countyscore

Best Counties for Families in South Dakota 2026

66 counties ranked with the Family lens of the County Fit Score.

Top 5 Family Counties in South Dakota

1Harding County
78.2
baseline 74.8
2Hand County
74.2
baseline 72.3
3Sully County
73.6
baseline 70
4Miner County
71.8
baseline 68
5Grant County
71.7
baseline 68.9

All 66 Family-Ranked Counties in South Dakota

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Harding County, SD78.274.8+3.4
2Hand County, SD74.272.3+1.9
3Sully County, SD73.670+3.6
4Miner County, SD71.868+3.8
5Grant County, SD71.768.9+2.8
6Potter County, SD71.466.2+5.2
7Hutchinson County, SD70.665.7+4.9
8Deuel County, SD69.467.3+2.1
9Perkins County, SD68.766.3+2.4
10Stanley County, SD68.460.1+8.3
11Kingsbury County, SD67.466.5+0.9
12Faulk County, SD67.168.8-1.7
13Buffalo County, SD66.865.9+0.9
14Campbell County, SD66.862.9+3.9
15Jackson County, SD6666.7-0.7
16Edmunds County, SD65.162.8+2.3
17Hanson County, SD64.562.2+2.3
18Bon Homme County, SD63.961.9+2
19Haakon County, SD63.765.5-1.8
20Douglas County, SD62.861.5+1.3
21Aurora County, SD62.461.3+1.1
22Lyman County, SD62.259.4+2.8
23Gregory County, SD6261.9+0.1
24Jerauld County, SD6265.9-3.9
25Marshall County, SD61.864.5-2.7
26Sanborn County, SD61.761.6+0.1
27McPherson County, SD61.560.5+1
28Spink County, SD61.558.6+2.9
29Hamlin County, SD61.357.1+4.2
30Turner County, SD61.259.3+1.9
31Ziebach County, SD61.163.9-2.8
32Dewey County, SD60.654.1+6.5
33Day County, SD60.460.5-0.1
34McCook County, SD59.558.8+0.7
35Oglala Lakota County, SD59.465.4-6
36Clark County, SD58.463-4.6
37Hyde County, SD57.957.4+0.5
38Jones County, SD57.458.8-1.4
39Charles Mix County, SD56.555.3+1.2
40Mellette County, SD55.651.9+3.7
41Custer County, SD54.250.7+3.5
42Union County, SD53.551.5+2
43Walworth County, SD5350.6+2.4
44Roberts County, SD52.552.8-0.3
45Todd County, SD51.250.5+0.7
46Minnehaha County, SD5149.5+1.5
47Tripp County, SD50.350.7-0.4
48Corson County, SD50.149+1.1
49Brookings County, SD49.948.5+1.4
50Moody County, SD48.850.5-1.7
51Lake County, SD47.551-3.5
52Fall River County, SD45.946.6-0.7
53Yankton County, SD43.442.9+0.5
54Brown County, SD43.342.5+0.8
55Brule County, SD43.346.4-3.1
56Butte County, SD42.643.5-0.9
57Hughes County, SD42.642.3+0.3
58Davison County, SD41.743.3-1.6
59Lawrence County, SD41.243.9-2.7
60Beadle County, SD40.743.2-2.5
61Bennett County, SD37.443-5.6
62Codington County, SD37.240.4-3.2
63Lincoln County, SD35.134.4+0.7
64Clay County, SD32.737.1-4.4
65Meade County, SD32.334.5-2.2
66Pennington County, SD25.627.8-2.2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for families in South Dakota?

Based on the Family lens, Harding County ranks as the top family county in South Dakota with a County Fit Score of 78.2. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in South Dakota are ranked for families?

We rank 66 counties in South Dakota with the Family lens, using independent importance values for schools, safety, affordability, health, income, taxes, and disaster risk.

Also Browse South Dakota Counties For

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Family Rankings by State

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Data: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS, 2019-2023 ACS — Informational only. Not financial or legal advice.