Brandon, Tea, Hartford: These cities aren’t just some of the best places to live in South Dakota. They are also home to some of the richest people in the Mount Rushmore State.
Brandon in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $104,806 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 2.612587923632045%.
If you’re thinking of moving to one of these towns, you’ll probably need to start saving. The richest places in South Dakota share common characteristics such as having a genius level populous, sky high home prices, and a Pleasantville level of married couples.
How did we come up with these mega wealthy cities? We analyzed Census data from the 2019-2023 American Community Survey for the 24 places in South Dakota with more than 3,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Richest Places In South Dakota For 2025
For more on how we calculated the top ten, read on or skip to the end for the full list of the richest cities in South Dakota.
Rich people not your cup of tea? Feel free to check out some more reading about South Dakota:
The 10 Richest Cities In South Dakota For 2025
1. Brandon
/10
Population: 10,996
Median Income: $104,806
Median Home Values: $390,595
More on Brandon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
2. Tea
/10
Population: 6,339
Median Income: $104,643
Median Home Values: $372,874
More on Tea: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
3. Hartford
/10
Population: 3,412
Median Income: $95,426
Median Home Values: $392,900
More on Hartford: Data
4. North Sioux City
/10
Population: 3,018
Median Income: $76,481
Median Home Values: $420,733
More on North Sioux City: Crime
5. Harrisburg
/10
Population: 7,790
Median Income: $101,534
Median Home Values: $358,665
More on Harrisburg: Data | Cost Of Living
6. Dell Rapids
/10
Population: 3,947
Median Income: $101,250
Median Home Values: $356,268
More on Dell Rapids: Data
7. Box Elder
/10
Population: 12,457
Median Income: $73,698
Median Home Values: $356,582
More on Box Elder: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
8. Spearfish
/10
Population: 12,551
Median Income: $59,731
Median Home Values: $457,534
More on Spearfish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
9. Rapid City
/10
Population: 76,836
Median Income: $65,712
Median Home Values: $358,222
More on Rapid City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
10. Sioux Falls
/10
Population: 197,642
Median Income: $74,714
Median Home Values: $329,892
More on Sioux Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In South Dakota For 2025
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the richest places is simply identifying personal incomes. After all, rich people have really high salaries.
However, we don’t believe that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “richest places.” So we looked at this set of criteria from the newly released 2019-2023 American Community Survey and applied Saturday Night Science:
- Median Home Values
- Median Household Income
Median household income is the most digestible way to understand how rich a place is. And home values are a measure of wealth. The two combine to define a “Rich City.”
After we collected the data for all 24 places with more than 3,000 people in South Dakota, we ranked each place from 1 to 24 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the richest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Rich Score,” with the place having the lowest overall Rich Score, Brandon, crowned the “Richest City In South Dakota For 2025.”
The data has been updated for 2025. This is our tenth time ranking the wealthiest cities in South Dakota.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 24 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In South Dakota For 2025
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the richest places in South Dakota, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in South Dakota.
The richest cities in South Dakota are Brandon, Tea, Hartford, North Sioux City, Harrisburg, Dell Rapids, Box Elder, Spearfish, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very top of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the poorest cities in South Dakota, according to data:
Poorest: Huron
2nd Poorest: Milbank
3rd Poorest: Mitchell
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Worst Places To Live In South Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota
- Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In South Dakota
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brandon | 2.5 | $104,806 | $390,595 |
| 2 | Tea | 3.5 | $104,643 | $372,874 |
| 3 | Hartford | 4.0 | $95,426 | $392,900 |
| 4 | North Sioux City | 4.0 | $76,481 | $420,733 |
| 5 | Harrisburg | 5.0 | $101,534 | $358,665 |
| 6 | Dell Rapids | 7.0 | $101,250 | $356,268 |
| 7 | Box Elder | 9.0 | $73,698 | $356,582 |
| 8 | Spearfish | 9.5 | $59,731 | $457,534 |
| 9 | Rapid City | 9.5 | $65,712 | $358,222 |
| 10 | Sioux Falls | 9.5 | $74,714 | $329,892 |
| 11 | Pierre | 12.5 | $74,053 | $296,112 |
| 12 | Watertown | 14.0 | $62,721 | $311,477 |
| 13 | Yankton | 14.0 | $69,071 | $270,684 |
| 14 | Canton | 14.0 | $65,500 | $297,091 |
| 15 | Sturgis | 14.5 | $51,101 | $371,375 |
| 16 | Belle Fourche | 15.0 | $59,920 | $328,084 |
| 17 | Brookings | 15.5 | $61,979 | $311,283 |
| 18 | Madison | 17.5 | $62,180 | $259,961 |
| 19 | Hot Springs | 17.5 | $49,688 | $342,110 |
| 20 | Aberdeen | 17.5 | $63,715 | $237,439 |
| 21 | Vermillion | 20.0 | $52,815 | $269,697 |
| 22 | Mitchell | 20.5 | $56,374 | $253,977 |
| 23 | Milbank | 21.0 | $58,462 | $230,137 |
| 24 | Huron | 23.0 | $51,556 | $172,719 |