Minnesota to South Dakota

Distance from Rochester to Sioux Falls

Straight-line distance

214.7mi

Rochester, MN and Sioux Falls, SD are 214.7 miles (345.5 km) apart in a straight line. From Rochester, the shortest path starts out heading W (263°).

kilometers
345.5
nautical miles
186.5
heading from Rochester
263° W
heading from Sioux Falls
80° E
RochesterSioux Falls

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

How far Rochester is from Sioux Falls

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Rochester and Sioux Falls is 214.7 miles, 345.5 km or 186.5 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 214.7 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
214.7
Kilometers
345.5
Nautical miles
186.5
Bearing from Rochester
262.7° W
Bearing arriving at Sioux Falls
259.8°
Bearing from Sioux Falls
79.8° E

Halfway between Rochester and Sioux Falls

The great-circle midpoint is at 43.797221, -94.613726 (43°47'50.00"N 94°36'49.41"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Truman, MN, with 1,069 residents, 9.1 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, Rochester gets 15 h 29 min of daylight and Sioux Falls 15 h 26 min; on December 21, 8 h 53 min and 8 h 56 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Sioux Falls has 1.7 times the population of Rochester. From July 2020 to July 2024, Rochester changed by +1.7% and Sioux Falls by +8.2%. The trip crosses from Minnesota into South Dakota.

  1. 01Rochester, MN123,624 (+1.7%)
  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 Rochester from Sioux Falls?

214.7 miles, 345.5 km or 186.5 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Sioux Falls from Rochester?

W. The great-circle path leaves Rochester on a bearing of 262.7° and arrives at Sioux Falls on 259.8°. The return trip starts on 79.8°.

What is halfway between Rochester and Sioux Falls?

The midpoint is at 43.797221, -94.613726. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Truman, MN, 9.1 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Rochester and Sioux Falls?

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

Which is bigger, Rochester or Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls, with 209,289 residents in July 2024 against 123,624 for Rochester, 1.7 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.