Mellette County, South Dakota
Population 1,943 · White River, Wood
- Overall cost of living: −13.3% vs the US average, lower than 70% of US counties.
- Life expectancy: 59.4 yrs, lower than 99% of US counties.
- Street intersections: 0 per sq mi, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−13.3% | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for all of South Dakota outside its metro areas. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $84,100 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Median rent | $708 | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $184/mo | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,928/yr | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.98% | higher than 62% 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 | $825 | lower than 85% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $54,076 | lower than 80% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3% | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +2.7% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 78.4 | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈224 days | higher than 68% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 88°F | higher than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 12°F | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈40 in | higher than 80% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Cedar Butte, SD, 11 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | ≈45 days | higher than 62% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Cedar Butte, SD, 11 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | ≈156 days | higher than 79% of US counties |
| ≈ Weather station: Cedar Butte, SD, 11 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Severe drought | 17.2% of weeks | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈55.1°F | lower than 82% 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 | 20.4 in | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $134/yr | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $74/yr | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $0.99/yr | lower than 71% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $7.8/yr | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $38/yr | higher than 94% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 4.4 µg/m³ | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 469.2 mi | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈962.7 ft | higher than 74% 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 | 83.5% | lower than 86% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 19.1% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 5.4% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 1 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 9.5:1 | lower than 95% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | N/A | |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 6.59 | lower than 85% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.32 | lower than 73% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.47 | lower than 94% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | N/A | |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | N/A | |
| Life expectancy | 59.4 yrs | lower than 99% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 15.2% | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| Dentists / 100k | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | N/A |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 76 min | higher than 76% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 252 min | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 17 min | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 74.4% | lower than 96% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Work-from-home share | 13.9% | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 356 min | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 0 per sq mi | the lowest in the US |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 1.9 per 1k | lower than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | N/A | |
| Population | 1,943 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Median age | 37.5 | lower than 82% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -10.6 per 1k/yr | lower than 93% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 38.5% Dem | higher than 71% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 58.6% Rep | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 2.8% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % White | 34.7% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 0.9% | lower than 96% of US counties |
| % Black | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Asian | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 56% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.4% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 7.5% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 46 parks | lower than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Drive to dark skies | Dark here | the lowest in the US |
| 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 | 1 | lower than 90% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 2 km | lower than 95% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 0 km | the lowest in the US |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bars within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 4 km | lower than 58% 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