Iowa to South Dakota

Distance from Cedar Rapids to Sioux Falls

Straight-line distance

278.5mi

Cedar Rapids, IA and Sioux Falls, SD are 278.5 miles (448.2 km) apart in a straight line. From Cedar Rapids, the shortest path starts out heading WNW (295°).

kilometers
448.2
nautical miles
242.0
heading from Cedar Rapids
295° WNW
heading from Sioux Falls
111° ESE
Cedar RapidsSioux Falls

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Cedar Rapids is from Sioux Falls

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Cedar Rapids and Sioux Falls is 278.5 miles, 448.2 km or 242.0 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 278.5 miles, 66 meters longer.

Measurements

Miles
278.5
Kilometers
448.2
Nautical miles
242.0
Bearing from Cedar Rapids
294.7° WNW
Bearing arriving at Sioux Falls
291.3°
Bearing from Sioux Falls
111.3° ESE

Halfway between Cedar Rapids and Sioux Falls

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.780220, -94.173445 (42°46'48.79"N 94°10'24.40"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Humboldt, IA, with 4,774 residents, 4.7 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Cedar Rapids gets 15 h 14 min of daylight and Sioux Falls 15 h 26 min; on December 21, 9 h 07 min and 8 h 56 min. Sioux Falls is 1.58° farther north, so it has the longer summer days and the shorter winter ones.

Population compared

Sioux Falls has 1.5 times the population of Cedar Rapids. From July 2020 to July 2024, Cedar Rapids changed by +0.0% and Sioux Falls by +8.2%. The trip crosses from Iowa into South Dakota.

  1. 01Cedar Rapids, IA137,904 (+0.0%)
  2. 02Sioux Falls, SD209,289 (+8.2%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Cedar Rapids from Sioux Falls?

278.5 miles, 448.2 km or 242.0 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Sioux Falls from Cedar Rapids?

WNW. The great-circle path leaves Cedar Rapids on a bearing of 294.7° and arrives at Sioux Falls on 291.3°. The return trip starts on 111.3°.

What is halfway between Cedar Rapids and Sioux Falls?

The midpoint is at 42.780220, -94.173445. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Humboldt, IA, 4.7 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Cedar Rapids and Sioux Falls?

Both use America/Chicago, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Cedar Rapids or Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls, with 209,289 residents in July 2024 against 137,904 for Cedar Rapids, 1.5 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.