County housing intelligence
South Dakota Housing Market by County
South Dakota is not one housing market. Across 66 counties, the median county home value is $166,500 and the median county rent is $762/mo. The useful question is not whether South Dakota is cheap. It is which county fits your income, tax tolerance, and buy-versus-rent plan.
County median home value
$166,500
Median of county medians, less distorted by the largest metros.
County median rent
$762/mo
Gross rent includes rent plus utilities where Census reports it.
Counties compared
66
Every county with available ACS housing data in this state.
Fast answers
Start with the housing question.
Market brief
The state-level housing signal
These benchmarks use the median county in the state, not one metro-weighted average. That makes the brief better for county comparison and rural-to-urban screening.
Purchase price
State county median vs national benchmark
Rent
State county median vs national benchmark
Owner cost
State county median vs national benchmark
Income base
State county median vs national benchmark
Tax rate
State county median vs national benchmark
The South Dakota Pattern
These are the signals a statewide average hides. Start here before choosing counties to compare.
Price geography
Custer County, Lincoln County, Lawrence County sit at the top of the purchase market, while Oglala Lakota County, Todd County, Dewey County anchor the lower-cost end.
Rent reality
Meade County, Lincoln County, Pennington County lead on rent, while Jackson County, Corson County, Harding County show where monthly lease costs are lowest.
Decision lens
Dewey County, McPherson County, Oglala Lakota County screen best for purchase affordability when home values are measured against local household income.
Best Counties by Housing Goal
Different households need different rankings. Price alone is not enough, so these groups compare rent, income, owner costs, and tax exposure.
Cheapest to buy
Lowest median home values. Useful for purchase-price screening.
- 1. Oglala Lakota County
$52,900
- 2. Todd County
$53,900
- 3. Dewey County
$69,600
- 4. Corson County
$69,800
- 5. Mellette County
$84,100
Best buy affordability
Lowest home-value-to-income ratios. Better than price alone.
- 1. Dewey County
1.3x home-value-to-income
- 2. McPherson County
1.3x home-value-to-income
- 3. Oglala Lakota County
1.3x home-value-to-income
- 4. Todd County
1.3x home-value-to-income
- 5. Corson County
1.5x home-value-to-income
Cheapest to rent
Lowest median gross rent among counties with ACS rent data.
- 1. Jackson County
$442/mo
- 2. Corson County
$496/mo
- 3. Harding County
$521/mo
- 4. Todd County
$532/mo
- 5. Buffalo County
$540/mo
Lowest rent burden
Where typical renters spend the smallest share of income on rent.
- 1. Harding County
9.0% rent burden
- 2. Oglala Lakota County
14.9% rent burden
- 3. Marshall County
16.5% rent burden
- 4. Bennett County
17.2% rent burden
- 5. Haakon County
17.3% rent burden
Lowest tax-rate signal
Lowest effective property-tax rates in the state data.
- 1. Oglala Lakota County
0.38% effective tax rate
- 2. Buffalo County
0.40% effective tax rate
- 3. Ziebach County
0.62% effective tax rate
- 4. Faulk County
0.62% effective tax rate
- 5. Jackson County
0.65% effective tax rate
Owner-cost advantage
Counties where median owner costs are furthest below median rent.
- 1. Potter County
$315/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 2. Buffalo County
$200/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 3. Edmunds County
$192/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 4. Oglala Lakota County
$177/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 5. Douglas County
$142/mo cheaper to own than rent
Income-backed value
Higher-income counties that still hold a reasonable value-to-income profile.
- 1. McPherson County
$66,906 income, 1.3x value-to-income
- 2. Sanborn County
$78,750 income, 1.7x value-to-income
- 3. Douglas County
$86,442 income, 1.9x value-to-income
- 4. Potter County
$72,045 income, 1.7x value-to-income
- 5. Dewey County
$54,104 income, 1.3x value-to-income
Tradeoffs to Check
The best page is not the one that crowns a winner. It is the one that shows where a county can surprise you after the headline price looks attractive.
| Signal | County | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap price, weaker income base | Oglala Lakota County $52,900 home value, $41,417 income | Low purchase prices can still feel tight when local wages are also low. |
| Affordable homes, higher tax rate | Todd County $53,900 home value, 1.81% tax rate | A low home price can be offset by the annual property-tax bill. |
| Renter pressure | Tripp County $820/mo rent, 35.70% rent burden | Monthly rent alone does not show whether renters can comfortably absorb the cost. |
| Expensive, but income-supported | Custer County $372,100 home value, $84,112 income | Some high-price counties also have stronger incomes, so affordability depends on both sides of the equation. |
Lowest home values
Best value-to-income
Compare Every South Dakota County
Sorted by home-value-to-income ratio so the first rows are not just cheap counties, but counties where purchase prices look smaller relative to local income.
| County | Home Value | Rent | Income | Value/Income | Tax Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewey County | $69,600 | $692/mo | $54,104 | 1.3x | 1.51% |
| McPherson County | $85,600 | $594/mo | $66,906 | 1.3x | 1.55% |
| Oglala Lakota County | $52,900 | $584/mo | $41,417 | 1.3x | 0.38% |
| Todd County | $53,900 | $532/mo | $42,075 | 1.3x | 1.81% |
| Corson County | $69,800 | $496/mo | $46,406 | 1.5x | 1.45% |
| Mellette County | $84,100 | $708/mo | $54,076 | 1.6x | 0.98% |
| Campbell County | $115,900 | $760/mo | $68,929 | 1.7x | 1.18% |
| Perkins County | $114,600 | $738/mo | $66,908 | 1.7x | 1.29% |
| Potter County | $121,300 | $1,008/mo | $72,045 | 1.7x | 1.42% |
| Sanborn County | $135,600 | $725/mo | $78,750 | 1.7x | 1.17% |
| Spink County | $123,300 | $734/mo | $70,139 | 1.8x | 1.28% |
| Ziebach County | $99,600 | $734/mo | $53,958 | 1.8x | 0.62% |
| Douglas County | $166,900 | $877/mo | $86,442 | 1.9x | 0.99% |
| Miner County | $142,600 | $644/mo | $76,140 | 1.9x | 0.92% |
| Edmunds County | $163,300 | $992/mo | $81,630 | 2.0x | 0.80% |
| Jerauld County | $150,800 | $632/mo | $73,750 | 2.0x | 0.84% |
| Marshall County | $156,500 | $752/mo | $78,156 | 2.0x | 0.87% |
| Aurora County | $151,900 | $747/mo | $72,885 | 2.1x | 1.04% |
| Bon Homme County | $134,100 | $646/mo | $64,435 | 2.1x | 1.27% |
| Hand County | $159,300 | $587/mo | $74,635 | 2.1x | 0.89% |
| Harding County | $166,100 | $521/mo | $80,441 | 2.1x | 1.12% |
| Jones County | $139,600 | $543/mo | $65,119 | 2.1x | 0.94% |
| Walworth County | $136,600 | $926/mo | $65,026 | 2.1x | 1.31% |
| Clark County | $158,400 | $782/mo | $70,726 | 2.2x | 0.88% |
| Gregory County | $139,900 | $614/mo | $62,917 | 2.2x | 1.02% |
| Hutchinson County | $163,000 | $727/mo | $73,977 | 2.2x | 1.15% |
| Grant County | $171,000 | $763/mo | $75,028 | 2.3x | 0.91% |
| Kingsbury County | $169,500 | $685/mo | $74,000 | 2.3x | 1.01% |
| Stanley County | $203,500 | $952/mo | $87,712 | 2.3x | 1.32% |
| Tripp County | $132,900 | $820/mo | $58,987 | 2.3x | 0.95% |
| Hamlin County | $208,600 | $800/mo | $87,101 | 2.4x | 1.11% |
| Hanson County | $191,200 | $782/mo | $81,071 | 2.4x | 1.03% |
| Roberts County | $154,500 | $658/mo | $65,130 | 2.4x | 0.97% |
| Buffalo County | $117,800 | $540/mo | $47,045 | 2.5x | 0.40% |
| Deuel County | $205,900 | $642/mo | $83,112 | 2.5x | 0.82% |
| Haakon County | $164,200 | $584/mo | $65,625 | 2.5x | 0.91% |
| Hyde County | $181,600 | $836/mo | $73,472 | 2.5x | 0.96% |
| Lyman County | $165,800 | $651/mo | $67,143 | 2.5x | 0.91% |
| Beadle County | $175,100 | $879/mo | $67,681 | 2.6x | 1.09% |
| Day County | $173,600 | $660/mo | $66,033 | 2.6x | 0.98% |
| Faulk County | $147,500 | $771/mo | $57,750 | 2.6x | 0.62% |
| Charles Mix County | $170,600 | $704/mo | $64,038 | 2.7x | 1.10% |
| McCook County | $230,100 | $945/mo | $83,852 | 2.7x | 1.06% |
| Fall River County | $193,200 | $931/mo | $67,917 | 2.8x | 1.00% |
| Sully County | $205,400 | $842/mo | $72,578 | 2.8x | 0.83% |
| Bennett County | $156,400 | $617/mo | $53,750 | 2.9x | 0.98% |
| Brule County | $216,800 | $835/mo | $73,720 | 2.9x | 0.96% |
| Moody County | $226,500 | $758/mo | $78,427 | 2.9x | 1.10% |
| Turner County | $222,900 | $742/mo | $75,771 | 2.9x | 0.98% |
| Hughes County | $242,000 | $990/mo | $81,395 | 3.0x | 1.10% |
| Brown County | $221,100 | $777/mo | $70,898 | 3.1x | 1.18% |
| Davison County | $205,800 | $847/mo | $66,208 | 3.1x | 1.23% |
| Yankton County | $225,900 | $781/mo | $72,821 | 3.1x | 1.06% |
| Butte County | $244,600 | $972/mo | $75,652 | 3.2x | 0.93% |
| Lake County | $247,600 | $947/mo | $76,808 | 3.2x | 1.03% |
| Codington County | $237,700 | $938/mo | $72,727 | 3.3x | 0.97% |
| Jackson County | $117,300 | $442/mo | $35,417 | 3.3x | 0.65% |
| Union County | $301,100 | $1,069/mo | $89,636 | 3.4x | 1.10% |
| Lincoln County | $348,300 | $1,260/mo | $99,166 | 3.5x | 1.15% |
| Minnehaha County | $287,600 | $978/mo | $76,880 | 3.7x | 1.14% |
| Brookings County | $264,600 | $901/mo | $70,064 | 3.8x | 1.13% |
| Clay County | $232,300 | $770/mo | $56,850 | 4.1x | 1.26% |
| Pennington County | $302,200 | $1,120/mo | $74,517 | 4.1x | 1.08% |
| Meade County | $310,900 | $1,264/mo | $74,790 | 4.2x | 1.01% |
| Custer County | $372,100 | $1,112/mo | $84,112 | 4.4x | 0.77% |
| Lawrence County | $346,500 | $938/mo | $73,384 | 4.7x | 0.79% |
Questions This Page Answers
Each answer is generated from the current county dataset, so it changes when the underlying ACS data changes.
What is the typical home value in South Dakota by county?
What is the typical rent in South Dakota by county?
Which South Dakota counties are most affordable to buy in?
Why do cheap counties still need a closer look?
Data: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023) — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.