Safest Cities in South Dakota (2024)
Ranked by violent crime rate per 100,000 residents from 2024 FBI data. South Dakota has 41 cities reporting crime data, with a statewide violent crime rate of 362.3 per 100K.
41
Cities Tracked
0.0
Safest City Rate
207.9
Median City Rate
1388.9
Highest Rate
Top 25 Safest Cities in South Dakota
| # | City | Population | Violent Rate | Murder Rate | Property Rate | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miller | 1,319 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | A+ |
| 2 | Jefferson | 440 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 681.8 | A |
| 3 | Elk Point | 2,054 | 48.7 | 0.0 | 584.2 | B+ |
| 4 | Parkston | 1,539 | 65.0 | 0.0 | 65.0 | B+ |
| 5 | Summerset | 3,008 | 66.5 | 0.0 | 565.2 | B+ |
| 6 | Brandon | 10,935 | 73.2 | 0.0 | 374.9 | B |
| 7 | Lennox | 2,518 | 79.4 | 0.0 | 119.1 | B |
| 8 | Brookings | 24,638 | 85.2 | 0.0 | 1177.0 | B |
| 9 | Scotland | 785 | 127.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | C+ |
| 10 | Tea | 8,055 | 136.6 | 12.4 | 1142.1 | C+ |
| 11 | Winner | 2,914 | 137.3 | 0.0 | 926.6 | C+ |
| 12 | Madison | 6,069 | 148.3 | 0.0 | 790.9 | C |
| 13 | Belle Fourche | 5,955 | 151.1 | 0.0 | 2300.6 | C |
| 14 | Lead | 3,054 | 163.7 | 0.0 | 392.9 | C |
| 15 | Flandreau | 2,353 | 170.0 | 0.0 | 1105.0 | C |
| 16 | Burke | 577 | 173.3 | 0.0 | 173.3 | C |
| 17 | Vermillion | 12,110 | 181.7 | 0.0 | 1164.3 | C |
| 18 | Hot Springs | 3,686 | 189.9 | 0.0 | 27.1 | C |
| 19 | Beresford | 2,079 | 192.4 | 0.0 | 1106.3 | C |
| 20 | North Sioux City | 3,049 | 196.8 | 0.0 | 1475.9 | C |
| 21 | Whitewood | 962 | 207.9 | 0.0 | 207.9 | D+ |
| 22 | Sisseton | 2,401 | 208.2 | 0.0 | 708.0 | D+ |
| 23 | Sturgis | 7,056 | 226.8 | 0.0 | 1757.4 | D+ |
| 24 | Canton | 3,059 | 261.5 | 0.0 | 1307.6 | D+ |
| 25 | Mitchell | 15,607 | 262.7 | 6.4 | 1967.1 | D+ |
Most Dangerous Cities in South Dakota
| # | City | Population | Violent Rate | Murder Rate | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin | 936 | 1388.9 | 0.0 | F |
| 2 | Deadwood | 1,413 | 990.8 | 0.0 | F |
| 3 | Rapid City | 80,957 | 718.9 | 6.2 | F |
| 4 | Wagner | 1,407 | 639.7 | 0.0 | F |
| 5 | Sioux Falls | 210,926 | 526.7 | 6.6 | F |
| 6 | Centerville | 968 | 516.5 | 309.9 | F |
| 7 | Pierre | 13,822 | 506.4 | 0.0 | F |
| 8 | Chamberlain | 2,497 | 440.5 | 0.0 | F |
| 9 | Box Elder | 14,589 | 349.6 | 6.8 | D |
| 10 | Clark | 1,162 | 344.2 | 0.0 | D |
| 11 | Watertown | 23,417 | 303.2 | 0.0 | D |
| 12 | Huron | 14,740 | 291.7 | 6.8 | D |
| 13 | Mobridge | 3,217 | 279.8 | 0.0 | D |
| 14 | Yankton | 15,698 | 273.9 | 6.4 | D |
| 15 | Aberdeen | 28,004 | 267.8 | 0.0 | D+ |
All 41 Cities in South Dakota
Complete list ranked from safest to most dangerous.
Show all 41 cities
| # | City | Pop. | Violent Rate | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miller | 1,319 | 0.0 | A+ |
| 2 | Jefferson | 440 | 0.0 | A |
| 3 | Elk Point | 2,054 | 48.7 | B+ |
| 4 | Parkston | 1,539 | 65.0 | B+ |
| 5 | Summerset | 3,008 | 66.5 | B+ |
| 6 | Brandon | 10,935 | 73.2 | B |
| 7 | Lennox | 2,518 | 79.4 | B |
| 8 | Brookings | 24,638 | 85.2 | B |
| 9 | Scotland | 785 | 127.4 | C+ |
| 10 | Tea | 8,055 | 136.6 | C+ |
| 11 | Winner | 2,914 | 137.3 | C+ |
| 12 | Madison | 6,069 | 148.3 | C |
| 13 | Belle Fourche | 5,955 | 151.1 | C |
| 14 | Lead | 3,054 | 163.7 | C |
| 15 | Flandreau | 2,353 | 170.0 | C |
| 16 | Burke | 577 | 173.3 | C |
| 17 | Vermillion | 12,110 | 181.7 | C |
| 18 | Hot Springs | 3,686 | 189.9 | C |
| 19 | Beresford | 2,079 | 192.4 | C |
| 20 | North Sioux City | 3,049 | 196.8 | C |
| 21 | Whitewood | 962 | 207.9 | D+ |
| 22 | Sisseton | 2,401 | 208.2 | D+ |
| 23 | Sturgis | 7,056 | 226.8 | D+ |
| 24 | Canton | 3,059 | 261.5 | D+ |
| 25 | Mitchell | 15,607 | 262.7 | D+ |
| 26 | Spearfish | 13,657 | 263.6 | D+ |
| 27 | Aberdeen | 28,004 | 267.8 | D+ |
| 28 | Yankton | 15,698 | 273.9 | D |
| 29 | Mobridge | 3,217 | 279.8 | D |
| 30 | Huron | 14,740 | 291.7 | D |
| 31 | Watertown | 23,417 | 303.2 | D |
| 32 | Clark | 1,162 | 344.2 | D |
| 33 | Box Elder | 14,589 | 349.6 | D |
| 34 | Chamberlain | 2,497 | 440.5 | F |
| 35 | Pierre | 13,822 | 506.4 | F |
| 36 | Centerville | 968 | 516.5 | F |
| 37 | Sioux Falls | 210,926 | 526.7 | F |
| 38 | Wagner | 1,407 | 639.7 | F |
| 39 | Rapid City | 80,957 | 718.9 | F |
| 40 | Deadwood | 1,413 | 990.8 | F |
| 41 | Martin | 936 | 1388.9 | F |
About This Data
Crime rates are from the FBI's 2024 Uniform Crime Report, the most recent data available. Rates are per 100,000 residents. Safety grades are based on national percentile ranking — an "A" means the city is safer than 80%+ of all US cities in our database.
Not all cities report to the FBI. Small agencies may have incomplete data. Always consider multiple years of data before drawing conclusions about a city's safety.
National demographic context: Crime and safety vary across racial and ethnic groups. Per-city demographic data is not published by the FBI, but national patterns show significant disparities. Full demographics | Racial disparities