You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in South Dakota.
The median household income in Lincoln County, the richest county in South Dakota is $99,166, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 65 counties in the Mount Rushmore State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in South Dakota? The richest county in South Dakota is Lincoln County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Todd County, according to the Census data.
$99,166 median income · $378,566 median home price
$84,112 median income · $507,260 median home price
$89,636 median income · $353,490 median home price
$87,101 median income · $329,796 median home price
$87,712 median income · $312,917 median home price
$83,112 median income · $312,820 median home price
$83,852 median income · $287,316 median home price
$74,790 median income · $394,532 median home price
$76,880 median income · $323,682 median home price
$75,652 median income · $355,827 median home price
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
On the map
Where South Dakota’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which South Dakota county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in South Dakota, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. 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 the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in South Dakota for each of the criteria from one to 65, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In South Dakota.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Mount Rushmore State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in South Dakota. The median South Dakota home is 42 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In South Dakota
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincoln County | 70,638 | $99,166 | $378,566 |
| 2 | Custer County | 8,892 | $84,112 | $507,260 |
| 3 | Union County | 17,081 | $89,636 | $353,490 |
| 4 | Hamlin County | 6,373 | $87,101 | $329,796 |
| 5 | Stanley County | 3,015 | $87,712 | $312,917 |
| 6 | Deuel County | 4,328 | $83,112 | $312,820 |
| 7 | McCook County | 5,751 | $83,852 | $287,316 |
| 7 | Meade County | 30,546 | $74,790 | $394,532 |
| 9 | Minnehaha County | 203,289 | $76,880 | $323,682 |
| 9 | Butte County | 10,676 | $75,652 | $355,827 |
| 11 | Hughes County | 17,664 | $81,395 | $289,411 |
| 12 | Pennington County | 113,512 | $74,517 | $362,723 |
| 13 | Moody County | 6,397 | $78,427 | $293,836 |
| 14 | Lake County | 10,972 | $76,808 | $306,912 |
| 15 | Lawrence County | 27,233 | $73,384 | $449,279 |
| 16 | Harding County | 1,148 | $80,441 | $275,936 |
| 16 | Turner County | 8,882 | $75,771 | $297,529 |
| 18 | Codington County | 28,767 | $72,727 | $335,019 |
| 19 | Hanson County | 3,472 | $81,071 | $235,582 |
| 19 | Sanborn County | 2,384 | $78,750 | $238,879 |
| 21 | Edmunds County | 4,048 | $81,630 | $223,899 |
| 21 | Hand County | 3,140 | $74,635 | $256,242 |
| 23 | Marshall County | 4,344 | $78,156 | $234,505 |
| 23 | Douglas County | 2,828 | $86,442 | $205,641 |
| 25 | Kingsbury County | 5,244 | $74,000 | $252,217 |
| 26 | Brookings County | 35,353 | $70,064 | $312,526 |
| 27 | Sully County | 1,526 | $72,578 | $278,457 |
| 27 | Yankton County | 23,414 | $72,821 | $274,934 |
| 29 | Grant County | 7,563 | $75,028 | $233,712 |
| 30 | Brule County | 5,283 | $73,720 | $246,697 |
| 30 | Jerauld County | 1,772 | $73,750 | $242,971 |
| 32 | Fall River County | 7,258 | $67,917 | $273,966 |
| 33 | Miner County | 2,300 | $76,140 | $193,715 |
| 34 | Hutchinson County | 7,404 | $73,977 | $217,198 |
| 35 | Brown County | 37,877 | $70,898 | $238,215 |
| 36 | Hyde County | 1,191 | $73,472 | $223,753 |
| 37 | Potter County | 2,388 | $72,045 | $232,681 |
| 38 | Charles Mix County | 9,281 | $64,038 | $280,406 |
| 39 | Davison County | 19,952 | $66,208 | $246,851 |
| 39 | Day County | 5,437 | $66,033 | $251,188 |
| 41 | Clay County | 15,219 | $56,850 | $284,411 |
| 42 | Clark County | 3,917 | $70,726 | $206,810 |
| 42 | Aurora County | 2,642 | $72,885 | $187,159 |
| 44 | Campbell County | 1,593 | $68,929 | $209,028 |
| 45 | Roberts County | 10,221 | $65,130 | $227,173 |
| 46 | Lyman County | 3,724 | $67,143 | $204,286 |
| 47 | Beadle County | 19,309 | $67,681 | $184,430 |
| 48 | Haakon County | 1,722 | $65,625 | $202,314 |
| 49 | Spink County | 6,219 | $70,139 | $169,579 |
| 50 | Perkins County | 3,001 | $66,908 | $175,637 |
| 51 | Bennett County | 3,345 | $53,750 | $224,609 |
| 52 | Tripp County | 5,611 | $58,987 | $199,702 |
| 53 | Jones County | 1,004 | $65,119 | $172,004 |
| 53 | Bon Homme County | 7,044 | $64,435 | $172,895 |
| 55 | Faulk County | 2,126 | $57,750 | $181,738 |
| 55 | McPherson County | 2,145 | $66,906 | $105,470 |
| 57 | Gregory County | 4,016 | $62,917 | $172,374 |
| 58 | Walworth County | 5,271 | $65,026 | $134,456 |
| 59 | Corson County | 3,806 | $46,406 | $175,444 |
| 60 | Ziebach County | 2,377 | $53,958 | $122,719 |
| 60 | Buffalo County | 1,808 | $47,045 | $145,144 |
| 62 | Dewey County | 5,205 | $54,104 | $85,756 |
| 62 | Mellette County | 1,943 | $54,076 | $103,621 |
| 64 | Jackson County | 2,802 | $35,417 | $158,433 |
| 65 | Todd County | 9,244 | $42,075 | $66,411 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 65 South Dakota counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In South Dakota For 2026
Living in South Dakota can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in South Dakota are Lincoln County, Custer County, Union County, Hamlin County, Stanley County, Deuel County, McCook County, Meade County, Minnehaha County, and Butte County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on South Dakota? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In South Dakota FAQs
What is the richest county in South Dakota?
Lincoln County is the richest county in South Dakota for 2026, with a median household income of $99,166. Custer County and Union County are next.
What are the richest counties in South Dakota?
The richest counties in South Dakota are Lincoln County, Custer County, Union County, Hamlin County, Stanley County, Deuel County, McCook County, Meade County, Minnehaha County, and Butte County. We ranked all 65 South Dakota counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in Lincoln County?
The median household in Lincoln County earns $99,166 a year, against a South Dakota statewide median of $75,081. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of South Dakota?
The median home across the ten richest South Dakota counties is $341,643, versus $317,148 statewide. In Lincoln County, the typical home runs $378,566.
What is the poorest county in South Dakota?
Todd County is the poorest county in South Dakota by this ranking, coming in last of the 65 counties we scored on income and home prices.
