Pierre, South Dakota

Pierre, South Dakota
State capital city
Downtown Pierre (2022)
South Dakota State Capitol
Soldiers and Sailors World War Memorial
Federal Building
St. Charles Hotel
Motto: 
"On The River-On The Move"
Location within Hughes County in South Dakota
Pierre
Location within South Dakota
Pierre
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 44°22′29″N 100°19′14″W / 44.37472°N 100.32056°W / 44.37472; -100.32056
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Dakota
CountyHughes
Founded1880
Incorporated1883[1]
Chartered1900[2]
Named afterPierre Chouteau Jr.
Government
 • MayorSteve Harding [3]
Area
 • Total
13.05 sq mi (33.80 km2)
 • Land13.03 sq mi (33.74 km2)
 • Water0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)  0.08%
Elevation1,700 ft (500 m)
Population
 • Total
14,091
 • Density1,081.68/sq mi (417.63/km2)
Time zoneUTC-06:00 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-05:00 (CDT)
ZIP code
57501
Area code605
FIPS code46-49600
GNIS feature ID1267533[5]
Websitecityofpierre.org

Pierre (/pɪər/ PEER) is the capital city of the U.S. state of South Dakota and the county seat of Hughes County.[7] As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,091. Pierre is the eleventh-most populous city of South Dakota, and the second-least populous U.S. state capital (after Montpelier, Vermont).

Founded in 1880 on the Missouri River, the city was selected to be the state capital when South Dakota was admitted as a state in 1889. Near the center of the state, the then-new settlement was across the river from the settlement of Fort Pierre, and near what became an important railroad crossing of the River.

  1. ^ William D. Halsey, ed. (1976). "Pierre". Collier's Encyclopedia. Vol. 19. New York: Macmillan Educational Corporation. pp. 42–43.
  2. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Pierre" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 591.
  3. ^ "Pierre, SD - Official Website". City of Pierre, South Dakota. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  4. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  5. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Pierre, South Dakota
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.