Elevation of Sioux Falls
1,473ft
above sea level · 449 m
Sioux Falls is a city in South Dakota with 213,748 people, the most populous in the state. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, it’s the 36th highest.
By the All Map Tools Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 43.55° N · 96.70° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 43° 33′ 0″ N · 96° 42′ 1″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 14T · 685,765 E · 4,824,461 N
- Zone 14 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 213,748 people
- 84.5 sq mi of land · 2,528 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from November 2020: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Sioux Falls had 213,748 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 11% more than in April 2020, when it had 192,737. Its 84.5 sq mi of land work out to 2,528 people/sq mi; the state average is 12 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 485 places the Census counts in South Dakota (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 23% of the state’s population.
The city spreads across 2 counties. By population: Minnehaha County (172,103) and Lincoln County (41,645). Its reference point, where we measure the elevation, is in Minnehaha County.
Compared with US cities of 100,000 to 250,000
Sioux Falls sits at 1,473 ft (449 m) above sea level. Of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people, the highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft). The average is 862 ft: Sioux Falls is 611 ft above it.
The state capital, Pierre, is 190 mi away in a straight line and 6 ft higher than Sioux Falls.
The nearest city with more than 250,000 people is Omaha (Nebraska), 163 mi away in a straight line and 417 ft lower.
The highest point in South Dakota is Black Elk Peak, at 7,242 ft according to the USGS: 5,769 ft above Sioux Falls, 342 mi away in a straight line.
- 36 Sioux Falls 1,473 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Sioux Falls.
What is the elevation of Sioux Falls?
Sioux Falls is 1,473 feet (449 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Sioux Falls?
Latitude 43.54998 and longitude -96.70033, in decimal degrees (43° 33′ 0″ N · 96° 42′ 1″ W). In UTM, zone 14: 685,765 E and 4,824,461 N, on NAD83.
How does Sioux Falls rank among the highest US cities of its size?
It’s the 36th highest of the 249 US cities with 100,000 to 250,000 people. The highest is Lakewood (5,520 ft) and the lowest is Fort Lauderdale (3 ft).
What county is Sioux Falls in?
Several: Minnehaha County and Lincoln County. Most of its people live in Minnehaha County.
Which is higher, Sioux Falls or Pierre?
Pierre. Sioux Falls sits at 1,473 ft and Pierre at 1,479 ft: a difference of 6 ft, 190 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know