Sioux Falls is the state of South Dakota's largest city and the county seat of Minnehaha County. Sioux Falls is located on the banks of the Big Sioux River where Interstate 29 and 90 join. In 2015, Sioux Falls city had an estimated population of 181,883 residents, which ranks 147th in the United States.
The city proper has a population density of 2,109 people per square mile (814/square kilometer). The Sioux Falls metropolitan area has a population of nearly 250,000, which accounts for almost one-third of the state's entire population. The Sioux Falls-Sioux City Designated Market Area, a media market region covering four states, has a population estimated at 1.04 million.
Once South Dakota became a state in 1889, the region was settled by immigrants from Europe, particularly from Scandinavia and Germany. These remain the largest ethnic groups in the area. Lutherans account for the majority religion in Sioux Falls, followed by Roman Catholics.
The Big Sioux River falls were created during the last ice age, and they have attracted many people to the land since then. Many indigenous peoples inhabited the area before Europeans arrived, including the Dakota, Nakota, Cheyenne, Quapaw, Kansa, and Missouri people. The high bluffs close to the river are still the site of several burial grounds from the region's early history.
French explorers were the first Europeans to arrive in the early 18th century. The first European American who visited was Philander Prescott in 1832. In 1856, the Dakota Land Company from St. Paul and the Western Town Company from Iowa organized to claim the land surrounding the falls. A temporary barricade was constructed called Fort Sod to respond to hostility from neighboring tribes. That first year, 17 men wintered in the region. The next year, Sioux Falls' population grew to 40.
In 1865, Fort Dakota was established in present-day downtown and a new wave of settlers came to the region. By 1873, the Village of Sioux Falls had 593 people. It was granted a city charter in 1883. The area experienced a large boom that decade as the railroads arrived and Sioux Falls' population grew from 2,100 in 1880 to more than 10,100 by 1890, although the growth slowed to a virtual standstill the next decade due to depression and a plague of grasshoppers.
By 1955, the city consolidated the neighboring city of South Sioux Falls, which had a population of 1,600. The population has proliferated since the 1970s, hitting 81,000 in 1980 and 153,000 in 2010.
Sioux Falls is one of the 50 fastest-growing cities in America and South Dakota's fastest-growing metropolitan area. Between 2000 and 2010, the city grew 22%. The most recent population estimate found that Sioux Falls has a population of 169,900 as of January 1, 2015, a growth of nearly 14,000 people over four years. Most of the new residents to the city are coming from Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois, although many are coming from Southern California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. By 2035, the population of Sioux Falls is projected to reach 233,000.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota's estimated population is 181,883 according to the most recent United States census estimates. Sioux Falls, South Dakota is the 1st largest city in South Dakota based on official 2017 estimates from the US Census Bureau.
The population density is 2359.27 people/mi² (910.91 people/km²).
The overall median age is 34.3 years, 33.4 years for males, and 35.1 years for females. For every 100 females there are 99.4 males.
Based on data from the American Community Survey, in 2017 there were 73,214 households in the city, with an average size of 2.39 people per household. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8%, with a median rent of $771/month. The median house has 5.7 rooms, and has a value of $168,600.
The median income for households in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is $56,714, while the mean household income is $75,241.
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Sioux Falls was:
| Year | Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 181,883 | 3,883 | 2.18% |
| 2017 | 178,000 | 4,318 | 2.49% |
| 2016 | 173,682 | 3,476 | 2.04% |
| 2015 | 170,206 | 3,158 | 1.89% |
| 2014 | 167,048 | 3,576 | 2.19% |
| 2013 | 163,472 | 3,639 | 2.28% |
| 2012 | 159,833 | 3,387 | 2.16% |
| 2011 | 156,446 | 1,920 | 1.24% |
| 2010 | 154,526 | 30,551 | 2.23% |
| 2000 | 123,975 | 23,161 | 2.09% |
| 1990 | 100,814 | 19,471 | 2.17% |
| 1980 | 81,343 | 8,855 | 1.16% |
| 1970 | 72,488 | 7,022 | 1.02% |
| 1960 | 65,466 | 12,770 | 2.19% |
| 1950 | 52,696 | 11,864 | 2.58% |
| 1940 | 40,832 | 7,470 | 2.04% |
| 1930 | 33,362 | 8,160 | 2.84% |
| 1920 | 25,202 | 11,108 | 5.98% |
| 1910 | 14,094 | 3,828 | 3.22% |
| 1900 | 10,266 | 89 | 0.09% |
| 1890 | 10,177 | 0.00% |
| Year | Total Population | Growth | Annual Growth Rate |
| 2018 | 265,653 | 5,132 | 1.93% |
| 2017 | 260,521 | 5,701 | 2.19% |
| 2016 | 254,820 | 4,767 | 1.87% |
| 2015 | 250,053 | 3,907 | 1.56% |
| 2014 | 246,146 | 4,369 | 1.77% |
| 2013 | 241,777 | 4,750 | 1.96% |
| 2012 | 237,027 | 4,899 | 2.07% |
| 2011 | 232,128 | 3,030 | 1.31% |
| 2010 | 229,098 | 0.00% |
| Race | Population | Percentage |
| White | 144,904 | 85.04% |
| Black or African American | 9,140 | 5.36% |
| Two or More Races | 5,255 | 3.08% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 4,165 | 2.44% |
| Asian | 3,867 | 2.27% |
| Some Other Race | 3,023 | 1.77% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 47 | 0.03% |
| Type | Count | Average Size | Owned |
| All | 69,055 | 2.39 | 61.2 |
| Married | 31,012 | 3.13 | 84.6 |
| Non Family | 27,672 | 1.27 | 41.1 |
| Female | 7,182 | 3.23 | 44.4 |
| Male | 3,189 | 2.92 | 46.6 |
| Education Attained | Count | Percentage |
| Less Than 9th Grade | 3,991 | 3.57% |
| 9th to 12th Grade | 5,239 | 4.69% |
| High School Graduate | 28,592 | 25.58% |
| Some College | 24,138 | 21.60% |
| Associates Degree | 12,059 | 10.79% |
| Bachelors Degree | 25,686 | 22.98% |
| Graduate Degree | 12,067 | 10.80% |
The highest rate of high school graduation is among white people with a rate of 94.53%.
The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 55.26%.
$36,565
Average Earnings
$41,706
Average Male
$31,803
Average Female
90.04% of Sioux Falls residents speak only English, while 9.96% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 3.77% of the population.
| Name | Total | In Poverty | Poverty Rate |
| White | 136,828 | 11,196 | 8.18% |
| Black | 8,855 | 2,283 | 25.78% |
| Native | 3,639 | 1,872 | 51.44% |
| Hispanic | 8,197 | 1,470 | 17.93% |
| Multiple | 5,027 | 1,364 | 27.13% |
| Other | 2,940 | 591 | 20.10% |
| Asian | 3,827 | 279 | 7.29% |
11.13%
Overall Poverty Rate
9.68%
Male Poverty Rate
12.55%
Female Poverty Rate
The race most likely to be in poverty in Sioux Falls is Native, with 51.44% below the poverty level.
The race least likely to be in poverty in Sioux Falls is Asian, with 7.29% below the poverty level.
The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 1.81%. Among those working part-time, it was 16.35%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 25.17%.
48.6%
Overall Marriage Rate
49.8%
Male Marriage Rate
47.5%
Female Marriage Rate
The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 35-44.
| Name | Veterans | % of Total |
| White | 8,604 | 7.63% |
| 2 or More | 94 | 4.27% |
| Indian | 88 | 3.44% |
| Hispanic | 84 | 1.71% |
| Black | 80 | 1.43% |
| Asian | 72 | 2.52% |
| Other | 10 | 0.57% |
5.98%
Veteran Poverty Rate
26.19%
Veteran Disability Rate
74.5%
Labor Force Participation
71.7%
Employment Rate
3.6%
Unemployment Rate
Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.
92.67%
Native Born
7.33%
Foreign Born
4.50%
Non Citizen
92.67% of Sioux Falls residents were born in the United States, with 59.57% having been born in South Dakota. 4.50% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Africa.