City · Stanley County, South Dakota

Fort Pierre, South Dakota

Fort Pierre is a city in Stanley County, South Dakota, part of the Pierre, SD metro area. It has 2,410 residents. Fort Pierre, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 70 out of 100 (high), ranking #4,621 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #45 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low), child care cost burden (low) and property crime rate (low). It ranks worst on public libraries (low), social associations (low) and distance to an airport (high).

70High

Quality-of-life score: #4,621 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #45 of 75 in SD
Population: 2,410 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 772.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 4622260

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 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.

Safety80#3,128/15,637
Economy70#4,623/15,631
Housing92#1,186/14,977
Health50#7,803/15,609
Healthcare49#7,959/15,650
Environment62#5,848/15,453
Education72#4,437/15,649
Infrastructure38#9,773/15,650
Community23#11,984/15,651
Leisure & amenities88#1,947/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low3.4 µg/m³
100/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyStanley County value
Child care cost burden · low16.1%
99/100South Dakota 21.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStanley County value
Property crime rate · low198 /100k
99/100South Dakota 1,312 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationStanley County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionStanley County value
Restaurants and bars · high19.9 /10k
98/100South Dakota 10.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsStanley County value
Pharmacies · high3.3 /10k
97/100South Dakota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsStanley County value

Weaknesses

Public libraries · low0.0 /10k
0/100South Dakota 1.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesStanley County value
Social associations · low0.0 /10k
0/100South Dakota 15.4 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStanley County value
Distance to an airport · high192 mi
1/100South Dakota 114 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauStanley County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high248 mi
1/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauStanley County value
Comfortable days · low21.8%
2/100South Dakota 22.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationStanley County value
Mental health providers · low33 /100k
3/100South Dakota 260 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteStanley County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
2,240 (2015-2019) → 2,410 (2020-2024)
+7.6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.1% (2015-2019) → 39.9% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
77.2% (2015-2019) → 90.4% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
35.7% (2015-2019) → 24.7% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
33.5% (2015-2019) → 24.7% (2020-2024)
−8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
5.1% (2015-2019) → 13.7% (2020-2024)
+8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

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, Fort Pierre, South Dakota improved on 2 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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

Inequality−0.0920.471 → 0.379
Broadband+13 points77.2% → 90.4%

Declined1

Bachelor's+−11 points35.7% → 24.7%

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Fort Pierre, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	12.7 min2015-2019	17.4 min2020-2024	+4.7 min	Within the margin of error	11%
Bachelor's degree or higher	35.7%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	−11 points	Declined	1%
Broadband subscriptions	77.2%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	74%
Effective property tax rate	1.44%2015-2019	1.05%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	83%
High school diploma or higher	94.5%2015-2019	95.6%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	25%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.3792020-2024	−0.092	Improved	94%
Median household income	$71,5792015-2019	$70,3572020-2024	−1.7%	Within the margin of error	6%
Rent as share of income	33.5%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	−8.8 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Rent-burdened households	55.1%2015-2019	39.9%2020-2024	−15 points	Within the margin of error	89%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.3%2015-2019	4.5%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	56%

“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 Fort Pierre, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Pierre, 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, Fort Pierre, South Dakota itself moved +10.3 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

2,410 residents (±179)

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

1,066 households (±101)

Fort Pierre, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k9.8%†104
$25k–50k26%†273
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,066 households (±101)

Fort Pierre, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own82%872
Rent18%†194

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

1,294 workers (±154)

Fort Pierre, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone80%1,031
Carpool9.4%†121
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 Pierre, 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 Stanley County, the county holding most of Fort Pierre's residents.

Stanley County has 119 employer establishments, 393 for every 10,000 residents (1.58× the US rate of 248; 1.24× South Dakota's), with 967 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,692. The Census Bureau also counts 373 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 119; 373 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 393; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 967
Average annual pay: $47,692; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	14	46.3	2.99×More than typical	165	$81,097	31
Construction of buildings	5	16.5	2.19×Too few to compare	44	$64,659	6
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	5	16.5	5.24×Too few to compare	25	$70,040	5
Gasoline stations	5	16.5	5.10×Too few to compare	57	$24,263	—
Other specialty trade contractors	5	16.5	6.58×Too few to compare	119	$89,546	11
Restaurants and other eating places	5	16.5	0.90×Too few to compare	131	$17,840	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	5	16.5	2.45×Too few to compare	28	$36,643	20
Heavy and civil engineering construction	4	13.2	11.5×Too few to compare	46	$77,761	—
Truck transportation	4	13.2	2.61×Too few to compare	11	$41,636	5
Ambulatory health care services	3	9.9	0.48×Too few to compare	12	$60,250	12
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	3	9.9	3.73×Too few to compare	1	$111,000	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	3	9.9	1.97×Too few to compare	10	$43,300	5

Rank places for an industry Open Stanley County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 3,026 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: Fort Pierre is mostly in Stanley County.

See federal money in Stanley 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.

Fort Pierre, 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.

Stanley County85100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Pierre, SD99

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/4622260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends