In the state of South Dakota, it runs from Olsonville to Herreid by way of Mission, Murdo, and Gettysburg.

For much of its length, US 83 runs through rural areas, passing through the badlands and small portions of the Black Hills of the state.

Here, US 83 turns left on to US 18 and the two routes begin a rather short concurrency lasting for approximately 3 miles (4.8 km).

In November 2022, a project to add new asphalt surfacing on the road as well as a shared-use path from White River to Murdo was completed by the South Dakota Department of Transportation.

[5] It then enters Stanley County and development increases a bit, though still sparse, reaching Fort Pierre.

After about a couple of blocks, the two routes make several awkward turns to exit Pierre; they turn north on to Pierre Street, east on Pleasant Avenue, and north again on Euclid Avenue, while their truck routes continue through the city.

[8] It enters Sully County, passing through a mix of grassy and sandy farmland with a sprinkle of development near Onida.

US 212 merges on to US 83 to form a very short concurrency before US 83 leaves US 212 by turning north to avoid the main district.

The last stretches of development along its route are Mound City and Herreid before US 83 enters North Dakota at Emmons County.

When it was first established in 1926, it initially ran from the Canadian border to the South Dakota state line.