South Dakota Retains Majority Of Adults Born And Raised In State

When you've got a good thing going, people tend to stick around.

That's certainly the case in South Dakota, where a big percentage of adults born in the Mount Rushmore State still reside here years later.

With more than half of adults still in their birth state, South Dakota is tied for 16th with North Dakota and New York.

This data tracks the share of adults in each U.S. state who lived in the state where they were born in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates.

READ MORE: South Dakota Expects 100,000 More Residents By 2040

A trio of South Dakota's neighboring states (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska) all landed in the Top 15 with more than 60 percent of homegrown adult residents.

STATES WITH HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF ADULTS LIVING IN BIRTH STATE

• Louisiana: 74%
• Michigan: 72%
• Ohio: 71%
• Mississippi: 67%
• Wisconsin: 66%
• Pennsylvania: 66%
• Iowa: 65%
• West Virginia: 64%
• Kentucky: 63%
• Minnesota: 62%
• Indiana: 62%
• Alabama: 62%
• Illinois: 61%
• Missouri: 60%
• Nebraska: 57%
• New York: 56%
• North Dakota: 56%
• South Dakota: 56%

Nationwide, 49% of U.S. adults live in the state where they were born.

Nevada had the lowest share at just 17%, reflecting decades of rapid population growth and in-migration.

STATES WITH LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF ADULTS LIVING IN BIRTH STATE

• Nevada 17
• Florida 26
• Arizona 30
• Colorado 32
• Alaska 33
• New Hampshire 34
• Wyoming 34
• Idaho 35
• Delaware 35
• Oregon 38

Get our free mobile app