Are you thinking of calling it quits on your career and retiring in Mount Rushmore State? Don’t retire just anywhere in South Dakota. Find one of the best places the state has to offer for retirement.
Why is South Dakota an excellent place to retire? For starters, it has the one of the lowest rents in America. And if you’re an outdoorsman or woman, the rugged terrain of the Black Hills and the Badlands is sure to delight you. Not to mention, you’ll find great fishing at spots like Pactola Lake.
Oh, and, of course, having Mt. Rushmore in your backyard helps get the family to visit and tick a national treasure of their to-see list all at the same time.
How did we develop this list of best places to retire in South Dakota? We started by narrowing our search to 27 cities with a population of at least 2,000. Then we ranked those 27 cities by crime, affordability, weather, median age, and access to activities.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Best Places To Retire In South Dakota For 2025
- Hot Springs
- Lead
- Sisseton
- Flandreau
- Elk Point
- Winner
- Mobridge
- Lennox
- Madison
- Chamberlain
When choosing a great place to retire, you’ll mostly want to stick around South Dakota’s biggest cities. Almost half the cities you’ll see on this are within an hour’s drive of Sioux Falls.
What is the best place to retire in South Dakota? According to the data, Hot Springs is the best place to retire in South Dakota.
Pack up your golf clubs and fishing rods, get ready to fall in love with chislic, and read on to learn the best places in South Dakota for retirement.
Why did Hot Springs take the top spot? And where are Sioux Falls and Aberdeen?
For more South Dakota state reading:
- Best Places To Live In South Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota
- Best Places To Raise A Family In South Dakota
- Best Places To Retire In America
The 10 Best Places To Retire In South Dakota For 2025
/10
Population: 3,506
Median Income: $49,688
Median Home Price: $168,200
Median Rent: $854
Distance to Closest Airport: 154 miles
More on Hot Springs:
/10
Population: 2,997
Median Income: $57,348
Median Home Price: $192,800
Median Rent: $844
Distance to Closest Airport: 167 miles
More on Lead:
/10
Population: 2,593
Median Income: $44,477
Median Home Price: $111,900
Median Rent: $600
Distance to Closest Airport: 158 miles
More on Sisseton:
/10
Population: 2,291
Median Income: $56,458
Median Home Price: $130,800
Median Rent: $689
Distance to Closest Airport: 176 miles
More on Flandreau:
/10
Population: 2,391
Median Income: $83,250
Median Home Price: $228,400
Median Rent: $801
Distance to Closest Airport: 173 miles
More on Elk Point:
/10
Population: 2,900
Median Income: $47,132
Median Home Price: $124,000
Median Rent: $821
Distance to Closest Airport: 334 miles
More on Winner:
/10
Population: 2,928
Median Income: $61,556
Median Home Price: $122,000
Median Rent: $977
Distance to Closest Airport: 191 miles
More on Mobridge:
/10
Population: 2,587
Median Income: $76,477
Median Home Price: $210,800
Median Rent: $925
Distance to Closest Airport: 206 miles
More on Lennox:
/10
Population: 6,158
Median Income: $62,180
Median Home Price: $191,400
Median Rent: $874
Distance to Closest Airport: 200 miles
More on Madison: Data
/10
Population: 2,621
Median Income: $75,000
Median Home Price: $195,300
Median Rent: $682
Distance to Closest Airport: 305 miles
More on Chamberlain:
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Mount Rushmore State for 2025
To create our ranking of the best places in South Dakota to retire, we used Saturday Night Science. We analyzed Census data to find all places in the Mount Rushmore State — 381 cities and towns.
We then narrowed it down to places with at least 2,000 people that weren’t townships. This left us with 27 places from across the state.
For these 27, we looked at the following criteria taken from the Census, the FBI’s Crime Report, National Weather Service, and OpenFlights:
- Low cost of living as measured by rent
- Low crime
- Things to do (Museums, Colleges, and Libraries in town)
- Nice weather
- Distance to the closest international airport
- Other retirees (High median age)
We then ranked each of these places for each criterion from one to 27, with the lowest number being the best.
Finally, we took the average rank across these criteria. The place, in this case Hot Springs, with the lowest average rank, was crowned the best of the best, a place for you to start your second career.
The report has been updated for 2025. This list reflects our tenth time ranking the best places to retire in South Dakota.
Summary: Maybe You’re Not Ready To Retire In South Dakota Yet…
So there you have it, the best place to retire in South Dakota goes to Hot Springs.
The best places to retire in South Dakota are Hot Springs, Lead, Sisseton, Flandreau, Elk Point, Winner, Mobridge, Lennox, Madison, and Chamberlain.
If you’re not ready to hang up your office apparel yet, then these places might be up your alley:
- Sioux Falls
- Box Elder
- Tea
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
Best Places To Retire In South Dakota
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Median Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot Springs | 3,506 | $49,688 | $168,200 | $854 |
| 2 | Lead | 2,997 | $57,348 | $192,800 | $844 |
| 3 | Sisseton | 2,593 | $44,477 | $111,900 | $600 |
| 4 | Flandreau | 2,291 | $56,458 | $130,800 | $689 |
| 5 | Elk Point | 2,391 | $83,250 | $228,400 | $801 |
| 6 | Winner | 2,900 | $47,132 | $124,000 | $821 |
| 7 | Mobridge | 2,928 | $61,556 | $122,000 | $977 |
| 8 | Lennox | 2,587 | $76,477 | $210,800 | $925 |
| 9 | Madison | 6,158 | $62,180 | $191,400 | $874 |
| 10 | Chamberlain | 2,621 | $75,000 | $195,300 | $682 |