South Dakota - Your State's Infrastructure At-A-Glance

South Dakota Transportation Facts

Airports
Military Facilities & Other Aerodromes	110
Primary and Commercial Airports	5
Public Use Airports, Seaplane Bases	69
Number of Airports	184
Ports & Waterways
Docks	0
Marinas	0
Number of Waterways	0

The design, construction, and operation of the transportation sector in the state supports 28,134 jobs throughout the economy. This includes direct jobs for work performed, indirect jobs supported by supplier industries, and induced employment when workers spend their wages for other goods and services.
Direct employment includes 1,233 jobs to build and improve transportation infrastructure, plus an additional 7,488 jobs to support system operations and freight transportation.
These workers, employed by 4,550 businesses and agencies, earn over $423 million per year in wages.

86% of workers in the state commute by driving, with 78% driving alone.
The average commute is 18 minutes one way.
79% of workers both live and work in the same county, with 21% working in a different county or state.

The value of freight shipments to and from businesses in South Dakota will grow from $55 billion in 2023 to $98 billion in 2050, an increase of 79 percent.
Of the $53 billion in domestic trade, 77 percent is shipped by truck.
A total of 50 percent of the value of domestic freight is shipped to businesses located out of state.

There were 121 fatal highway crashes in South Dakota in 2022, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
These crashes resulted in 137 fatalities.
Of the fatal accidents in the state, 80 percent occured on rural roads and 43 percent were on the National Highway System.

The 2021 federal infrastructure law provides South Dakota with $2.20 billion over five years to improve its roadway and bridge infrastructure network. See the Top Federal-Aid Highway Projects
Of the 5,887 bridges in the state, 963, or 16.4 percent, are classified as structurally deficient. This means one of the key elements is in poor or worse condition. Learn More: Bridge Conditions
State highway program revenues in South Dakota were $1.0 billion in 2023, according to the latest data from FHWA.
Roughly 57 percent of all state highway revenues were from the federal government, which by law, must be spent on capital outlays (highway construction, right of way purchases, and planning and design).
On average, 83 percent of state capital outlays in South Dakota are supported by federal funds.

Urban and rural transit agencies in South Dakota reported $63.0 million in revenues in 2023, according to the latest data from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration. Funding sources included fare-box revenue, in addition to support from federal, state, and local governments.
These agencies spent $11.1 million on capital investments and $36.0 million for system operations.
Roughly 56 percent of all transit revenue comes from the federal government.

Major airports in South Dakota received $55.8 million in federal Airport Improvement Program funds in FY 2024, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration.
In 2024, these airports spent $0.0 million on capital investments to improve terminals, runways, roads, and other airport facilities.
The IIJA provided $25 billion in new funding to support the Facilities and Equipment Program, the Airport Infrastructure Grant Program, and the Airport Terminal Program. This is in addition to $3.75 billion in annual funding for capital improvements under the Airport Improvement Program and supplemental discretionary programs.