The City of Pierre is the capital of South Dakota and, as of the 2000 census, has a population of approximately 14,000 citizens.  Pierre is the principal city in the Pierre metropolitan statistical area that includes Hughes and Stanley counties.  Pierre is located in the geographic center of the state on the bluffs of the Missouri River.

The median age of the population is 37.5.  Eighty-nine percent of the population is white; the next largest ethnic group is American Indian at 9 percent.  Twenty-six percent of the population holds a bachelor's degree, and 25.6 percent are high school graduates.  Pierre’s median household income is $42,962.  More than five percent of families live below the poverty line and  unemployment affects three percent of the population.