South Dakota Educational Attainment By Race and Ethnicity for Ages 25 years and Above in 2021 (ACS-5Yrs)

Updated on August 19, 2025.

Based on the US Census ACS-5Yrs estimates, in 2021, the South Dakota population aged 25 years and above was 580,235. See the following sections for the breakdown of the educational attainment of this important demography by race and ethnicity.

Less high school diploma: there were 43,328 people without a high school diploma (ie. 7.47% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 65.53% White Alone, and 3.63% Black Alone.

High School Graduate or Equivalent: there were 174,791 people with a high school diploma or equivalent (ie. 30.12% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 86.31% White Alone, and 2.12% Black Alone.

Some College or Associates Degree: there were 188,079 people with some college courses without a degree or an associates degree (ie. 32.41% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 88.30% White Alone, and 1.58% Black Alone.

Bachelors Degree or higher: there were 174,037 people with a bachelors degree or a higher degree (ie. 29.99% of people aged 25yrs+). The race composition of this group includes, 91.44% White Alone, and 1.22% Black Alone.

The first and second charts below shows the race and ethnicity composition at each educational level. Also see tables below for the population and percentages per race and per ethnicity for each educational level.

You can see similar information for other states and for the United States.

Educational Attainment of South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) By Race in 2021
Less HS Dipl.
HS Grad. or Equiv.
Some Coll. or AA
Bachelors+
Educational Attainment of South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) By Ethnicity in 2021
Less HS Dipl.
HS Grad. or Equiv.
Some Coll. or AA
Bachelors+
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with Less than High School Diploma Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 28394 65.53
Black Alone 1573 3.63
Asian Alone 1554 3.59
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 8150 18.81
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 231 0.53
Some Other Race Alone 1424 3.29
Two or More Races 2002 4.62
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with Less than High School Diploma Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 26687 61.59
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 4451 10.27
All Other Ethnicities 12190 28.13
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with High School Diploma or Equivalent Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 150863 86.31
Black Alone 3697 2.12
Asian Alone 1632 0.93
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 12697 7.26
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 105 0.06
Some Other Race Alone 1232 0.71
Two or More Races 4565 2.61
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with High School Diploma or Equivalent Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 148425 84.92
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 5135 2.94
All Other Ethnicities 21231 12.15
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with Some College Courses or an Associates Degree Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 166066 88.30
Black Alone 2966 1.58
Asian Alone 892 0.47
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 11851 6.30
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 95 0.05
Some Other Race Alone 957 0.51
Two or More Races 5252 2.79
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with Some College Courses or an Associates Degree Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 164096 87.25
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 4379 2.33
All Other Ethnicities 19604 10.42
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with a Bachelors Degree or Higher Per Race in 2021
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Race Population Percent (%)
White Alone 159147 91.44
Black Alone 2116 1.22
Asian Alone 3747 2.15
American Indian & Alaska Native Alone 3477 2.00
Native Hawaiian & Pac. Islander Alone 50 0.03
Some Other Race Alone 1155 0.66
Two or More Races 4345 2.50
South Dakota Population (aged 25yrs+) with a Bachelors Degree or Higher Per Ethnicity in 2021
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Ethnicity Population Percent (%)
Non-Hispanic White Alone 157834 90.69
Hispanic or Latino of All Races 3488 2.00
All Other Ethnicities 12715 7.31