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 $156,450 and the median county rent is $730/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
$156,450
Median of county medians, less distorted by the largest metros.
County median rent
$730/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 Todd County, Oglala Lakota County, Mellette County anchor the lower-cost end.
Rent reality
Lincoln County, Meade County, Custer County lead on rent, while Jackson County, Corson County, Harding County show where monthly lease costs are lowest.
Decision lens
Mellette County, Todd County, Dewey 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. Todd County
$45,200
- 2. Oglala Lakota County
$45,600
- 3. Mellette County
$63,000
- 4. Corson County
$73,800
- 5. Dewey County
$75,400
Best buy affordability
Lowest home-value-to-income ratios. Better than price alone.
- 1. Mellette County
1.2x home-value-to-income
- 2. Todd County
1.2x home-value-to-income
- 3. Dewey County
1.3x home-value-to-income
- 4. McPherson County
1.3x home-value-to-income
- 5. Oglala Lakota County
1.3x home-value-to-income
Cheapest to rent
Lowest median gross rent among counties with ACS rent data.
- 1. Jackson County
$460/mo
- 2. Corson County
$473/mo
- 3. Harding County
$478/mo
- 4. Buffalo County
$535/mo
- 5. Todd County
$537/mo
Lowest rent burden
Where typical renters spend the smallest share of income on rent.
- 1. Harding County
9.0% rent burden
- 2. Jones County
14.0% rent burden
- 3. Edmunds County
15.0% rent burden
- 4. Miner County
15.0% rent burden
- 5. Aurora County
17.0% rent burden
Lowest tax-rate signal
Lowest effective property-tax rates in the state data.
- 1. Oglala Lakota County
0.44% effective tax rate
- 2. Ziebach County
0.59% effective tax rate
- 3. Faulk County
0.76% effective tax rate
- 4. Custer County
0.78% effective tax rate
- 5. Buffalo County
0.78% effective tax rate
Owner-cost advantage
Counties where median owner costs are furthest below median rent.
- 1. Potter County
$212/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 2. Buffalo County
$207/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 3. Mellette County
$202/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 4. Oglala Lakota County
$157/mo cheaper to own than rent
- 5. Douglas County
$152/mo cheaper to own than rent
Income-backed value
Higher-income counties that still hold a reasonable value-to-income profile.
- 1. Douglas County
$78,125 income, 1.6x value-to-income
- 2. McPherson County
$62,024 income, 1.3x value-to-income
- 3. Campbell County
$65,000 income, 1.4x value-to-income
- 4. Spink County
$73,011 income, 1.6x value-to-income
- 5. Miner County
$72,589 income, 1.6x 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 | Todd County $45,200 home value, $39,148 income | Low purchase prices can still feel tight when local wages are also low. |
| Affordable homes, higher tax rate | Todd County $45,200 home value, 2.23% tax rate | A low home price can be offset by the annual property-tax bill. |
| Renter pressure | Fall River County $866/mo rent, 38.00% rent burden | Monthly rent alone does not show whether renters can comfortably absorb the cost. |
| Expensive, but income-supported | Custer County $327,200 home value, $81,958 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mellette County | $63,000 | $737/mo | $51,364 | 1.2x | 1.53% |
| Todd County | $45,200 | $537/mo | $39,148 | 1.2x | 2.23% |
| Dewey County | $75,400 | $714/mo | $57,928 | 1.3x | 1.34% |
| McPherson County | $78,400 | $580/mo | $62,024 | 1.3x | 1.55% |
| Oglala Lakota County | $45,600 | $563/mo | $34,769 | 1.3x | 0.44% |
| Campbell County | $87,900 | $635/mo | $65,000 | 1.4x | 1.44% |
| Douglas County | $125,000 | $864/mo | $78,125 | 1.6x | 1.17% |
| Miner County | $114,100 | $563/mo | $72,589 | 1.6x | 1.11% |
| Perkins County | $105,900 | $703/mo | $65,455 | 1.6x | 1.33% |
| Spink County | $117,400 | $691/mo | $73,011 | 1.6x | 1.31% |
| Aurora County | $129,000 | $739/mo | $74,130 | 1.7x | 1.08% |
| Corson County | $73,800 | $473/mo | $43,750 | 1.7x | 1.34% |
| Jerauld County | $127,000 | $565/mo | $75,417 | 1.7x | 0.95% |
| Potter County | $121,300 | $869/mo | $71,726 | 1.7x | 1.37% |
| Hyde County | $134,500 | $921/mo | $74,279 | 1.8x | 1.23% |
| Jones County | $117,100 | $544/mo | $64,688 | 1.8x | 1.16% |
| Bon Homme County | $120,300 | $620/mo | $61,275 | 2.0x | 1.25% |
| Marshall County | $147,200 | $743/mo | $72,500 | 2.0x | 0.91% |
| Sanborn County | $138,500 | $717/mo | $69,870 | 2.0x | 1.26% |
| Edmunds County | $163,600 | $881/mo | $77,266 | 2.1x | 0.87% |
| Faulk County | $124,100 | $692/mo | $58,000 | 2.1x | 0.76% |
| Hand County | $152,100 | $553/mo | $72,054 | 2.1x | 0.90% |
| Harding County | $156,400 | $478/mo | $74,766 | 2.1x | 0.93% |
| Walworth County | $130,000 | $962/mo | $62,722 | 2.1x | 1.44% |
| Ziebach County | $101,700 | $715/mo | $47,333 | 2.1x | 0.59% |
| Hanson County | $192,400 | $733/mo | $86,375 | 2.2x | 1.03% |
| Hutchinson County | $160,500 | $714/mo | $74,459 | 2.2x | 1.12% |
| Roberts County | $139,100 | $656/mo | $63,691 | 2.2x | 1.05% |
| Stanley County | $169,900 | $896/mo | $77,000 | 2.2x | 1.43% |
| Buffalo County | $108,000 | $535/mo | $47,000 | 2.3x | 0.78% |
| Clark County | $141,900 | $709/mo | $62,885 | 2.3x | 0.98% |
| Deuel County | $180,100 | $668/mo | $79,556 | 2.3x | 0.82% |
| Kingsbury County | $159,600 | $725/mo | $70,221 | 2.3x | 0.99% |
| Tripp County | $137,100 | $809/mo | $58,854 | 2.3x | 0.90% |
| Grant County | $179,400 | $668/mo | $73,818 | 2.4x | 0.85% |
| Day County | $155,100 | $623/mo | $62,270 | 2.5x | 1.03% |
| Gregory County | $129,000 | $614/mo | $52,432 | 2.5x | 1.10% |
| Hamlin County | $207,700 | $769/mo | $83,194 | 2.5x | 1.09% |
| Charles Mix County | $169,200 | $727/mo | $64,850 | 2.6x | 1.08% |
| Haakon County | $153,200 | $688/mo | $59,231 | 2.6x | 0.85% |
| Lyman County | $156,500 | $603/mo | $61,169 | 2.6x | 1.01% |
| Turner County | $199,000 | $745/mo | $75,283 | 2.6x | 1.04% |
| McCook County | $217,300 | $750/mo | $80,847 | 2.7x | 0.98% |
| Moody County | $206,300 | $723/mo | $77,500 | 2.7x | 1.08% |
| Beadle County | $178,400 | $834/mo | $63,082 | 2.8x | 1.05% |
| Brule County | $205,500 | $700/mo | $74,043 | 2.8x | 0.85% |
| Hughes County | $221,100 | $930/mo | $78,981 | 2.8x | 1.14% |
| Sully County | $198,700 | $913/mo | $70,250 | 2.8x | 0.85% |
| Yankton County | $208,200 | $777/mo | $73,855 | 2.8x | 1.13% |
| Fall River County | $176,300 | $866/mo | $61,056 | 2.9x | 1.06% |
| Brown County | $212,900 | $794/mo | $70,239 | 3.0x | 1.20% |
| Bennett County | $138,600 | $616/mo | $44,569 | 3.1x | 1.03% |
| Butte County | $207,700 | $940/mo | $67,692 | 3.1x | 1.06% |
| Davison County | $190,000 | $750/mo | $61,401 | 3.1x | 1.24% |
| Lake County | $231,000 | $868/mo | $73,792 | 3.1x | 1.07% |
| Union County | $269,500 | $1,055/mo | $84,137 | 3.2x | 1.11% |
| Codington County | $218,000 | $901/mo | $65,080 | 3.3x | 1.06% |
| Lincoln County | $323,500 | $1,237/mo | $96,552 | 3.4x | 1.18% |
| Minnehaha County | $266,600 | $954/mo | $76,074 | 3.5x | 1.16% |
| Brookings County | $246,300 | $874/mo | $67,341 | 3.7x | 1.13% |
| Meade County | $274,800 | $1,150/mo | $74,161 | 3.7x | 1.03% |
| Clay County | $221,800 | $736/mo | $58,794 | 3.8x | 1.30% |
| Pennington County | $270,400 | $1,066/mo | $70,768 | 3.8x | 1.13% |
| Custer County | $327,200 | $1,117/mo | $81,958 | 4.0x | 0.78% |
| Jackson County | $111,500 | $460/mo | $26,686 | 4.2x | N/A |
| Lawrence County | $310,800 | $923/mo | $66,766 | 4.7x | 0.86% |
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.