Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is South Dakota a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in South Dakota.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Mount Rushmore State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of South Dakota, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 66 counties in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In South Dakota For 2025
- Lincoln County
- Stanley County
- Hughes County
- Harding County
- Union County
- Edmunds County
- Sully County
- Deuel County
- Custer County
- Hand County
Lincoln County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in South Dakota. And you should avoid Oglala Lakota County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in South Dakota. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in South Dakota and the cheapest places to live in South Dakota.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In South Dakota For 2025
1. Lincoln County
Biggest Place: Sioux Falls
Population: 68,286
Median Income: $96,552 (best)
Median Home Price: $323,500 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.6% (2best)
More on Lincoln County:
2. Stanley County
Biggest Place: Fort Pierre
Population: 3,012
Median Income: $77,000 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $169,900 (28th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.3% (4th best)
More on Stanley County:
3. Hughes County
Biggest Place: Pierre
Population: 17,732
Median Income: $78,981 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $221,100 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.6% (5th best)
More on Hughes County:
4. Harding County
Biggest Place: Buffalo
Population: 1,092
Median Income: $74,766 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $156,400 (34th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.0% (12th best)
More on Harding County:
5. Union County
Biggest Place: Dakota Dunes
Population: 16,916
Median Income: $84,137 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $269,500 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (47th best)
More on Union County:
6. Edmunds County
Biggest Place: Ipswich
Population: 4,033
Median Income: $77,266 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $163,600 (30th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.7% (7th best)
More on Edmunds County:
7. Sully County
Biggest Place: Onida
Population: 1,481
Median Income: $70,250 (3best)
Median Home Price: $198,700 (2best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0% (2nd best)
More on Sully County:
8. Deuel County
Biggest Place: Clear Lake
Population: 4,318
Median Income: $79,556 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $180,100 (24th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2% (17th best)
More on Deuel County:
9. Custer County
Biggest Place: Custer
Population: 8,686
Median Income: $81,958 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $327,200 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.0% (30th best)
More on Custer County:
10. Hand County
Biggest Place: Miller
Population: 3,045
Median Income: $72,054 (28th best)
Median Home Price: $152,100 (37th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2% (16th best)
More on Hand County:
Methodology: How do you determine which South Dakota county is the best?
To give you the best county in South Dakota, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in South Dakota across each of the criteria from one to 66, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In South Dakota.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Mount Rushmore State.
We updated this article for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in South Dakota.
Read on to see why Lincoln County is the best county, while Oglala Lakota County is probably in contention for being the worst county in South Dakota.
Summary: The Best Counties In South Dakota To Call Home For 2025
Living in South Dakota can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in South Dakota are Lincoln County, Stanley County, Hughes County, Harding County, Union County, Edmunds County, Sully County, Deuel County, Custer County, and Hand County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in South Dakota according to the data:
- Oglala Lakota County
- Todd County
- Mellette County
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Counties To Live In South Dakota
- Richest Cities In South Dakota
- Safest Places In South Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In South Dakota
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincoln County | 68,286 | $96,552 | $323,500 |
| 2 | Stanley County | 3,012 | $77,000 | $169,900 |
| 3 | Hughes County | 17,732 | $78,981 | $221,100 |
| 4 | Harding County | 1,092 | $74,766 | $156,400 |
| 5 | Union County | 16,916 | $84,137 | $269,500 |
| 6 | Edmunds County | 4,033 | $77,266 | $163,600 |
| 7 | Sully County | 1,481 | $70,250 | $198,700 |
| 8 | Deuel County | 4,318 | $79,556 | $180,100 |
| 9 | Custer County | 8,686 | $81,958 | $327,200 |
| 10 | Hand County | 3,045 | $72,054 | $152,100 |
| 11 | Mccook County | 5,732 | $80,847 | $217,300 |
| 12 | Lake County | 11,052 | $73,792 | $231,000 |
| 13 | Hanson County | 3,473 | $86,375 | $192,400 |
| 14 | Hamlin County | 6,288 | $83,194 | $207,700 |
| 15 | Marshall County | 4,355 | $72,500 | $147,200 |
| 16 | Yankton County | 23,379 | $73,855 | $208,200 |
| 17 | Turner County | 8,772 | $75,283 | $199,000 |
| 18 | Meade County | 30,297 | $74,161 | $274,800 |
| 19 | Hutchinson County | 7,393 | $74,459 | $160,500 |
| 20 | Jerauld County | 1,845 | $75,417 | $127,000 |
| 21 | Minnehaha County | 200,689 | $76,074 | $266,600 |
| 22 | Brookings County | 34,968 | $67,341 | $246,300 |
| 23 | Moody County | 6,371 | $77,500 | $206,300 |
| 24 | Aurora County | 2,573 | $74,130 | $129,000 |
| 25 | Codington County | 28,556 | $65,080 | $218,000 |
| 26 | Potter County | 2,430 | $71,726 | $121,300 |
| 27 | Kingsbury County | 5,210 | $70,221 | $159,600 |
| 28 | Haakon County | 1,708 | $59,231 | $153,200 |
| 29 | Brule County | 5,261 | $74,043 | $205,500 |
| 30 | Lawrence County | 26,574 | $66,766 | $310,800 |
| 31 | Brown County | 38,079 | $70,239 | $212,900 |
| 32 | Pennington County | 112,081 | $70,768 | $270,400 |
| 33 | Davison County | 19,936 | $61,401 | $190,000 |
| 34 | Hyde County | 1,305 | $74,279 | $134,500 |
| 35 | Spink County | 6,283 | $73,011 | $117,400 |
| 36 | Miner County | 2,299 | $72,589 | $114,100 |
| 37 | Sanborn County | 2,370 | $69,870 | $138,500 |
| 38 | Jones County | 1,030 | $64,688 | $117,100 |
| 39 | Campbell County | 1,481 | $65,000 | $87,900 |
| 40 | Douglas County | 2,823 | $78,125 | $125,000 |
| 41 | Grant County | 7,544 | $73,818 | $179,400 |
| 42 | Butte County | 10,538 | $67,692 | $207,700 |
| 43 | Beadle County | 19,279 | $63,082 | $178,400 |
| 44 | Day County | 5,460 | $62,270 | $155,100 |
| 45 | Clay County | 15,133 | $58,794 | $221,800 |
| 46 | Mcpherson County | 2,278 | $62,024 | $78,400 |
| 47 | Perkins County | 3,058 | $65,455 | $105,900 |
| 48 | Bon Homme County | 7,024 | $61,275 | $120,300 |
| 49 | Clark County | 3,876 | $62,885 | $141,900 |
| 50 | Faulk County | 2,137 | $58,000 | $124,100 |
| 51 | Gregory County | 3,993 | $52,432 | $129,000 |
| 52 | Walworth County | 5,298 | $62,722 | $130,000 |
| 53 | Fall River County | 7,179 | $61,056 | $176,300 |
| 54 | Tripp County | 5,607 | $58,854 | $137,100 |
| 55 | Roberts County | 10,219 | $63,691 | $139,100 |
| 56 | Charles Mix County | 9,281 | $64,850 | $169,200 |
| 57 | Lyman County | 3,717 | $61,169 | $156,500 |
| 58 | Bennett County | 3,354 | $44,569 | $138,600 |
| 59 | Dewey County | 5,230 | $57,928 | $75,400 |
| 60 | Jackson County | 2,826 | $26,686 | $111,500 |
| 61 | Ziebach County | 2,410 | $47,333 | $101,700 |
| 62 | Buffalo County | 1,757 | $47,000 | $108,000 |
| 63 | Corson County | 3,859 | $43,750 | $73,800 |
| 64 | Mellette County | 2,043 | $51,364 | $63,000 |
| 65 | Todd County | 9,293 | $39,148 | $45,200 |
| 66 | Oglala Lakota County | 13,587 | $34,769 | $45,600 |