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Violent crime
322 per 100,000 residents, per year
2,359 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−6% vs. the previous 12 months
Data through June 2026, FBI Crime Data Explorer
Crime in South Dakota
The violent crime rate in South Dakota is 322 per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, about the same as the U.S. rate of 318, and the 22nd-highest of the 50 states and D.C. Violent crime is down 6% from the previous 12 months, and down 11% since 2018.
The numbers
12 months to Jun 2026Property crime
1,440 per 100,000 residents, per year
10,562 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
−9% vs. the previous 12 months
All reported
1,761 per 100,000 residents, per year
12,921 reported in the 12 months to Jun 2026
Annual rates per 100,000 residents, counted the FBI’s way, the same as every city on this site.
What counts, and who reported
Violent crime is homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property crime is burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson. The agencies that reported serve 78.5% of the state’s 935,094 residents, and rates are taken over the population they serve. How we count
Where South Dakota sits among the states
violent, per 100k, per year322
South Dakota has the 22nd-highest violent crime rate of the 50 states and D.C., and the 22nd-highest property crime rate.
Maine 89U.S. 318Washington, D.C. 786
The ring is South Dakota; the tick is the rate for the whole country.
Reported crime by type
12 months to Jun 2026- Homicide2.7 (U.S. 3.9)−31% vs. U.S.
- Rape46 (U.S. 35)+33% vs. U.S.
- Robbery20 (U.S. 46)−57% vs. U.S.
- Aggravated assault253 (U.S. 233)+8% vs. U.S.
- Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson1,440 (U.S. 1,473)−2% vs. U.S.
See the table, with the change on the previous 12 months
| Offense | Reported | Per 100k | U.S. per 100k | vs. U.S. | vs. previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HomicideViolent | 20 | 2.7 | 3.9 | −31% | −16% |
| RapeViolent | 339 | 46 | 35 | +33% | −8% |
| RobberyViolent | 143 | 20 | 46 | −57% | −17% |
| Aggravated assaultViolent | 1,857 | 253 | 233 | +8% | −4% |
| Property crimeBurglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson | 10,562 | 1,440 | 1,473 | −2% | −9% |
The FBI publishes property crime for states as a single total, so it is not broken down here. Red means more than in the previous 12 months, green means fewer.
Since 2018
per 100k, per yearViolent crime rate by year
Homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault per 100,000 residents
| Year | Violent crime rate in South Dakota |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 367 |
| 2019 | 362 |
| 2020 | 489 |
| 2022 | 405 |
| 2023 | 377 |
| 2024 | 357 |
| 2025 | 327 |
Homicide rate by year
Homicides per 100,000 residents
| Year | Homicide rate in South Dakota |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 1.4 |
| 2019 | 1.9 |
| 2020 | 4.6 |
| 2022 | 5.0 |
| 2023 | 3.3 |
| 2024 | 4.7 |
| 2025 | 3.3 |
Why there is no 2021
No figure for 2021: that year the FBI switched every agency to its new reporting system (NIBRS), and so many had not switched yet that national coverage fell too low for a rate. The dotted line only joins the years on either side.
Cities in South Dakota
2 city pages, per 100k, per yearMonth by month
Violent crimes in each city’s latest 12 months against the 12 before. Each chart has its own scale: compare the two lines within a city.
Sioux Falls741 −31%
Rapid City601 +1%
| # | City | Violent per 100k | Property per 100k | vs. South Dakota | Residents | Data through |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rapid City49th of 302 | 740 | 3,932 | +130% | 81,185 | Jul 2026 |
| 2 | Sioux Falls156th of 302 | 347 | 2,123 | +8% | 213,449 | Feb 2026 |
How to read this table
The line under each city is its place among the 302 cities and county areas on this site, highest rate first. City rates use the same FBI definitions as the state, so each one can be read against the South Dakota figure directly. Each department reports on its own schedule, so the 12-month windows differ a little between rows.
Neighboring states
per 100k, per yearRank among the 50 states and D.C. by violent crime rate, 1 being the highest. Same FBI window for every state: the 12 months to June 2026.
Common questions
answered with the data aboveIs South Dakota safe?
By reported violent crime, South Dakota is close to the national level: 322 violent crimes per 100,000 residents per year over the 12 months to June 2026, against 318 for the U.S. It varies a lot from city to city: among the 2 South Dakota cities on this site, Rapid City runs 740 and Sioux Falls 347.
What is the violent crime rate in South Dakota?
322 per 100,000 residents per year, counting homicide, rape, robbery and aggravated assault reported to the FBI over the 12 months to June 2026 (2,359 offenses). The property crime rate is 1,440 per 100,000.
Is crime in South Dakota going up or down?
It is going down: violent crime −6% and property crime −9% over the last 12 months compared with the 12 months before. Since 2018 the violent crime rate is down 11%.
Source and dates
FBI CDE- Source
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, via the FBI Crime Data Explorer: monthly offense counts and the population served by the agencies that reported
- Latest 12 months
- July 2025 to June 2026
- Reporting coverage
- Agencies serving 78.5% of residents
- History on this site
- 2018 to 2025 by year (no 2021), and month by month since January 2018
- Update schedule
- We refresh every morning and publish the most recent 12 months that agencies across the country have reported in full.
- Methodology
- How we count, and what the numbers leave out