Yankton County Demographics

A map of Yankton County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	20,356	20,195	86.9%	86.6%
Hispanic	1,370	1,234	5.9%	5.3%
Multiracial	765	752	3.3%	3.2%
Native American/Other	482	688	2.1%	3.0%
Black	366	312	1.6%	1.3%
Asian	75	129	0.3%	0.6%

Yankton County, South Dakota has an estimated population of 23,414, a less than 1% change from the 23,310 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 86.9% White, 5.9% Hispanic, 3.3% Multiracial, 2.1% Native American/Other, 1.6% Black, and 0.3% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Yankton County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Yankton has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than South Dakota overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Yankton County, that probability was 24.4% in 2020 and 23.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Yankton County is ranked the 9th most populous county in South Dakota, out of 66 counties. Yankton County was ranked the 9th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Yankton County's White Population

20,356 residents of Yankton County, or 86.9% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Yankton County is higher than in South Dakota overall, where 79.8% of the population is White. Yankton County ranks 37th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yankton County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Yankton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 86.9%.

Yankton County is more White than neighboring Clay County (84.2% White), and Bon Homme County (86.1% White). Yankton County is less White than neighboring Turner County (93% White), Cedar County (95% White), and Hutchinson County (90.8% White).

Yankton County's Black Population

366 residents of Yankton County, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Yankton County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 2.1% of the population is Black. Yankton County ranks 8th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yankton County's Black population has grown by an estimated 17.3%. Black residents' share of Yankton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.6%.

Yankton County is more Black than neighboring Turner County (0.4% Black), Cedar County (0.1% Black), and Hutchinson County (0.1% Black). Yankton County is less Black than neighboring Clay County (1.8% Black), and Bon Homme County (2.3% Black).

Yankton County's Asian Population

75 residents of Yankton County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Yankton County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 1.4% of the population is Asian. Yankton County ranks 20th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yankton County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 41.9%. Asian residents' share of Yankton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Yankton County is more Asian than neighboring Bon Homme County (0.1% Asian). Yankton County is less Asian than neighboring Clay County (3% Asian).

Yankton County's Hispanic Population

1,370 residents of Yankton County, or 5.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Yankton County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.8% of the population is Hispanic. Yankton County ranks 7th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yankton County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 11.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Yankton County's population has increased from 5.3% to 5.9%.

Yankton County is more Hispanic than neighboring Turner County (3.5% Hispanic), Clay County (3.3% Hispanic), Cedar County (2.5% Hispanic), Hutchinson County (2.7% Hispanic), and Bon Homme County (2.4% Hispanic).

Yankton County's Native American/Other Population

482 residents of Yankton County, or 2.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Yankton County is lower than in South Dakota overall, where 7.5% of the population is Native American/Other. Yankton County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yankton County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 29.9%. Native American/Other residents' share of Yankton County's population has decreased from 3.0% to 2.1%.

Yankton County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Turner County (0.7% Native American/Other), Cedar County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Hutchinson County (0.9% Native American/Other). Yankton County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Clay County (2.6% Native American/Other), and Bon Homme County (6% Native American/Other).

Yankton County's Multiracial Population

765 residents of Yankton County, or 3.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Yankton County is comparable to the share in South Dakota overall, where 4.4% of the population is Multiracial. Yankton County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 66 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Yankton County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 1.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Yankton County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.3%.

Yankton County is more Multiracial than neighboring Turner County (2% Multiracial), Cedar County (1.7% Multiracial), and Bon Homme County (3.1% Multiracial). Yankton County is less Multiracial than neighboring Clay County (5.1% Multiracial), and Hutchinson County (5.1% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.