countyscore

Best Counties for Retirement in South Dakota 2026

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

Top 5 Retirement Counties in South Dakota

1Jerauld County
75.7
baseline 66.2
2Sully County
74.7
baseline 71.9
3Faulk County
74.6
baseline 69.5
4Hand County
73.9
baseline 71.9
5Clark County
73.3
baseline 63.2

All 66 Retirement-Ranked Counties in South Dakota

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Jerauld County, SD75.766.2+9.5
2Sully County, SD74.771.9+2.8
3Faulk County, SD74.669.5+5.1
4Hand County, SD73.971.9+2
5Clark County, SD73.363.2+10.1
6Marshall County, SD72.265.2+7
7Kingsbury County, SD70.967.2+3.7
8Harding County, SD70.670.9-0.3
9Hyde County, SD70.361.7+8.6
10Haakon County, SD69.964.8+5.1
11Buffalo County, SD69.272.8-3.6
12Miner County, SD69.168.4+0.7
13Douglas County, SD6963.5+5.5
14Grant County, SD68.967.5+1.4
15Perkins County, SD68.965.6+3.3
16Deuel County, SD68.467.1+1.3
17Jones County, SD67.860.5+7.3
18Sanborn County, SD67.862.4+5.4
19Edmunds County, SD67.763.1+4.6
20Potter County, SD6663.6+2.4
21Aurora County, SD65.161.7+3.4
22Hanson County, SD64.860+4.8
23Oglala Lakota County, SD64.766-1.3
24Bon Homme County, SD64.361.7+2.6
25Campbell County, SD64.362.5+1.8
26Jackson County, SD63.966.4-2.5
27Turner County, SD63.760.1+3.6
28Gregory County, SD63.263.9-0.7
29Hutchinson County, SD63.265.1-1.9
30McPherson County, SD63.260.1+3.1
31Day County, SD62.859.9+2.9
32Ziebach County, SD62.863.7-0.9
33Stanley County, SD60.460.3+0.1
34Spink County, SD6057.6+2.4
35Lake County, SD59.749.7+10
36Hamlin County, SD5856.1+1.9
37Union County, SD57.251.6+5.6
38McCook County, SD56.953.7+3.2
39Walworth County, SD55.352.5+2.8
40Moody County, SD54.849.3+5.5
41Mellette County, SD54.455.9-1.5
42Lyman County, SD53.959-5.1
43Roberts County, SD53.753.4+0.3
44Charles Mix County, SD53.355.1-1.8
45Minnehaha County, SD52.749.3+3.4
46Brookings County, SD52.248.6+3.6
47Custer County, SD51.950.3+1.6
48Fall River County, SD51.547.1+4.4
49Butte County, SD51.444.9+6.5
50Tripp County, SD5150.2+0.8
51Todd County, SD49.551-1.5
52Lawrence County, SD4944.2+4.8
53Hughes County, SD47.942.1+5.8
54Beadle County, SD47.442.6+4.8
55Codington County, SD47.342+5.3
56Bennett County, SD46.944.2+2.7
57Clay County, SD45.936.4+9.5
58Yankton County, SD44.543.4+1.1
59Brown County, SD44.243+1.2
60Corson County, SD44.248-3.8
61Davison County, SD44.241.2+3
62Brule County, SD42.741.4+1.3
63Dewey County, SD42.352.5-10.2
64Meade County, SD41.934.2+7.7
65Lincoln County, SD3934.5+4.5
66Pennington County, SD31.928+3.9

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in South Dakota?

Based on the Retiree lens, Jerauld County ranks as the top retirement county in South Dakota with a County Fit Score of 75.7. The baseline CountyScore remains visible for context.

How many counties in South Dakota are ranked for retirement?

We rank 66 counties in South Dakota with the Retiree lens, using independent importance values for health, safety, taxes, cost, disaster risk, water, and weather.

Also Browse South Dakota Counties For

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Retirement 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.