The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota - 2018 Ranking!

South Dakota is a Midwestern state covered in prairies, plains, and the mineral-rich Black Hills. The territory was added to the Union on November 2, 1889, making it the 40th state to join.

Today, tourism makes up a major part of South Dakota’s economy. Visitors flock to the state to see Mount Rushmore, an enormous sculpture that features 60-foot-tall sculptures of the faces of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, giving South Dakota the nickname of The Mount Rushmore State.

South Dakota is also the second-largest producer of sunflower seed and oil in the nation and a leader in honey production.

If you are considering moving to South Dakota or you already live there, make sure to continue reading to find out how safe South Dakota is compared to other states, and learn about its safest cities based on the most recent FBI crime report.

Ranking at #17 in terms of safety, South Dakota is home to 865,454 residents with a 418.4 violent crimes per 100,000 people and a 1,980.6 property crime rate per 100,000 people. When it comes to safe and dangerous cities, Brandon is considered the safest city in the state with a 378 crime rate per 100,000 people. Brookings, the 4th most populous city in South Dakota is the 5th safest city with a 1706 crime rate per 100,000 people and is the only major city making this list.

On the other hand, Pierre, the state capital, comes in 1st as the most dangerous city with a 5011 crime rate per 100,000 people. After Pierre comes Rapid City, as the 2nd most dangerous city in the state. Also, Sioux Falls, the biggest city with a population of 175,152 residents is the 4th most dangerous with 3688 crime rate per 100,000 people.

The city of only 15.5 square miles and the majority of its population is female, Aberdeen comes in #10 in terms of safety, and Yankton ranked #12 with a 3437.4 crime rate per 100,000 people.

Find out if your city is one of the safest in the state, then review our resources for crime prevention tips and home security information.

More Information About South Dakota

Capital: Pierre

Number of Counties: 66

Overall Population: 865,454 inhabitants

Land Area: 77,183.8 square miles

Education Statistics: 27.5% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher, (percent of persons age 25 years+, 2011-2015)

Unemployment Rate: 3.5%

Crime Stats In South Dakota

Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 418.4

Property Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants: 1,980.6

South Dakota’s Safety Rank: #17

Disclaimer:

In creating this ranking, we excluded all cities with population less than 5,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

Table 1: Top 5 Safest Cities In South Dakota

Table 2: Top 5 Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota

Table 3: All Cities, Ranked By Population