.
- Milwaukee's population is 2.7 times (169%) larger than Sioux Falls'.
Largest metro area
- South Dakota's largest metropolitan area is Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (308,266 people) vs Wisconsin's Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952).
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area's population is 12.2 times larger than Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area's.
History
- South Dakota: Admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, as the 40th state.
- Wisconsin: Admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state.
- In its current form, Wisconsin is the older of the two by 41 years.
South Dakota vs Wisconsin Economy
GDP
- South Dakota's GDP is $76.8 billion (2024) vs Wisconsin's $453.3 billion.
- Wisconsin's economic output is 5.9 times (490%) larger than South Dakota's.
GDP per capita
- South Dakota: $83,052 per person vs Wisconsin: $76,044.
- South Dakota's GDP per capita is 1.1 times (9%) higher than Wisconsin's.
Average income
- South Dakota: $75,699 vs Wisconsin: $67,755 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- South Dakota's average income is 1.1 times (12%) higher than Wisconsin's.
South Dakota vs Wisconsin Counties
Number of counties
- South Dakota has 66 counties, while Wisconsin has 72.
- Wisconsin's county count is 1.1 times (9%) higher than South Dakota's.
Biggest county by area
- South Dakota's largest county is Meade County at 3,471 square miles; Wisconsin's is Marathon County at 1,545 square miles.
- Meade County's land area is 2.2 times (125%) larger than Marathon County's.
Smallest county by area
- South Dakota: Clay County (412 sq mi) vs Wisconsin: Pepin County (232 sq mi).
- Clay County's land area is 1.8 times (78%) larger than Pepin County's.
Most populous county
- South Dakota: Minnehaha County (208,639 people) vs Wisconsin: Milwaukee County (924,740 people).
- Milwaukee County's population is 4.4 times (343%) larger than Minnehaha County's.
Least populous county
- South Dakota: Jones County (874 people) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County (4,286 people).
- Menominee County's population is 4.9 times (390%) larger than Jones County's.
Richest county
- South Dakota: Union County ($146,712 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Ozaukee County ($109,947).
- Union County's income is 1.3 times (33%) richer than Ozaukee County's.
Poorest county
- South Dakota: Ziebach County ($32,778 per capita income) vs Wisconsin: Menominee County ($43,696).
- Menominee County's income is 1.3 times (33%) richer than Ziebach County's.
South Dakota vs Wisconsin Taxes
State income tax
- South Dakota has no state income tax, while Wisconsin has a top income tax rate of 7.65%.
- Wisconsin's top rate is 7.65 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- South Dakota: 1.02% effective rate vs Wisconsin: 1.25% of home value per year.
- Wisconsin's rate is 0.23 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- South Dakota: 6.11% combined state and average local rate vs Wisconsin: 5.72%.
- South Dakota's combined rate is 0.39 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
South Dakota official website · Wisconsin official website
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More Size Comparisons
All South Dakota size comparisons · All Wisconsin 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.