You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in South Dakota. Best suburbs in South Dakota. Best counties in South Dakota.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Mount Rushmore State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in South Dakota based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in South Dakota ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
$136,125 median income · 3.4% unemployment
$78,828 median income · 1.4% unemployment
$98,984 median income · 1.4% unemployment
$100,170 median income · 0.3% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$99,893 median income · 0.9% unemployment
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,768 median income · 2.7% unemployment
$95,952 median income · 3.3% unemployment
$89,861 median income · 1.1% unemployment
$57,500 median income · 0.0% unemployment
$72,700 median income · 1.0% unemployment
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is South Dakota’s statewide median.
South Dakota statewide median: $75,081
South Dakota statewide median: $317,148
South Dakota statewide median: 2.9%
On the map
Where South Dakota’s best small towns are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In South Dakota
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in South Dakota possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 55 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 55, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in South Dakota. Top of that list — Dakota Dunes.
This is our eleventh time ranking the best small places to live in South Dakota.
The full plate
Best Small Towns In South Dakota
Click any column to sort. Search by town name.
| Rank | Town | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakota Dunes | 3,936 | $136,125 | $696,888 | 3.4% |
| 2 | Volga | 2,408 | $78,828 | $331,303 | 1.4% |
| 3 | Crooks | 1,268 | $98,984 | $362,304 | 1.4% |
| 4 | Dell Rapids | 3,905 | $100,170 | $362,131 | 0.3% |
| 5 | Hartford | 3,478 | $99,893 | $398,160 | 0.9% |
| 6 | Baltic | 1,502 | $107,768 | $362,919 | 2.7% |
| 7 | Aurora | 1,444 | $95,952 | $293,470 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Groton | 1,691 | $89,861 | $243,092 | 1.1% |
| 9 | Miller | 1,363 | $57,500 | $184,473 | 0.0% |
| 10 | Platte | 1,161 | $72,700 | $334,625 | 1.0% |
| 11 | Worthing | 1,036 | $93,162 | $302,916 | 1.0% |
| 12 | Milbank | 3,525 | $56,011 | $228,297 | 1.4% |
| 13 | Summerset | 3,022 | $119,271 | $424,113 | 2.2% |
| 14 | Lead | 3,006 | $73,047 | $380,311 | 0.0% |
| 15 | North Spearfish | 1,858 | $76,809 | $438,882 | 0.0% |
| 16 | Elk Point | 2,537 | $90,473 | $286,244 | 3.0% |
| 17 | Lennox | 2,468 | $81,761 | $319,062 | 1.0% |
| 18 | Beresford | 2,360 | $78,793 | $323,488 | 1.8% |
| 19 | Fort Pierre | 2,410 | $70,357 | $310,747 | 0.6% |
| 20 | Gettysburg | 1,260 | $63,929 | $150,775 | 2.0% |
| 21 | Redfield | 1,989 | $58,229 | $163,274 | 2.2% |
| 22 | Parkston | 1,874 | $70,139 | $233,368 | 3.3% |
| 23 | Ipswich | 1,048 | $74,167 | $202,930 | 0.0% |
| 24 | Mobridge | 2,932 | $65,357 | $131,288 | 0.9% |
| 25 | North Sioux City | 3,045 | $71,908 | $418,356 | 5.1% |
| 26 | Colonial Pine Hills | 2,609 | $98,696 | $500,858 | 8.7% |
| 27 | Hot Springs | 3,548 | $66,338 | $335,477 | 1.8% |
| 28 | Salem | 1,216 | $74,881 | $247,263 | 0.8% |
| 29 | Chamberlain | 2,588 | $76,761 | $249,198 | 3.2% |
| 30 | Garretson | 1,176 | $59,741 | $278,037 | 6.4% |
| 31 | Parker | 1,280 | $89,676 | $338,123 | 2.8% |
| 32 | Custer | 2,341 | $78,369 | $477,165 | 4.0% |
| 33 | Webster | 1,896 | $55,179 | $217,071 | 0.7% |
| 34 | Clear Lake | 1,327 | $84,792 | $200,220 | 3.8% |
| 35 | Freeman | 1,565 | $57,440 | $242,633 | 2.5% |
| 36 | Tyndall | 1,183 | $50,481 | $125,060 | 3.1% |
| 37 | Springfield | 2,038 | $55,714 | $194,310 | 5.9% |
| 38 | Deadwood | 1,209 | $40,179 | $455,439 | 5.4% |
| 39 | Green Valley | 1,642 | $81,582 | $345,364 | 5.5% |
| 40 | Flandreau | 2,392 | $49,157 | $215,380 | 4.9% |
| 41 | Canton | 3,033 | $60,850 | $301,866 | 5.4% |
| 42 | Blackhawk | 2,934 | $71,993 | $333,612 | 6.7% |
| 43 | Gregory | 1,379 | $51,450 | $142,064 | 2.9% |
| 44 | Lemmon | 1,208 | $50,147 | $125,967 | 5.1% |
| 45 | Sisseton | 2,670 | $48,875 | $134,548 | 6.1% |
| 46 | Winner | 2,905 | $47,381 | $184,895 | 2.8% |
| 47 | Clark | 1,359 | $58,750 | $190,981 | 7.1% |
| 48 | Wagner | 1,529 | $47,462 | $167,569 | 8.0% |
| 49 | Pine Ridge | 2,246 | $53,060 | $0 | 7.9% |
| 50 | Eagle Butte | 1,458 | $45,741 | $81,197 | 24.7% |
| 51 | Ashland Heights | 1,105 | $57,353 | $270,574 | 26.0% |
| 52 | Rosebud | 1,659 | $55,135 | $100,172 | 16.3% |
| 53 | Fort Thompson | 1,147 | $47,159 | $184,818 | 10.5% |
| 54 | North Eagle Butte | 1,481 | $34,358 | $40,783 | 27.5% |
| 55 | Oglala | 1,071 | $21,330 | $0 | 26.5% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024 via Saturday Night Science. 55 South Dakota towns between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these small towns in South Dakota are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in South Dakota are Dakota Dunes, Volga, Crooks, Dell Rapids, Hartford, Baltic, Aurora, Groton, Miller, and Platte. Not sold on South Dakota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Small Towns In South Dakota FAQs
What is the best small town to live in South Dakota?
Dakota Dunes is the best small town in South Dakota for 2026. The median household income there is $136,125 and the median home costs $696,888. Volga and Crooks round out the top three.
What are the best small towns in South Dakota?
The best small towns in South Dakota are Dakota Dunes, Volga, Crooks, Dell Rapids, Hartford, Baltic, Aurora, Groton, Miller, and Platte. We ranked all 55 South Dakota towns with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents.
What counts as a small town?
For this ranking, a small town is any South Dakota place with between 1,000 and 5,000 residents. 55 towns fit that window this year.
How do you rank the best small towns in South Dakota?
Each town is scored on density, unemployment, housing costs, income, education, insurance coverage, and commute times, using Census American Community Survey data. The town with the best average across all of it, Dakota Dunes, takes the top spot.
How much does a home cost in Dakota Dunes?
The median home in Dakota Dunes runs $696,888, against $317,148 across South Dakota as a whole. Pair that with a $136,125 median household income, and you can see why it ranks so well.
