Meade County, South Dakota
Population 30,546 · Sturgis, Box Elder, Summerset
- Overall cost of living: −10.8% vs the US average, higher than 55% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Unemployment rate: 2%, lower than 99% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−10.8% | higher than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Rapid City, SD metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $310,900 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,264 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $156/mo | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,928/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.01% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.2% | lower than 82% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $3,129 | higher than 86% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $74,790 | higher than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 2% | lower than 99% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +7.4% | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 222.3 | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈220 days | higher than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 13°F | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈54 in | higher than 90% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Rapid City WFO, SD, 15 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈24 days | lower than 61% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Rapid City WFO, SD, 15 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈144 days | higher than 72% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Rapid City WFO, SD, 15 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 21.3% of weeks | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈51.2°F | lower than 87% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 20 in | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $189/yr | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $100/yr | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $1.7/yr | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $5.3/yr | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $68/yr | higher than 97% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 5.6 µg/m³ | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 534.7 mi | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈2,402.2 ft | higher than 86% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 95% | higher than 91% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 27.8% | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 6.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.1:1 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 91.2% | higher than 62% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.68 | higher than 79% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.54 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.09 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.8 | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 55/100k | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 4★ | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 78.1 yrs | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 9.7% | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 382/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 71/100k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 57.8% | lower than 61% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 60 min | higher than 54% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 378 min | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 20 min | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 93.4% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 1% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.1% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 402 min | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 22 per sq mi | lower than 50% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.2 per 1k | lower than 72% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 10.8 per 1k | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Population | 30,546 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Median age | 37.3 | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +4.3 per 1k/yr | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 23.3% Dem | lower than 64% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 74.2% Rep | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.5% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % White | 85% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.7% | lower than 53% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.7% | higher than 51% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 1.6% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 5.4% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.7% | higher than 84% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 293 parks | higher than 82% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 10.8 | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 5.9 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 12 min | lower than 62% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.3% | lower than 79% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 13 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 577 km | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 1 km | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 17 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 47 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 19 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 8 | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 20 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 42 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 3 | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 54 km | higher than 75% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data