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Best Cities for Families in South Dakota

Strong schools, low crime, affordable homes and family-friendly commutes.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →
All United States  ·  South Dakota

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Schools · 25% Safety · 20% Home Affordability · 15% Low Poverty · 10% Jobs · 10% Short Commute · 10% Education · 10%

Top 12 Families Cities in South Dakota

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 86.6
Gettysburg, SD
1,344 residents
Schools 6.3
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $127,000
#2
Score 84.4
Aurora, SD
1,407 residents
Schools 6.1
Safety 121/100K
Home Affordability $219,100
#3
Score 84.4
Groton, SD
1,794 residents
Schools 6.3
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $173,000
#4
Score 84.4
Volga, SD
2,246 residents
Schools 6.2
Safety 121/100K
Home Affordability $220,200
#5
Score 83.7
Britton, SD
1,117 residents
Schools 6.0
Safety 449/100K
Home Affordability $110,100
#6
Score 83.7
Brookings, SD
23,710 residents
Schools 6.2
Safety 218/100K
Home Affordability $243,600
#7
Score 83.6
Lemmon, SD
1,214 residents
Schools 5.8
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $79,700
#8
Score 83.6
Tyndall, SD
1,206 residents
Schools 5.9
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $94,200
#9
Score 83.5
Madison, SD
6,158 residents
Schools 6.2
Safety 225/100K
Home Affordability $191,400
#10
Score 83.5
Redfield, SD
2,230 residents
Schools 5.5
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $117,000
#11
Score 83.2
Parkston, SD
1,981 residents
Schools 5.9
Safety 0/100K
Home Affordability $145,500
#12
Score 82.8
Mitchell, SD
15,637 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 375/100K
Home Affordability $182,000

Full Ranking, South Dakota

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Gettysburg SD 86.6
2 Aurora SD 84.4
3 Groton SD 84.4
4 Volga SD 84.4
5 Britton SD 83.7
6 Brookings SD 83.7
7 Lemmon SD 83.6
8 Tyndall SD 83.6
9 Madison SD 83.5
10 Redfield SD 83.5
11 Parkston SD 83.2
12 Mitchell SD 82.8
13 Ipswich SD 82
14 Miller SD 81.7
15 Vermillion SD 81.6
16 Salem SD 81.6
17 Gregory SD 81.1
18 Milbank SD 81.1
19 Hartford SD 80.7
20 Sisseton SD 80.3
21 Aberdeen SD 79.9
22 Mobridge SD 79.9
23 Watertown SD 79.5
24 Elk Point SD 79.4
25 Brandon SD 79
26 Worthing SD 78.9
27 Tea SD 78.7
28 Beresford SD 78.4
29 Marion SD 78.4
30 Lead SD 78.3
31 Chamberlain SD 78.3
32 Yankton SD 78.2
33 Spearfish SD 78.1
34 Deadwood SD 78
35 Fort Pierre SD 77.9
36 Springfield SD 77.9
37 Freeman SD 77.9
38 Winner SD 77.6
39 Harrisburg SD 77.2
40 Pierre SD 77.2
41 Platte SD 77.1
42 Parker SD 77
43 Webster SD 76.9
44 Lennox SD 76.7
45 Sioux Falls SD 76.4
46 Canton SD 76.3
47 North Spearfish SD 75.5
48 Custer SD 75.3
49 Clark SD 75.2
50 Sturgis SD 75.1

Gettysburg, SD tops the list with a composite score of 86.6 out of 100, followed by Aurora and Groton. SD dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for families.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Schools, Safety, Home Affordability, Low Poverty, Jobs, Short Commute, Education. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to families, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Cities for Retirees
Low crime, warm climate, affordable cost of living and strong healthcare access.
Best Cities for Remote Workers
Strong broadband, affordable rent, low traffic and existing remote-work culture.
Best Cities for Young Professionals
High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.
Most Affordable Cities
The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Safest Cities → Most Affordable → Most Educated →