Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety64#5,606/15,637
Economy61#6,132/15,631
Housing79#3,179/14,977
Health82#2,806/15,609
Healthcare76#3,699/15,650
Environment89#1,661/15,453
Education73#4,185/15,649
Infrastructure63#5,760/15,650
Community97#504/15,651
Leisure & amenities49#8,054/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Canton, South Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Lincoln County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Life expectancy · high84.6 yrs
100/100South Dakota 77.4 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLincoln County value
Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100South Dakota 3.9United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesLincoln County value
Food environment index · high9.5
97/100South Dakota 7.5United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLincoln County value
Injury deaths · low46 /100k
97/100South Dakota 90 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLincoln County value
Rent-burdened households · low35.9%
97/100South Dakota 39.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.3 /10k
96/100South Dakota 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLincoln County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high157 mi
4/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLincoln County value
Restaurants and bars · low4.5 /10k
7/100South Dakota 10.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLincoln County value
Comfortable days · low22.9%
7/100South Dakota 22.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationLincoln County value
Drought exposure · high84%
9/100South Dakota 38%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAALincoln County value
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
10/100South Dakota 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLincoln County value
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100South Dakota 6.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
3,447 (2015-2019) → 3,033 (2020-2024)
−12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
1.3 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.1× (2015-2019) → 3.1× (2020-2024)
+51%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
28.0% (2015-2019) → 35.9% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
12.1% (2015-2019) → 4.9% (2020-2024)
−7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.1% (2015-2019) → 84.8% (2020-2024)
+5.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Canton, South Dakota improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined1

Price / income+1.1×2.1× → 3.1×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Canton, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.2 min2015-2019	19.9 min2020-2024	−0.3 min	Within the margin of error	51%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.6%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Broadband subscriptions	79.1%2015-2019	84.8%2020-2024	+5.7 points	Within the margin of error	36%
Effective property tax rate	1.42%2015-2019	1.24%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	56%
High school diploma or higher	89.4%2015-2019	92.1%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	20%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4752015-2019	0.4452020-2024	−0.030	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$62,0452015-2019	$60,8502020-2024	−1.9%	Within the margin of error	6%
Poverty rate	9.3%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Rent as share of income	26.9%2015-2019	23.8%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Rent-burdened households	28.0%2015-2019	35.9%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.4%2015-2019	13.2%2020-2024	−3.2 points	Within the margin of error	78%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Canton, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Canton, South Dakota in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Canton, South Dakota itself moved −4.9 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

3,033 residents (±18)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 70–79 women (+4.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

3,033 residents (±18)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

White92%2,799
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino1.7%†51

Education

2,194 residents (±185)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

No high school diploma7.9%†174
High school or GED45%991
Some college18%†401

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,409 households (±151)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k18%†253
$25k–50k25%†350
$50k–75k18%†256
$75k–100k12%†169
$100k–150k18%†251
$150k–200k2.5%†35
$200k or more6.7%†95

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,409 households (±151)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own68%959
Rent32%†450

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

435 households (±154)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $75066%†286
$750–1,0009.7%†42
$1,000–1,50025%†107

Home values

959 homes (±134)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $150k23%†221
$150k–250k47%†446
$250k–400k28%†265

Age of homes

1,540 homes (±177)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

2010 or later2.6%†40
2000–200911%†163
1980–199915%†232

Size of homes

1,540 homes (±177)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Studio3.3%†51
1 bedroom17%†264
2 bedrooms26%†402

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,500 workers (±199)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone74%1,105
Carpool6.1%†92
Public transit2.3%†35
Walk7.3%†109
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.3%†140
Other1.3%†19

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−12.7 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,360 workers (±169)

Canton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under 15 min46%629
15–29 min20%†271
30–44 min27%†366

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Sioux Falls, SD-MN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Lincoln County, the county holding most of Canton's residents.

Lincoln County has 2,184 employer establishments, 300 for every 10,000 residents (1.21× the US rate of 248; 0.95× South Dakota's), with 29,283 paid employees at an average annual pay of $60,659. The Census Bureau also counts 7,022 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,184; 7,022 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 300; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 29,283
Average annual pay: $60,659; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Lincoln County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	239	32.8	2.12×More than typical	1,459	$63,670	398
Ambulatory health care services	185	25.4	1.22×About typical	2,644	$78,312	300
Lessors of real estate	142	19.5	1.58×More than typical	468	$56,677	1,096
Construction of buildings	128	17.6	2.32×More than typical	846	$77,509	164
Offices of other health practitioners	96	13.2	2.17×More than typical	460	$52,615	155
Insurance agencies and brokerages	85	11.7	2.66×More than typical	314	$80,309	232
Real estate agents and brokers	80	11	2.26×More than typical	134	$79,545	212
Services to buildings and dwellings	78	10.7	1.59×More than typical	576	$51,380	279
Restaurants and other eating places	74	10.2	0.55×Fewer than typical	1,554	$20,849	18
Building finishing contractors	71	9.8	2.57×More than typical	435	$57,366	166
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	69	9.5	3.01×More than typical	375	$70,333	68
Building equipment contractors	62	8.5	1.41×More than typical	401	$56,022	42

Rank places for an industry Open Lincoln County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 72,813 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $16.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Canton, South Dakota: $5.58 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $16.9K; −72% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.58; US $1,994
Sole-source: 72%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$13.5K80%
Department of Veterans Affairs$3,42020%

Top recipients

ADAMS THERMAL SYSTEMS INC$13.5K80%
THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN GOOD SAMARITAN SOCIETY$3,42020%
STEELCASE INC.-$7.530.0%

Spending by fiscal year

101.8FY2017
28.6KFY2018
33.8KFY2019
7.5KFY2020
13.4KFY2021
10.1KFY2022
22.5KFY2023
52.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Engine, turbine, and power transmission equipment manufacturing · 3336$13.5K80%
Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$3,42020%
Machine shops and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing · 3327$35.650.2%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Canton, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Canton, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Lincoln County, SD ($857.9K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Canton is mostly in Lincoln County.

See federal money in Lincoln County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Canton, South Dakota is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Dusty JohnsonR-SD · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 4.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Lincoln County99100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sioux Falls, SD-MN98

Other cities and towns in Lincoln County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4609500

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends