Brandon, Hartford, Tea: 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 $101,747 and a ridiculously low poverty rate of 2.673895065698796%.
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 2018-2022 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 2024
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 2024
1. Brandon
/10
Population: 10,919
Median Income: $101,747
Median Home Values: $362,304
More on Brandon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
2. Hartford
/10
Population: 3,340
Median Income: $93,762
Median Home Values: $387,714
More on Hartford: Data | Real Estate
3. Tea
/10
Population: 5,922
Median Income: $99,153
Median Home Values: $354,610
More on Tea: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
4. Harrisburg
/10
Population: 7,157
Median Income: $89,966
Median Home Values: $340,010
More on Harrisburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
5. Dell Rapids
/10
Population: 3,953
Median Income: $88,958
Median Home Values: $340,437
More on Dell Rapids: Data | Real Estate
6. Box Elder
/10
Population: 11,905
Median Income: $71,532
Median Home Values: $330,877
More on Box Elder: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
7. Spearfish
/10
Population: 12,268
Median Income: $58,734
Median Home Values: $418,769
More on Spearfish: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
8. Sioux Falls
/10
Population: 193,401
Median Income: $71,785
Median Home Values: $311,972
More on Sioux Falls: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
9. Rapid City
/10
Population: 75,632
Median Income: $62,784
Median Home Values: $318,953
More on Rapid City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
10. Pierre
/10
Population: 14,105
Median Income: $80,473
Median Home Values: $272,719
More on Pierre: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How We Determined The Richest Places In South Dakota For 2024
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 2018-2022 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 2024.”
The data has been updated for 2024. 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 2024
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, Hartford, Tea, Harrisburg, Dell Rapids, Box Elder, Spearfish, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Pierre.
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: Mobridge
2nd Poorest: Vermillion
3rd Poorest: Huron
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota
- Safest Places 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 | Brandon | 2.0 | $101,747 | $362,304 |
| 2 | Hartford | 2.5 | $93,762 | $387,714 |
| 3 | Tea | 3.0 | $99,153 | $354,610 |
| 4 | Harrisburg | 5.0 | $89,966 | $340,010 |
| 5 | Dell Rapids | 5.0 | $88,958 | $340,437 |
| 6 | Box Elder | 8.0 | $71,532 | $330,877 |
| 7 | Spearfish | 8.5 | $58,734 | $418,769 |
| 8 | Sioux Falls | 8.5 | $71,785 | $311,972 |
| 9 | Rapid City | 10.0 | $62,784 | $318,953 |
| 10 | Pierre | 10.5 | $80,473 | $272,719 |
| 11 | Canton | 12.5 | $71,064 | $269,665 |
| 12 | Watertown | 14.0 | $61,320 | $272,742 |
| 13 | Brookings | 14.5 | $57,824 | $281,909 |
| 14 | Sturgis | 14.5 | $49,564 | $338,025 |
| 15 | Madison | 15.0 | $62,756 | $235,746 |
| 16 | Milbank | 16.0 | $63,269 | $180,583 |
| 17 | Belle Fourche | 16.0 | $55,448 | $281,636 |
| 18 | Yankton | 16.0 | $60,180 | $247,438 |
| 19 | Aberdeen | 17.0 | $62,684 | $216,009 |
| 20 | Hot Springs | 17.5 | $47,337 | $297,368 |
| 21 | Mitchell | 20.0 | $51,763 | $234,575 |
| 22 | Huron | 20.5 | $57,702 | $176,399 |
| 23 | Vermillion | 21.5 | $47,813 | $229,091 |
| 24 | Mobridge | 22.0 | $54,868 | $128,702 |