Scores by category

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

Safety71#4,496/15,637
Economy3#15,196/15,631
Housing—
Health5#14,850/15,609
Healthcare4#15,099/15,650
Environment90#1,558/15,453
Education—
Infrastructure9#14,208/15,650
Community0#15,651/15,651
Leisure & amenities42#9,049/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Dentists · high265 /100k
100/100South Dakota 65 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBuffalo County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low3.9 µg/m³
100/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBuffalo County value
Grocery stores · high5.6 /10k
99/100South Dakota 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBuffalo County value
Job growth · high6.9%
99/100South Dakota 0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataBuffalo County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 15.3 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionBuffalo County value
Average commute time · low11.0 min
99/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high52.1%
0/100South Dakota 9.9%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Premature death · high49,692 /100k
0/100South Dakota 8,706 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBuffalo County value
Life expectancy · low52.9 yrs
0/100South Dakota 77.4 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBuffalo County value
Injury deaths · high355 /100k
0/100South Dakota 90 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBuffalo County value
Traffic deaths · high118.0 /100k
0/100South Dakota 15.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataBuffalo County value
Primary care physicians · low0 /100k
0/100South Dakota 80 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBuffalo County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,235 (2015-2019) → 1,147 (2020-2024)
−7.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.3× (2015-2019) → 3.2× (2020-2024)
+146%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
38.5% (2015-2019) → 65.3% (2020-2024)
+27 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$23,594 (2015-2019) → $47,159 (2020-2024)
+100%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateImproving
27.8% (2015-2019) → 10.5% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
31.8% (2015-2019) → 44.5% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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 Thompson, South Dakota improved on 3 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved3

Household income+100%$23,594 → $47,159
High school++11 points75.7% → 86.4%
Broadband+27 points38.5% → 65.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Fort Thompson, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.1 min2015-2019	11.0 min2020-2024	+0.9 min	Within the margin of error	37%
Broadband subscriptions	38.5%2015-2019	65.3%2020-2024	+27 points	Improved	96%
Child poverty rate	57.5%2015-2019	56.8%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	49%
High school diploma or higher	75.7%2015-2019	86.4%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	96%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5302015-2019	0.4672020-2024	−0.063	Within the margin of error	88%
Median household income	$23,5942015-2019	$47,1592020-2024	+100%	Improved	98%
Poverty rate	52.0%2015-2019	41.6%2020-2024	−10 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	22.6%2015-2019	22.9%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent-burdened households	31.8%2015-2019	44.5%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	44.0%2015-2019	52.1%2020-2024	+8.1 points	Within the margin of error	5%

“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 Thompson, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Fort Thompson, 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 Thompson, South Dakota itself moved +2.3 points in standing on average over the same 7 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

1,147 residents (±210)

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: Under 10 women (−4.8 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

1,147 residents (±210)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

White4.3%†49
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino0.6%†7

Education

558 residents (±95)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

No high school diploma14%†76
High school or GED57%316
Some college11%†64

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

337 households (±57)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k40%†135
$25k–50k13%†43
$50k–75k22%†75
$75k–100k10%†35
$100k–150k12%†39
$150k–200k1.5%†5
$200k or more1.5%†5

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+10.7 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 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

337 households (±57)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own39%†132
Rent61%205

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−11.0 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 B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

173 households (±44)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $75065%†113
$750–1,00012%†21
$1,000–1,50023%†39

Home values

132 homes (±46)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $150k50%†66
$150k–250k50%†66
$250k–400k0.0%0

Age of homes

386 homes (±54)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

2010 or later3.4%†13
2000–20092.3%†9
1980–199926%†101

Size of homes

386 homes (±54)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Studio1.0%†4
1 bedroom13%†52
2 bedrooms18%†71

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

342 workers (±91)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone91%310
Carpool0.0%0
Public transit0.0%0
Walk4.4%†15
Bike0.0%0
Work from home2.3%†8
Other2.6%†9

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+29.1 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

334 workers (±91)

Fort Thompson, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under 15 min65%†218
15–29 min28%†92
30–44 min7.2%†

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

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 Buffalo County, the county holding most of Fort Thompson's residents.

Buffalo County has 11 employer establishments, 58.8 for every 10,000 residents (0.24× the US rate of 248; 0.19× South Dakota's), with 135 paid employees at an average annual pay of $28,956. The Census Bureau also counts 62 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 11; 62 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 58.8; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 135
Average annual pay: $28,956; US $68,342

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

Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Advertising, public relations and related services	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Ambulatory health care services	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Architectural, engineering and related services	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Banks and credit unions	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Barber shops	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Beauty salons	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Beer, wine and liquor stores	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—
Building equipment contractors	0.00×Too few to compare	—	—

Rank places for an industry Open Buffalo County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,870 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 $3.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Fort Thompson, South Dakota: $3,059 per resident (US $2,007).

Obligations: $3.5M; +456% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3,059; US $2,007
Sole-source: 3.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.3%; US 8.7%

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

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$2.6M75%
Indian Health Service$834.9K24%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$48.5K1.4%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$2,9810.1%

Top recipients

THREE OAKS CONSTRUCTION, INC$1.6M45%
AMS INDUSTRIAL LLC$1M29%
RAZOR CONSULTING SOLUTIONS, INC$393.2K11%
LACREEK DEVELOPMENT CORP$232.1K6.6%
RED LAKE CONSTRUCTION, LLC$72.3K2.1%

Spending by fiscal year

1.7MFY2017
429.9KFY2018
2.1MFY2019
519.6KFY2020
1.6MFY2021
864.1KFY2022
3.4MFY2023
2.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$2.6M74%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$697.6K20%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215$50K1.4%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$45.8K1.3%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$44.8K1.3%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 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 Fort Thompson, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Fort Thompson, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Buffalo County, SD ($18.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 19% of that total.

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

See federal money in Buffalo 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 Thompson, 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.

Buffalo County24100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Buffalo County

Largest first.

Gann Valley6

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
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/4622340

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends