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
76.3
baseline 70.9
2Sully County
75.3
baseline 71.9
3Hand County
74
baseline 71.9
4Miner County
71.6
baseline 68.4
5Grant County
70.8
baseline 67.5

All 66 Family-Ranked Counties in South Dakota

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Harding County, SD76.370.9+5.4
2Sully County, SD75.371.9+3.4
3Hand County, SD7471.9+2.1
4Miner County, SD71.668.4+3.2
5Grant County, SD70.867.5+3.3
6Hutchinson County, SD7065.1+4.9
7Buffalo County, SD69.872.8-3
8Deuel County, SD69.567.1+2.4
9Potter County, SD69.363.6+5.7
10Stanley County, SD6960.3+8.7
11Kingsbury County, SD68.367.2+1.1
12Perkins County, SD68.165.6+2.5
13Faulk County, SD66.669.5-2.9
14Campbell County, SD66.362.5+3.8
15Jackson County, SD65.966.4-0.5
16Edmunds County, SD65.463.1+2.3
17Gregory County, SD64.863.9+0.9
18Haakon County, SD64.464.8-0.4
19Douglas County, SD64.263.5+0.7
20Bon Homme County, SD64.161.7+2.4
21Sanborn County, SD63.162.4+0.7
22Marshall County, SD62.765.2-2.5
23Hanson County, SD62.660+2.6
24Lyman County, SD62.359+3.3
25Aurora County, SD62.261.7+0.5
26Ziebach County, SD61.963.7-1.8
27McPherson County, SD61.860.1+1.7
28Turner County, SD61.660.1+1.5
29Jerauld County, SD61.566.2-4.7
30Hamlin County, SD60.856.1+4.7
31Day County, SD60.259.9+0.3
32Hyde County, SD60.161.7-1.6
33Spink County, SD60.157.6+2.5
34Oglala Lakota County, SD59.866-6.2
35Clark County, SD59.163.2-4.1
36Dewey County, SD59.152.5+6.6
37Jones County, SD57.760.5-2.8
38Mellette County, SD57.555.9+1.6
39Charles Mix County, SD56.155.1+1
40McCook County, SD5653.7+2.3
41Walworth County, SD54.452.5+1.9
42Custer County, SD5450.3+3.7
43Union County, SD53.851.6+2.2
44Roberts County, SD52.753.4-0.7
45Todd County, SD51.551+0.5
46Minnehaha County, SD50.849.3+1.5
47Brookings County, SD50.148.6+1.5
48Tripp County, SD5050.2-0.2
49Corson County, SD49.848+1.8
50Moody County, SD4849.3-1.3
51Fall River County, SD47.147.10
52Lake County, SD46.549.7-3.2
53Butte County, SD44.144.9-0.8
54Brown County, SD43.643+0.6
55Yankton County, SD43.343.4-0.1
56Hughes County, SD42.542.1+0.4
57Lawrence County, SD41.944.2-2.3
58Beadle County, SD4142.6-1.6
59Davison County, SD40.741.2-0.5
60Brule County, SD39.641.4-1.8
61Bennett County, SD3944.2-5.2
62Codington County, SD3942-3
63Lincoln County, SD35.234.5+0.7
64Meade County, SD31.834.2-2.4
65Clay County, SD31.536.4-4.9
66Pennington County, SD2628-2

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 76.3. 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.