Midwest · Updated October 2026
South Dakota in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,187/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
18.5%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
None
on wage income
One of 9 states with no wage income tax
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
1.02%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
93.3
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
39th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where South Dakota stands out: no state income tax on wages, the 6th lightest state and local tax bill, the 4th smallest rent-to-income bite and the 3rd lowest everyday costs among the 50 states.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 4.9% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 6th lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 30°F | 11°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 58°F | 36°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 83°F | 61°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 61°F | 38°F |
$1,228/mo two-bedroom · $1,044 one-bedroom (Sioux Falls, SD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Sioux Falls is South Dakota's growth story — no state income tax, a large banking and healthcare sector, very low unemployment and cheap housing. Flat, cold in winter, and steadily expanding.
$1,430/mo two-bedroom · $1,093 one-bedroom (Rapid City, SD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Rapid City sits at the edge of the Black Hills near Mount Rushmore, with an Air Force base and a tourism economy. Affordable, dry, and the best access to mountains in the state.
$1,242/mo two-bedroom · $949 one-bedroom (Custer County, SD HUD Metro FMR Area)
Custer is a tiny Black Hills town surrounded by state park, bison herds and granite spires. Beautiful, seasonal, remote, with a very small year-round population.
$1,207/mo two-bedroom · $923 one-bedroom (Lawrence County, SD)
Deadwood is a historic Black Hills gold-rush town with legalised gambling and heavy summer tourism. Small, scenic, and economically tied to casinos and visitors.
$1,014/mo two-bedroom · $775 one-bedroom (Brown County, SD)
Aberdeen is a northeastern South Dakota city with Northern State University and agriculture, manufacturing and healthcare jobs. Cheap, safe and very cold in winter.
$1,066/mo two-bedroom · $858 one-bedroom (Brookings County, SD)
Brookings is a college town home to South Dakota State University, near the Minnesota line. Young, safe and affordable, with bitter winters.
$1,194/mo two-bedroom · $986 one-bedroom (Hughes County, SD)
Pierre is South Dakota's small capital on the Missouri River, with state government, fishing and hunting. One of the smallest state capitals, quiet, remote and not on an interstate.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
No. South Dakota is one of nine states that don’t tax wage income. Sales and property taxes still apply: a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 4.9% of income in state and local income, property and sales tax (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,187 a month and a one-bedroom for about $958, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $572 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 93.3 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 80.3 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 18.5% of the state’s median household income of $76,881.
South Dakota recorded 362.3 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 20th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are severe winter storms and tornadoes. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, South Dakota’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 39th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Custer, Deadwood and Aberdeen. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.