City · Brown County, South Dakota

Groton, South Dakota

Groton is a city in Brown County, South Dakota, part of the Aberdeen, SD metro area. It has 1,691 residents. Groton, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,758 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #21 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), drought exposure (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on mental health care shortage (high), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,758 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #21 of 75 in SD
Population: 1,691 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 965.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 4626340

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety49#8,035/15,637
Economy78#3,513/15,631
Housing88#1,768/14,977
Health79#3,201/15,609
Healthcare62#5,989/15,650
Environment89#1,699/15,453
Education95#793/15,649
Infrastructure57#6,733/15,650
Community70#4,754/15,651
Leisure & amenities76#3,796/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Mammography screening · high61.0%
99/100South Dakota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBrown County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100South Dakota 38%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAABrown County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.7 µg/m³
98/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBrown County value
Reading scores · high3.49
97/100South Dakota 3.07United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteBrown County value
Average commute time · low16.8 min
97/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Rent-burdened households · low39.2%
96/100South Dakota 39.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070

Weaknesses

Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100South Dakota 18.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationBrown County value
Distance to an airport · high127 mi
4/100South Dakota 114 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBrown County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high126 mi
7/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauBrown County value
Public EV charging ports · low1.1 /10k
12/100South Dakota 3.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyBrown 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
Pharmacies · low1.1 /10k
16/100South Dakota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsBrown County value

Trends

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

New homes permittedWorsening
2.4 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
21.5% (2015-2019) → 35.5% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.3% (2015-2019) → 93.3% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$62,679 (2015-2019) → $89,861 (2020-2024)
+43%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
46.8% (2015-2019) → 39.2% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Income inequality (Gini index)Improving
0.478 (2015-2019) → 0.380 (2020-2024)
−21%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Groton, South Dakota improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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

Bachelor's++14 points21.5% → 35.5%
Inequality−0.0980.478 → 0.380
Broadband+14 points79.3% → 93.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Groton, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.4 min2015-2019	16.8 min2020-2024	−1.5 min	Within the margin of error	66%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.5%2015-2019	35.5%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	96%
Broadband subscriptions	79.3%2015-2019	93.3%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	76%
Effective property tax rate	1.50%2015-2019	1.31%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
High school diploma or higher	96.5%2015-2019	95.6%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	91%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4782015-2019	0.3802020-2024	−0.098	Improved	95%
Median household income	$62,6792015-2019	$89,8612020-2024	+43%	Within the margin of error	78%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	26.4%2015-2019	23.8%2020-2024	−2.6 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	46.8%2015-2019	39.2%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.9%2015-2019	5.5%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	21%

“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 Groton, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Groton, 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, Groton, South Dakota itself moved +16.8 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

1,691 residents (±396)

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: 10–19 women (−5.9 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

1,691 residents (±396)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

White90%1,522
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino5.2%†88

Education

1,112 residents (±225)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

No high school diploma4.4%†49
High school or GED26%†289
Some college18%†

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

625 households (±121)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k9.1%†57
$25k–50k18%†113
$50k–75k13%†84
$75k–100k13%†79
$100k–150k17%†107
$150k–200k17%†106
$200k or more13%†79

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $150k–200k (+10.5 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

625 households (±121)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own73%457
Rent27%†168

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

153 households (±54)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $75012%†19
$750–1,00042%†65
$1,000–1,50042%†65

Home values

457 homes (±101)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $150k38%†172
$150k–250k27%†122
$250k–400k21%†96

Age of homes

694 homes (±122)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

2010 or later11%†79
2000–200911%†73
1980–199922%†153

Size of homes

694 homes (±122)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Studio0.7%†5
1 bedroom2.5%†17
2 bedrooms31%218

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

853 workers (±213)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone91%780
Carpool3.3%†28
Public transit0.0%0
Walk1.5%†13
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.8%†32
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−3.1 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

821 workers (±210)

Groton, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under 15 min38%†315
15–29 min49%406
30–44 min8.3%†68

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 Aberdeen, 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 Brown County, the county holding most of Groton's residents.

Brown County has 1,245 employer establishments, 330 for every 10,000 residents (1.33× the US rate of 248; 1.04× South Dakota's), with 17,306 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,742. The Census Bureau also counts 3,186 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,245; 3,186 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 330; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 17,306
Average annual pay: $49,742; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	102	27.1	1.75×More than typical	532	$65,558	190
Ambulatory health care services	81	21.5	1.03×About typical	894	$68,838	127
Restaurants and other eating places	63	16.7	0.91×About typical	1,202	$19,395	13
Lessors of real estate	60	15.9	1.29×More than typical	183	$54,962	539
Construction of buildings	53	14.1	1.86×More than typical	206	$63,175	76
Insurance agencies and brokerages	49	13	2.96×More than typical	200	$67,460	87
Building equipment contractors	48	12.7	2.12×More than typical	263	$54,205	26
Religious organizations	38	10.1	1.82×More than typical	257	$26,012	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	37	9.8	1.95×More than typical	156	$45,955	43
Services to buildings and dwellings	34	9	1.34×More than typical	137	$33,715	174
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	31	8.2	3.09×More than typical	400	$14,778	25
Truck transportation	31	8.2	1.63×More than typical	134	$54,940	98

Rank places for an industry Open Brown County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 37,679 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: Groton is mostly in Brown County.

See federal money in Brown 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.

Groton, 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.

Brown County91100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Aberdeen, SD90

Other cities and towns in Brown 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

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