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

1Harding County
74.8
baseline 74.8
2Jerauld County
74.7
baseline 65.9
3Hand County
74.3
baseline 72.3
4Clark County
73.5
baseline 63
5Sully County
73.2
baseline 70

All 66 Retirement-Ranked Counties in South Dakota

RankCountyCounty Fit Scorebaseline CountyScoreDelta
1Harding County, SD74.874.80
2Jerauld County, SD74.765.9+8.8
3Hand County, SD74.372.3+2
4Clark County, SD73.563+10.5
5Sully County, SD73.270+3.2
6Faulk County, SD7368.8+4.2
7Marshall County, SD71.864.5+7.3
8Haakon County, SD71.465.5+5.9
9Kingsbury County, SD70.766.5+4.2
10Grant County, SD70.368.9+1.4
11Perkins County, SD69.466.3+3.1
12Deuel County, SD68.867.3+1.5
13Miner County, SD68.268+0.2
14Potter County, SD68.266.2+2
15Sanborn County, SD67.561.6+5.9
16Edmunds County, SD67.462.8+4.6
17Douglas County, SD67.161.5+5.6
18Hanson County, SD66.462.2+4.2
19Hyde County, SD65.757.4+8.3
20Jones County, SD65.558.8+6.7
21Bon Homme County, SD64.861.9+2.9
22Aurora County, SD64.561.3+3.2
23Campbell County, SD64.362.9+1.4
24Oglala Lakota County, SD64.165.4-1.3
25McPherson County, SD63.960.5+3.4
26Hutchinson County, SD63.765.7-2
27Jackson County, SD63.666.7-3.1
28Ziebach County, SD63.663.9-0.3
29Day County, SD63.360.5+2.8
30Turner County, SD62.759.3+3.4
31Gregory County, SD62.461.9+0.5
32Buffalo County, SD61.865.9-4.1
33McCook County, SD61.458.8+2.6
34Lake County, SD60.851+9.8
35Stanley County, SD60.460.1+0.3
36Spink County, SD60.358.6+1.7
37Hamlin County, SD59.157.1+2
38Union County, SD57.451.5+5.9
39Moody County, SD55.850.5+5.3
40Lyman County, SD54.459.4-5
41Walworth County, SD53.750.6+3.1
42Charles Mix County, SD53.455.3-1.9
43Roberts County, SD52.952.8+0.1
44Minnehaha County, SD52.849.5+3.3
45Brookings County, SD52.348.5+3.8
46Custer County, SD52.350.7+1.6
47Fall River County, SD51.646.6+5
48Tripp County, SD51.550.7+0.8
49Butte County, SD50.443.5+6.9
50Mellette County, SD49.751.9-2.2
51Lawrence County, SD49.143.9+5.2
52Todd County, SD4950.5-1.5
53Beadle County, SD48.443.2+5.2
54Hughes County, SD48.142.3+5.8
55Brule County, SD47.146.4+0.7
56Bennett County, SD46.443+3.4
57Codington County, SD46.340.4+5.9
58Davison County, SD46.343.3+3
59Clay County, SD46.237.1+9.1
60Corson County, SD45.449-3.6
61Brown County, SD43.842.5+1.3
62Yankton County, SD43.742.9+0.8
63Dewey County, SD43.654.1-10.5
64Meade County, SD4234.5+7.5
65Lincoln County, SD38.934.4+4.5
66Pennington County, SD31.827.8+4

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best county for retirement in South Dakota?

Based on the Retiree lens, Harding County ranks as the top retirement county in South Dakota with a County Fit Score of 74.8. 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.