City · Custer County, South Dakota

Custer, South Dakota

Custer is a city in Custer County, South Dakota, part of the Rapid City, SD metro area. It has 2,341 residents. Custer, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 79 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,252 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #35 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on child care cost burden (low), rent-burdened households (low) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on distance to an airport (high), distance to an Amtrak station (high) and comfortable days (low).

79High

Quality-of-life score: #3,252 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #35 of 75 in SD
Population: 2,341 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 907.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 4615140

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety73#4,177/15,637
Economy55#7,007/15,631
Housing97#466/14,977
Health83#2,621/15,609
Healthcare23#12,014/15,650
Environment54#7,171/15,453
Education62#5,875/15,649
Infrastructure50#7,900/15,650
Community94#870/15,651
Leisure & amenities81#2,909/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Custer, South Dakota ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Custer 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

Child care cost burden · low17.4%
99/100South Dakota 21.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCuster County value
Rent-burdened households · low31.2%
99/100South Dakota 39.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCuster County value
Restaurants and bars · high18.0 /10k
98/100South Dakota 10.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCuster County value
Public EV charging ports · high23.3 /10k
97/100South Dakota 3.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyCuster County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.7 µg/m³
97/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyCuster County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an airport · high275 mi
0/100South Dakota 114 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCuster County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high242 mi
1/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCuster County value
Comfortable days · low22.0%
3/100South Dakota 22.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationCuster County value
Traffic deaths · high36.0 /100k
4/100South Dakota 15.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataCuster County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100South Dakota 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCuster County value
Suicide rate · high27.9 /100k
5/100South Dakota 22.3 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataCuster County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
2.9 /1k (2021) → 6.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+106%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
70.5% (2015-2019) → 90.2% (2020-2024)
+20 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
42.4% (2015-2019) → 31.2% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$50,345 (2015-2019) → $78,369 (2020-2024)
+56%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
8.0% (2015-2019) → 17.3% (2020-2024)
+9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
22.6% (2015-2019) → 26.1% (2020-2024)
+3.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

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, Custer, South Dakota improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 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.

Improved2

Broadband+20 points70.5% → 90.2%
Household income+56%$50,345 → $78,369

Declined1

Uninsured+9.3 points8.0% → 17.3%

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Custer, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.0 min2015-2019	18.7 min2020-2024	+1.7 min	Within the margin of error	30%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.6%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Broadband subscriptions	70.5%2015-2019	90.2%2020-2024	+20 points	Improved	90%
Effective property tax rate	1.45%2015-2019	1.01%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	87%
High school diploma or higher	92.7%2015-2019	91.1%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	65%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4762015-2019	0.4892020-2024	+0.014	Within the margin of error	39%
Median household income	$50,3452015-2019	$78,3692020-2024	+56%	Improved	88%
Poverty rate	14.2%2015-2019	14.2%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.8%2015-2019	23.1%2020-2024	−2.7 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent-burdened households	42.4%2015-2019	31.2%2020-2024	−11 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.0%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	+9.3 points	Declined	4%

“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 Custer, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Custer, 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, Custer, South Dakota itself moved +7.4 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

2,341 residents (±323)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

1,169 households (±166)

Custer, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k19%†224
$25k–50k14%†169
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,169 households (±166)

Custer, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own70%813
Rent30%†356

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,025 workers (±214)

Custer, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone82%838
Carpool7.0%†72
Public transit0.0%0

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 Rapid City, SD

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 Custer County, the county holding most of Custer's residents.

Custer County has 327 employer establishments, 359 for every 10,000 residents (1.45× the US rate of 248; 1.13× South Dakota's), with 1,536 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,382. The Census Bureau also counts 1,039 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 327; 1,039 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 359; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 1,536
Average annual pay: $47,382; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	28	30.7	1.67×More than typical	243	$33,222	3
Specialty trade contractors	27	29.6	1.91×More than typical	85	$49,506	81
Construction of buildings	21	23.1	3.05×More than typical	55	$42,673	66
Traveler accommodation	20	22	12.2×More than typical	39	$165,308	23
Full-service restaurants	16	17.6	2.29×More than typical	152	$39,289	—
RV parks and recreational camps	16	17.6	74.1×More than typical	41	$29,463	12
Services to buildings and dwellings	13	14.3	2.12×More than typical	30	$32,467	65
Ambulatory health care services	12	13.2	0.63×Fewer than typical	64	$59,859	39
Lessors of real estate	12	13.2	1.07×About typical	34	$45,235	141
Religious organizations	12	13.2	2.38×More than typical	39	$16,179	—
Other specialty trade contractors	10	11	4.37×More than typical	19	$53,895	34
Building equipment contractors	9	9.9	1.64×Too few to compare	45	$47,156	10

Rank places for an industry Open Custer County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 9,108 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Custer 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.

Custer, 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.

Custer County82100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Rapid City, SD74

Other cities and towns in Custer 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/4615140

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends