Ranked from official statistics; every city opens its own guide.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 30 largest places in South Dakota, Milbank has the smallest share of long commutes (0.9%), followed by Dakota Dunes and North Sioux City. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 30 places in South Dakota that we cover, the median is 5.5% and the average 5.9%; the figure runs from 0.9% (Milbank) to 13.6% (Lead). That is a spread of 15.3 times between the two ends. The state figure is 6.6%; 10 of the 30 places are above it and 20 at or below.
The first five are Milbank, Dakota Dunes, North Sioux City, Brandon, Hartford. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: short commutes can mean a self-contained job market or a small town with few employers. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Commute of 45 minutes or more ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milbank | Grant County | 0.9% | 3,525 | $56,011 | $548 |
| 2 | Dakota Dunes (unincorporated) | Union County | 1.1% | 3,936 | $136,125 | $1,225 |
| 3 | North Sioux City | Union County | 1.8% | 3,045 | $71,908 | $1,098 |
| 4 | Brandon | Minnehaha County | 2.7% | 10,996 | $110,806 | $976 |
| 5 | Hartford | Minnehaha County | 2.8% | 3,478 | $99,893 | $938 |
| 6 | Aberdeen | Brown County | 2.9% | 28,189 | $64,405 | $762 |
| 7 | Sioux Falls | Minnehaha County | 3.8% | 201,469 | $75,970 | $1,035 |
| 8 | Brookings | Brookings County | 3.9% | 23,948 | $63,493 | $889 |
| 9 | Yankton | Yankton County | 3.9% | 15,540 | $67,804 | $790 |
| 10 | Hot Springs | Fall River County | 4.1% | 3,548 | $66,338 | $897 |
| 11 | Summerset | Meade County | 4.4% | 3,022 | $119,271 | $1,288 |
| 12 | Watertown | Codington County | 4.6% | 23,044 | $69,600 | $942 |
| 13 | Mitchell | Davison County | 4.7% | 15,649 | $58,620 | $851 |
| 14 | Huron | Beadle County | 4.8% | 14,385 | $61,452 | $888 |
| 15 | Rapid City | Pennington County | 5.2% | 77,946 | $70,870 | $1,109 |
| 16 | Blackhawk (unincorporated) | Meade County | 5.5% | 2,934 | $71,993 | n/a |
| 17 | Harrisburg | Lincoln County | 5.6% | 8,519 | $108,724 | $1,362 |
| 18 | Madison | Lake County | 6.2% | 6,094 | $65,593 | $981 |
| 19 | Mobridge | Walworth County | 6.2% | 2,932 | $65,357 | $953 |
| 20 | Pierre | Hughes County | 6.2% | 13,948 | $77,672 | $983 |
| 21 | Canton | Lincoln County | 6.9% | 3,033 | $60,850 | $673 |
| 22 | Tea | Lincoln County | 7.1% | 6,786 | $120,139 | $1,220 |
| 23 | Box Elder | Pennington County | 7.1% | 12,902 | $73,008 | $1,491 |
| 24 | Vermillion | Clay County | 9.2% | 11,878 | $50,456 | $764 |
| 25 | Rapid Valley (unincorporated) | Pennington County | 9.5% | 6,975 | $83,208 | $1,174 |
| 26 | Dell Rapids | Minnehaha County | 9.7% | 3,905 | $100,170 | $962 |
| 27 | Sturgis | Meade County | 9.8% | 7,086 | $54,404 | $780 |
| 28 | Spearfish | Lawrence County | 10.4% | 12,930 | $65,688 | $963 |
| 29 | Belle Fourche | Butte County | 12.1% | 5,804 | $65,071 | $983 |
| 30 | Lead | Lawrence County | 13.6% | 3,006 | $73,047 | $835 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Milbank, with 0.9% (among the 30 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 30 largest places in South Dakota by population.