The 10 Safest Cities In South Dakota For 2023

The safest cities in South Dakota are Brandon and Mobridge for 2023.

Several new cities moved into the safest places to call home in South Dakota for 2023.

Each year, we analyze the safest places to live in South Dakota, taking into account violent and property crimes per capita from the FBI's data. While your safety is secure in most of South Dakota's towns, property crime is quite prevalent. We suggest that you check out the most dangerous places in The Mount Rushmore State after you check out the safes.

But what's unsurprising is that South Dakota has super safe, cool places to live for every stage of life. For instance, North Sioux City is one of the safest places for college students, Vermillion is safe for singles, and don't overlook Brookings for professionals.

It's not lost on us, either, that some of South Dakota's safest are also some of their wealthiest. Having proper safety measures in place does require extra funds. And if a couple of extra dollars on your property tax means you can sleep well at night, it's worth it.

Want to know more about our methodology and where the safest places in South Dakota are located? Keep reading.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | References

Here are the 10 safest cities to live in South Dakota for 2023:

  1. Brandon (Homes For Sale)
  2. Mobridge (Homes For Sale)
  3. Madison (Homes For Sale)
  4. Belle Fourche (Homes For Sale)
  5. Lennox (Homes For Sale)
  6. Hot Springs (Homes For Sale)
  7. Brookings (Homes For Sale)
  8. Beresford (Homes For Sale)
  9. Tea (Homes For Sale)
  10. Summerset (Homes For Sale)

What city is the safest place to live in South Dakota for 2023? According to the most recent FBI data, Brandon is the safest place to live in The Mt. Rushmore State.

Check out the rest of the safe South Dakota cities. And if you don't find your favorite there, head to the bottom to see how your city ranked.

For more reading on safe places to live in and around South Dakota, check out:

The 10 Safest Cities In South Dakota For 2023

Brandon, SD
Source: Wikipedia User TCN7JM | CC BY-SA 4.0

Population: 10,914
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 54 (second safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 613 (fourth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Brandon: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Welcome to Brandon, our number one safest city in South Dakota. It's so safe in this Sioux Falls-burb, that the wolves, coyotes, and bears are always howling and growling at the residents reminding them to get home before dark. Thanks furry friends!

Nestled along the Big Sioux River in the southeast corner of South Dakota's western border, Brandon offers a safe environment with small town charm that packs a big punch. Not literally, of course. No fighting happens here; that wouldn't be safe. Not to mention, there are a lot of hunters, here, if ya know what we mean.

With a little over 10,000 residents, the superb quality of life in this little village in Minnehahah County is the reason that it is our number one safest city in South Dakota for 2023. Yes, Brandon, you truly are "Building a Better Life".

Mobridge, SD
Source: Wikipedia User Eric Friedebach | CC BY 3.0

Population: 3,154
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 126 (fifth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 634 (fifth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Mobridge: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Mobridge is a town of 3,154 with some awe-inspiring crime statistics. Like having the fifth safest lowest property crime in South Dakota.

You know a place is extra safe when, on average, fewer than one crime is committed each week. We wonder if the local police are bored with such meager criminal activity. You can stay out as late as you want at the family-friendly Mobridge without fear of an attack or theft. That's because there were only 4 violent crimes committed here over the past year.

Mobridge, rich in Native American heritage and closeto the Missouri River, stands as bridge between your next place to live and safety.

Madison, SD
Source: Public domain

Population: 5,967
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 134 (sixth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 670 (sixth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Madison: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Plug in the flashing lights and slap a fluorescent orange safety jacket on this little city in southeastern Lake County and call them safe.

Our third safest city in South Dakota, Madison, is known for its scenic location, low taxes, and educational opportunities. after all, it is the home to the Dakota State Trojans. Now if "Trojans" doesn't scream safe, we give up.

This little gem of a city in the Mount Rushmore State is a family friendly, safe Sioux City-burb nestled between Madison Lake and Lake Herman. It boasts convenient restaurants and stores and an occasional rodeo or two. It's a great place to raise a family. Word on the street is that young professionals are starting to take notice and move their direction. So don't wait, because the word is out.

And if you love winter, you can get snow here as early as July. To best be safe, make sure you get the best snow tires, winter boots, and fleece jacket, because you're gonna need 'em.

Belle Fourche, SD
Source: Wikipedia User Bradleygee | CC BY-SA 2.0

Population: 5,799
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 120 (fourth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,276 (ninth safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Belle Fourche: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

You might think of New York City as the center of everything. Culturally, maybe. But geographically? That's actually Belle Fourche, South Dakota. The town sits near the geographic center of the U.S. Belle Fourche has another distinction as well: it represents the number 4 safest location in the state for 2023.

The community saw just 74 property crimes and 7 violent crimes during a year. This gives the area a total crime rate of 1,396/100k people.

Located in the far western part of the state, near the historic town of Deadwood, Belle Fourche gets its name from a French phrase meaning "beautiful fork." Early French explorers were describing the intersection of the Redwater River and a local creek. Later, the town became an important railroad stop for the cattle industry. Nowadays, the area has a median income of $46151 and an unemployment rate of 14.38.

5. Lennox
Lennox, SD
Source: Wikipedia User Jon Platek | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 2,520
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 238 (11th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 476 (third safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Lennox: Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Where South Dakota State Road 44 meets South Dakota State Road 17 is Lennox. This town, where the only crimes might be a flannel or Carhart fashion faux pas, is our fifth safest city in South Dakota.

This SoDak town is also known for its safe, family-friendly atmosphere. There is a ton of stuff to do in this little town with only 2,520 residents in the middle of nowhere, Lincoln County.

Lennox is where one can safely cruise the roads on tractors, horses, and bicycles. It's also the kind of place where packages from Amazon won't get stolen from your front porch.

Hot Springs, SD
Source: Wikipedia User devriesm | CC BY 2.0

Population: 3,605
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 277 (15th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 166 (second safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Hot Springs: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Located in the southwestern part of the state, Hot Springs is the sixth safest city in South Dakota, owing to an especially low rate of property crime. Hot Springs has about half as much property crime as the national average, with less than one property crime a week on average.

In other words, it's unlikely that someone's going to make off with some Ice Age-era mammoth bones from The Mammoth Site. Hot Springs also received high marks on our snackability scales for jobs, education, and affordability, so you get more than just safety here.

Brookings, SD
Source: Wikipedia User Jon Platek | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 23,725
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 177 (eighth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,310 (11th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Brookings: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Next up is Green River. This little piece of heaven in the 697 scored an 8.5/10 on our snackability chart to become our seventh safest city in South Dakota.

Home to the second largest city in South Dakota, this is the place to be. There are a boatload of things to do and the residents have the money to safely enjoy life in the "Scoreboard Town." They have the state's Children's Museum, the Brookings Summer Arts Festival, and it is the home to a multiple manufacturing and agricultural companies. So it's not surprising that Brookings received an 8/10 job score and an 8.5/10 amenities score. Nice work Brookings!

Whether the residents are tailgating at the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits, sharing a beer at the Brookings Blizzard game, or sipping coffee at the local coffee shop, nothing says safe like a community that creates opportunities to get to know anything and everything about each other. Just make sure you take the trash out in proper attire because someone is always watching and you wouldn't want to become the talk of Sweetwater County.

8. Beresford
Beresford, SD
Source: Wikipedia User Jon Platek | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 2,112
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 94 (third safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,609 (17th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Beresford: Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

South of Sioux Falls, off of I29, you'll find Beresford the eighth safest place in South Dakota for 2023.

It's hard to find a place less violent or more different than the TV version of Fargo, considering Beresford recorded 2 violent crimes in the last reporting year.

On top of that, Beresford had the 17th safest lowest property crime rate in South Dakota. In other words, there's a better chance of a stray pheasant hunter breaking your window than a burglar.

Population: 6,894
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 203 (ninth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,392 (12th safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Tea: Data | Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
9
/10

A southeastern suburb of Sioux Falls, Tea ranks as the ninth safest city in South Dakota. Tea had only eight violent crimes in 2022, giving the city the ninth safest lowest rate in the state. Just be careful not to get poked in the eye while bird-watching at Waterfowl Park.

On top of being super safe, Tea also received a 9.5/10 on our overall snackability scale, meaning it's an awesome place to call home overall. In fact, Tea ranked as the second best place to live and the sixth best place to raise a family in South Dakota on our other lists.

10. Summerset

Population: 2,769
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 36 (safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 2,094 (22nd safest)
Murders: 0
Murders Per 100k: 0
More on Summerset: Crime | Real Estate

Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

In Summerset they love their wide open spaces, their parks, their super safe neighborhoods, and they take pride in their South Dakota roots. The only crimes committed, here, are the occasional beer drinking in the Black Hills.

This western Meade County city is our tenth safest city. It's a place where work and play meet at the foothills of Mount Rushmore. Summerset's small town charm delivers big opportunities to all that are searching for a safe, not scary, place to call home. Heck, they scored and 8/10 in safety on our snackability scale.

The residents in Summerset look out for each other. It's evident in their gold star qualities like the non-existent number of crimes last year, their large number of educated residents, and just their overall safety standards. They are going to keep you safe and alive in the 605.

Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in South Dakota for 2023

Safest Cities in South Dakota Graph

While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in South Dakota are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in South Dakota.

Specifically, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:

  • Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
  • Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)

For example, there were 73 crimes committed in Brandon, with a reported population of 10,914. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0067, which translates into a 1 in 149 chance of being the victim of a crime.

We only looked at South Dakota cities that have populations of more than 2,000. This filter left us with 29 of the biggest cities in South Dakota to rank.

We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 29 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.

Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score, "The Safest Place In South Dakota," with any ties going to the bigger city.

The safest city in South Dakota, based on our criteria, is Brandon. The most dangerous city in South Dakota? Rapid City, where residents had a 1 in 23 chance of being the victim of a crime.

This article has been update for 2023. This report marks our tenth time ranking the safest places to live in South Dakota. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2022 report.

Worst Places To Live In South Dakota

Summary: The Safest Cities In The Mount Rushmore State

Looking at the data, you can tell that Brandon is as safe as they come in South Dakota, according to science and data.

But as most South Dakota residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.

Here's a look at the most dangerous cities in South Dakota according to the data:

  1. Rapid City
  2. Sioux Falls
  3. Chamberlain
For more reading, check out:

Where Are The 10 Safest Cities In South Dakota For 2023?

Rank City Population Violent Crimes Per 100k Property Crimes Per 100k Murders Per 100k Murders
1 Brandon, SD 10,914 54 613 0 0
2 Mobridge, SD 3,154 126 634 0 0
3 Madison, SD 5,967 134 670 0 0
4 Belle Fourche, SD 5,799 120 1,276 0 0
5 Lennox, SD 2,520 238 476 0 0
6 Hot Springs, SD 3,605 277 166 0 0
7 Brookings, SD 23,725 177 1,310 0 0
8 Beresford, SD 2,112 94 1,609 0 0
9 Tea, SD 6,894 203 1,392 0 0
10 Summerset, SD 2,769 36 2,094 0 0
11 Watertown, SD 22,832 218 1,559 0 0
12 Vermillion, SD 11,088 153 1,614 0 0
13 Sisseton, SD 2,389 418 83 0 0
14 Huron, SD 13,504 355 1,251 0 0
15 Canton, SD 3,033 395 1,121 0 0
16 Flandreau, SD 2,338 256 1,454 0 0
17 Lead, SD 2,929 375 1,297 0 0
18 Winner, SD 2,773 252 1,622 0 0
19 Aberdeen, SD 28,206 365 1,563 0 0
20 Spearfish, SD 12,517 247 2,364 7 1
21 Box Elder, SD 12,710 401 1,447 7 1
22 North Sioux City, SD 2,987 301 1,707 0 0
23 Mitchell, SD 15,579 327 2,484 0 0
24 Yankton, SD 15,507 399 2,592 6 1
25 Pierre, SD 13,977 493 1,774 7 1
26 Sturgis, SD 7,121 435 2,626 0 0
27 Chamberlain, SD 2,451 489 3,182 0 0
28 Sioux Falls, SD 199,879 546 3,082 3 7
29 Rapid City, SD 78,063 681 3,585 6 5

Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota

Safest Cities in South Dakota Breakdown

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn.

Safest Cities By State

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