Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is South Dakota a good place?
The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in South Dakota.
Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Mount Rushmore State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.
The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of South Dakota, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 65 counties in the state.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary
The 10 Best Counties To Live In South Dakota For 2024
Lincoln County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in South Dakota. And you should avoid Todd County if you can — at least according to the data.
Now you know exactly where to move in South Dakota. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in South Dakota and the cheapest places to live in South Dakota.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The Best Counties To Live In South Dakota For 2024
1. Lincoln County
Biggest Place: Sioux Falls
Population: 65,801
Median Income: $92,317 (best)
Median Home Price: $358,749 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.4% (15th best)
More on Lincoln County: Data
2. Stanley County
Biggest Place: Fort Pierre
Population: 2,979
Median Income: $82,298 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $314,920 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.2% (3rd best)
More on Stanley County: Data
3. Hanson County
Biggest Place: Alexandria
Population: 3,443
Median Income: $86,827 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $228,801 (25th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.0% (24th best)
More on Hanson County: Data
4. Hughes County
Biggest Place: Pierre
Population: 17,812
Median Income: $83,750 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $269,528 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.4% (5th best)
More on Hughes County: Data
5. Union County
Biggest Place: Dakota Dunes
Population: 16,700
Median Income: $82,036 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $317,695 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (40th best)
More on Union County: Data
6. Lake County
Biggest Place: Madison
Population: 11,207
Median Income: $74,884 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $275,930 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.6% (20th best)
More on Lake County: Data
7. Hand County
Biggest Place: Miller
Population: 3,075
Median Income: $72,857 (15th best)
Median Home Price: $224,881 (26th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2% (12th best)
More on Hand County: Data
8. Harding County
Biggest Place: Buffalo
Population: 1,176
Median Income: $71,484 (19th best)
Median Home Price: $207,116 (33rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.2% (29th best)
More on Harding County: Data
9. Deuel County
Biggest Place: Clear Lake
Population: 4,298
Median Income: $76,997 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $266,510 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.0% (25th best)
More on Deuel County: Data
10. Sully County
Biggest Place: Onida
Population: 1,318
Median Income: $66,875 (29th best)
Median Home Price: $276,783 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0% (best)
More on Sully County: Data
Methodology: How do you determine which South Dakota county is the best?
To give you the best county in South Dakota, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. 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 two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.
We paid particular attention to:
- Violent Crime Rates
- Property Crime Rates
- Median Home Values
- Median Income
- Unemployment Rates
- Adult Education Levels
- Health Insurance Coverage
- Poverty Rates
We then ranked each county in South Dakota across each of the criteria from one to 65, with one being the best.
Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In South Dakota.”
The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Mount Rushmore State.
We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in South Dakota.
Read on to see why Lincoln County is the best county, while Todd County is probably in contention for being the worst county in South Dakota.
Summary: The Best Counties In South Dakota To Call Home For 2024
Living in South Dakota can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
The best counties in South Dakota are Lincoln County, Stanley County, Hanson County, Hughes County, Union County, Lake County, Hand County, Harding County, Deuel County, and Sully County.
But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in South Dakota according to the data:
- Todd County
- Mellette County
- Buffalo County
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Safest Places In South Dakota
- Best Counties To Live In South Dakota
- Best Places To Buy A House In South Dakota
- Richest Cities In South Dakota
Detailed List Of The Best Counties In South Dakota
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lincoln County | 65,801 | $92,317 | $358,749 |
| 2 | Stanley County | 2,979 | $82,298 | $314,920 |
| 3 | Hanson County | 3,443 | $86,827 | $228,801 |
| 4 | Hughes County | 17,812 | $83,750 | $269,528 |
| 5 | Union County | 16,700 | $82,036 | $317,695 |
| 6 | Lake County | 11,207 | $74,884 | $275,930 |
| 7 | Hand County | 3,075 | $72,857 | $224,881 |
| 8 | Harding County | 1,176 | $71,484 | $207,116 |
| 9 | Deuel County | 4,298 | $76,997 | $266,510 |
| 10 | Sully County | 1,318 | $66,875 | $276,783 |
| 11 | Edmunds County | 4,014 | $76,806 | $207,554 |
| 12 | Marshall County | 4,363 | $74,018 | $219,041 |
| 13 | Minnehaha County | 197,742 | $73,110 | $303,172 |
| 14 | Custer County | 8,515 | $75,943 | $454,333 |
| 15 | Hamlin County | 6,196 | $76,995 | $291,610 |
| 16 | Meade County | 29,970 | $70,256 | $352,751 |
| 17 | Aurora County | 2,590 | $71,490 | $161,349 |
| 18 | Yankton County | 23,311 | $68,847 | $249,428 |
| 19 | Turner County | 8,687 | $72,312 | $272,527 |
| 20 | Moody County | 6,346 | $71,469 | $258,002 |
| 21 | Potter County | 2,587 | $71,786 | $140,737 |
| 22 | Jerauld County | 1,836 | $66,607 | $195,944 |
| 23 | Mccook County | 5,714 | $74,873 | $263,528 |
| 24 | Codington County | 28,402 | $65,747 | $303,021 |
| 25 | Brookings County | 34,631 | $64,438 | $275,783 |
| 26 | Hutchinson County | 7,401 | $69,139 | $185,894 |
| 27 | Hyde County | 1,319 | $69,712 | $129,961 |
| 28 | Sanborn County | 2,373 | $65,806 | $191,373 |
| 29 | Brown County | 38,278 | $70,379 | $212,964 |
| 30 | Campbell County | 1,534 | $66,932 | $263,900 |
| 31 | Kingsbury County | 5,172 | $65,964 | $208,016 |
| 32 | Lawrence County | 26,047 | $62,977 | $408,460 |
| 33 | Pennington County | 110,386 | $67,823 | $336,351 |
| 34 | Haakon County | 1,755 | $53,109 | $185,926 |
| 35 | Spink County | 6,355 | $65,795 | $134,876 |
| 36 | Beadle County | 19,089 | $63,813 | $191,209 |
| 37 | Douglas County | 2,823 | $75,048 | $161,483 |
| 38 | Miner County | 2,312 | $62,037 | $190,271 |
| 39 | Grant County | 7,533 | $70,851 | $163,124 |
| 40 | Davison County | 19,966 | $55,606 | $232,548 |
| 41 | Clark County | 3,837 | $59,340 | $175,180 |
| 42 | Butte County | 10,369 | $58,106 | $283,518 |
| 43 | Jones County | 1,006 | $61,250 | $132,232 |
| 44 | Clay County | 14,953 | $55,963 | $234,510 |
| 45 | Bon Homme County | 7,018 | $57,554 | $149,773 |
| 46 | Perkins County | 2,970 | $64,410 | $134,784 |
| 47 | Faulk County | 2,140 | $56,734 | $154,003 |
| 48 | Fall River County | 7,079 | $54,886 | $245,745 |
| 49 | Mcpherson County | 2,251 | $58,529 | $104,049 |
| 50 | Day County | 5,485 | $57,558 | $206,711 |
| 51 | Brule County | 5,247 | $64,821 | $204,888 |
| 52 | Roberts County | 10,242 | $59,022 | $208,800 |
| 53 | Gregory County | 3,983 | $48,272 | $145,722 |
| 54 | Charles Mix County | 9,302 | $60,729 | $223,270 |
| 55 | Lyman County | 3,719 | $60,284 | $176,443 |
| 56 | Walworth County | 5,317 | $57,697 | $136,427 |
| 57 | Tripp County | 5,607 | $56,758 | $190,656 |
| 58 | Bennett County | 3,391 | $44,821 | $188,335 |
| 59 | Dewey County | 5,275 | $55,077 | $99,908 |
| 60 | Ziebach County | 2,455 | $46,023 | $124,218 |
| 61 | Corson County | 3,906 | $48,125 | $119,173 |
| 62 | Jackson County | 2,838 | $26,078 | $109,912 |
| 63 | Buffalo County | 1,859 | $42,917 | $138,643 |
| 64 | Mellette County | 1,989 | $41,397 | $81,075 |
| 65 | Todd County | 9,353 | $33,792 | $54,094 |