Summerset, Tea, Brandon: 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.
Summerset in particular houses the richest residents in the state thanks, in part, to a median household income of $119,271 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 8.636664460622105%.
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 2020-2024 American Community Survey for the 26 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 2026
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 2026
1. Summerset
/10
Population: 3,022
Median Income: $119,271
Median Home Values: $424,113
More on Summerset: Crime | Movers
2. Tea
/10
Population: 6,786
Median Income: $120,139
Median Home Values: $381,055
More on Tea: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
3. Brandon
/10
Population: 10,996
Median Income: $110,806
Median Home Values: $387,889
More on Brandon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
4. Hartford
/10
Population: 3,478
Median Income: $99,893
Median Home Values: $398,159
More on Hartford: Data | Movers
5. North Sioux City
/10
Population: 3,045
Median Income: $71,908
Median Home Values: $418,355
More on North Sioux City: Crime | Movers
6. Dell Rapids
/10
Population: 3,905
Median Income: $100,170
Median Home Values: $362,131
More on Dell Rapids: Data | Movers
7. Harrisburg
/10
Population: 8,519
Median Income: $108,724
Median Home Values: $359,382
More on Harrisburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
8. Lead
/10
Population: 3,006
Median Income: $73,047
Median Home Values: $380,311
More on Lead: Crime | Movers
9. Spearfish
/10
Population: 12,930
Median Income: $65,688
Median Home Values: $456,936
More on Spearfish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
10. Box Elder
/10
Population: 12,902
Median Income: $73,008
Median Home Values: $367,456
More on Box Elder: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In South Dakota For 2026
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 2020-2024 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 26 places with more than 3,000 people in South Dakota, we ranked each place from 1 to 26 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, Summerset, crowned the “Richest City In South Dakota For 2026.”
The data has been updated for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the wealthiest cities in South Dakota.
You can skip to the end to see the rankings for all 26 places.
Summary: The Wealthiest Places In South Dakota For 2026
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 Summerset, Tea, Brandon, Hartford, North Sioux City, Dell Rapids, Harrisburg, Lead, Spearfish, and Box Elder.
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: Milbank
2nd Poorest: Huron
3rd Poorest: Vermillion
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota
- Worst Places To Live In South Dakota
- Best Places To Live In South Dakota
Detailed List Of The Richest Cities In South Dakota
| Rank | City | RichScore | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Summerset | 2.0 | $119,271 | $424,113 |
| 2 | Tea | 3.5 | $120,139 | $381,055 |
| 3 | Brandon | 4.0 | $110,806 | $387,889 |
| 4 | Hartford | 5.0 | $99,893 | $398,159 |
| 5 | North Sioux City | 7.0 | $71,908 | $418,355 |
| 6 | Dell Rapids | 7.5 | $100,170 | $362,131 |
| 7 | Harrisburg | 8.0 | $108,724 | $359,382 |
| 8 | Lead | 8.0 | $73,047 | $380,311 |
| 9 | Spearfish | 8.5 | $65,688 | $456,936 |
| 10 | Box Elder | 9.5 | $73,008 | $367,456 |
| 11 | Rapid City | 11.5 | $70,870 | $361,495 |
| 12 | Sioux Falls | 11.5 | $75,970 | $329,722 |
| 13 | Pierre | 13.0 | $77,672 | $293,979 |
| 14 | Hot Springs | 14.0 | $66,338 | $335,477 |
| 15 | Watertown | 15.0 | $69,600 | $304,838 |
| 16 | Belle Fourche | 16.0 | $65,071 | $334,319 |
| 17 | Sturgis | 16.5 | $54,404 | $370,733 |
| 18 | Yankton | 17.5 | $67,804 | $270,786 |
| 19 | Brookings | 18.0 | $63,493 | $312,177 |
| 20 | Madison | 19.5 | $65,593 | $263,104 |
| 21 | Canton | 20.0 | $60,850 | $301,866 |
| 22 | Aberdeen | 21.5 | $64,405 | $240,644 |
| 23 | Mitchell | 23.0 | $58,620 | $247,682 |
| 24 | Vermillion | 23.0 | $50,456 | $272,881 |
| 25 | Huron | 23.5 | $61,452 | $171,871 |
| 26 | Milbank | 24.5 | $56,011 | $228,296 |