German is the largest background in South Dakota, the ancestry of over 40% of residents. Here is a list of the state's 25 largest ancestries:
Rank
|
Ancestry
|
South Dakota Estimated Population
|
Percentage of Total Population
|
Total:
|
816,463
|
100.0%
|
|
1
|
German
|
337,045
|
41.3%
|
2
|
Norwegian
|
121,655
|
14.9%
|
3
|
Irish
|
84,298
|
10.3%
|
4
|
English
|
53,741
|
6.6%
|
5
|
Dutch
|
36,464
|
4.5%
|
6
|
American
|
31,464
|
3.9%
|
7
|
Swedish
|
31,376
|
3.8%
|
8
|
French
(except Basque)
|
22,747
|
2.8%
|
9
|
Danish
|
20,634
|
2.5%
|
10
|
Czech
|
19,592
|
2.4%
|
11
|
Polish
|
13,967
|
1.7%
|
12
|
Russian
|
13,024
|
1.6%
|
13
|
Scottish
|
9,696
|
1.2%
|
14
|
Italian
|
9,215
|
1.1%
|
15
|
European
|
6,643
|
0.8%
|
16
|
Welsh
|
4,905
|
0.6%
|
17
|
Subsaharan
African
|
4,615
|
0.6%
|
18
|
Scotch-Irish
|
4,362
|
0.5%
|
19
|
French
Canadian
|
3,593
|
0.4%
|
20
|
Swiss
|
3,484
|
0.4%
|
21
|
Arab
|
1,824
|
0.2%
|
22
|
Ukrainian
|
1,772
|
0.2%
|
23
|
British
|
1,252
|
0.2%
|
24
|
Hungarian
|
1,088
|
0.1%
|
25
|
Greek
|
936
|
0.1%
|
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 American Community Survey
C04006 People Reporting Ancestry, 1 year estimates.Please note that the Census Bureau's "People Reporting Ancestry" survey for South Dakota is based on a limited list of ancestry groups compared to other states.
