Statewide crime numbers show decrease

The overall number of criminal offenses dropped last year in South Dakota.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley reported that the statewide number fell 6 percent compared with 2024.

The Crime in South Dakota 2025 Report includes 64,261 criminal offenses in 2025, compared with 68,388 in 2024. Drug offenses decreased 6.25 percent. There were 6,358 drug offenses last year and 6,782 in 2024.

“The decrease of crime in South Dakota demonstrates South Dakota remains a safe place to raise a family and how important securing our southern border (with Mexico) has been to public safety,” Jackley said in a statement. “The partnership at all levels between law enforcement and prosecutors remains strong in our state.”

The more-serious crimes, known as Group A, which include offenses such as homicides, sexual crimes and aggravated assaults, totaled 43,715 offenses last year, compared with 47,403 in 2024, a 7.8 percent decrease.

There were 23 homicides reported, down from 32 in 2024.

The number of less-serious offenses, known as Group B and which include such crimes as driving under the influence and disorderly conduct, totaled 20,546 in 2025, compared with 20,985 in 2024, a 2.1 percent decrease.

Other crimes by category include:

• DUI arrests were at 5,356 in 2025, down from 5,548 in 2024.
• Total drug offenses decreased to 6,358, compared with 6,782.
• Drug offenses involving methamphetamine were at 2,672, compared with 3,136.
• Fentanyl offenses are included in the “other narcotics” category. There were 230 “other narcotics” offenses reported in 2025, compared with 398 in 2024.
• Burglaries were at 1,412, compared with 1,787.
• Juvenile arrests were at 3,249, compared with 3,787.

Last year, 429 South Dakota law enforcement officers were assaulted, compared with 486 in 2024. No officers were killed in the line of duty in 2025.

The numbers reported by the state do not include Native American tribes in South Dakota, which report their crime numbers directly to the FBI.