The Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in South Dakota
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August 15, 2024
Although the state's economy is based mostly on agriculture, other industries such as tourism, forestry, and mining are still important to the state. South Dakota ranked among the top five states for growth in gross domestic product and personal income. Despite its booming economy, crime rates remain high in South Dakota compared to the national average.
With a lower-than-average cost of living and lower energy costs than the rest of the United States (on average), it might make a nice place to visit or even move to for a career and to raise a family. But South Dakota does have higher violent and property crime rates than the national average, making personal safety and home security of paramount importance for South Dakota residents.
Statewide Crime Trends in South Dakota
Statewide, crime in South Dakota trends higher on and near reservations, where persistent historical, social, and economic adversities have made lowering crime rates more difficult.
According to Reynold Nesiba, Ph.D., an economics professor at Augustana University:
“South Dakota continues to have some of the poorest counties in the entire country and we simply don't talk about them. GDP isn't the only way, or necessarily even the best way, to try and analyze economic progress or economic prosperity. I think you have to look at people's everyday lives …”
In November 2023, one South Dakota tribe declared a state of emergency on the state's largest Native American reservation due to rampant crime. Six months earlier, a federal judge ruled the U.S. government was obligated by a treaty to support police on the reservation.
Local leaders say the underfunding of police efforts by the government has kept the Pine Ridge area crime rates high. With only 33 police officers responding to more than 100,000 calls to 911 each year, gun violence, drug offenses, and rape have become more prevalent.
Property Crime in South Dakota
Generally speaking, violent and property crime rates in South Dakota are comparable to averages nationwide. However, rates vary between cities and locales, and rural areas and certain small towns may have a lower crime rate than Sioux Falls, Rapid City, or on reservations.
The state's property crime rate overall was 1,737 out of 100,000 in the most recent year for which federal crime data is available. That's 11 percent lower than the national average and ranks South Dakota No. 28 among U.S. states. The larceny-theft rate for South Dakota was 1,232 per 100,000, the burglary rate was 263, and the motor vehicle theft rate was 242.
The least safe cities in South Dakota were Rapid City, with 3,586 property crimes committed per 100,000 residents annually, Deadwood with 3,187, and Chamberlain with 3,182. Sioux Falls had a rate of 3,083. The safest cities in South Dakota for property crime were Hot Springs (166), Sisseton (84), and Wagner (70).
Violent Crime in South Dakota
South Dakota ranks No. 22 nationally for violent crime, with a violent crime rate of 377 per 100,000 residents annually, which is 1 percent lower than the national average.
The murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate was four per 100,000, rape was 56, robbery was 25, and aggravated assault was 292. The most dangerous cities in South Dakota for violent crime were Deadwood (with a violent crime rate of 876 per 100,000), Rapid City (682 per 100,00), and Sioux Falls (546 per 100,00).
Our Data
Our data comes from comprehensive reporting compiled by the FBI and accessed via the Crime Data Explorer website. Property and violent crime state figures were drawn from Table 5 of the 2022 Crime in the U.S. Report. Metropolitan figures were found in Table 6, “Crime in the U.S. by Metropolitan Statistical Area.” City-level figures were drawn from Table 8, “Offenses Known to Law Enforcement by State by City.” The population figures in that table are U.S. Census Bureau provisional estimates as of July 1, 2020.
Limitations: According to the FBI, the data in the publication tables may differ from those released on the Explorer Pages of the CDE. These variations are due to the difference in methodologies between the publication tables and data displayed on the CDE. Please note that crime statistics are not the sole measure of a city’s safety.