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 2026
- Hot Springs
- Lead
- Sisseton
- Elk Point
- Flandreau
- Lennox
- Winner
- Mobridge
- Spearfish
- 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 2026
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Population: 3,006
Median Income: $73,047
Median Home Price: $380,311
Median Rent: $835
Distance to Closest Airport: 167 miles
More on Lead: Crime | Movers
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Population: 2,670
Median Income: $48,875
Median Home Price: $134,547
Median Rent: $596
Distance to Closest Airport: 158 miles
More on Sisseton: Crime | Movers
/10
Population: 2,537
Median Income: $90,473
Median Home Price: $286,243
Median Rent: $0
Distance to Closest Airport: 173 miles
More on Elk Point: Movers
/10
Population: 2,392
Median Income: $49,157
Median Home Price: $215,380
Median Rent: $763
Distance to Closest Airport: 176 miles
More on Flandreau: Crime | Movers
/10
Population: 2,468
Median Income: $81,761
Median Home Price: $319,061
Median Rent: $745
Distance to Closest Airport: 206 miles
More on Lennox: Crime | Movers
/10
Population: 2,905
Median Income: $47,381
Median Home Price: $184,894
Median Rent: $770
Distance to Closest Airport: 334 miles
More on Winner: Crime | Movers
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Population: 12,930
Median Income: $65,688
Median Home Price: $456,936
Median Rent: $963
Distance to Closest Airport: 171 miles
More on Spearfish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 2,588
Median Income: $76,761
Median Home Price: $249,198
Median Rent: $818
Distance to Closest Airport: 305 miles
More on Chamberlain: Crime | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Places To Retire In the Mount Rushmore State for 2026
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 2026. This list reflects our eleventh 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, Elk Point, Flandreau, Lennox, Winner, Mobridge, Spearfish, 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 | 3,548 | $66,338 | $335,477 | $897 |
| 2 | Lead | 3,006 | $73,047 | $380,311 | $835 |
| 3 | Sisseton | 2,670 | $48,875 | $134,547 | $596 |
| 4 | Elk Point | 2,537 | $90,473 | $286,243 | $0 |
| 5 | Flandreau | 2,392 | $49,157 | $215,380 | $763 |
| 6 | Lennox | 2,468 | $81,761 | $319,061 | $745 |
| 7 | Winner | 2,905 | $47,381 | $184,894 | $770 |
| 8 | Mobridge | 2,932 | $65,357 | $131,287 | $953 |
| 9 | Spearfish | 12,930 | $65,688 | $456,936 | $963 |
| 10 | Chamberlain | 2,588 | $76,761 | $249,198 | $818 |