MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — South Dakota’s tourism industry set all-time highs in both visitation and visitor spending in 2025, according to new figures released this week by Travel South Dakota.
An annual economic impact study by Tourism Economics found 14.97 million visitors traveled to and within South Dakota in 2025, a 0.38% increase from 2024. Those visitors spent $5.16 billion, up 1.1% from the prior year, the agency said.
State officials said tourism supported an estimated 59,145 jobs and generated about $2.3 billion in household income for South Dakotans. Tourism accounted for 4.7% of the state’s economy, according to the release.
The report also estimated tourism activity generated $406.1 million in state and local tax revenue and 16.5% of all state sales tax collections. Travel South Dakota said the tax impact equated to about $1,121 in additional taxes avoided per household.