Scores by category

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

Safety96#684/15,637
Economy48#8,115/15,631
Housing93#1,098/14,977
Health72#4,390/15,609
Healthcare70#4,769/15,650
Environment98#247/15,453
Education90#1,629/15,649
Infrastructure48#8,109/15,650
Community76#3,731/15,651
Leisure & amenities85#2,414/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Preventable hospital stays · low799 /100k
100/100South Dakota 2,787 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value
Average commute time · low11.4 min
100/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLake County value
Mammography screening · high60.0%
98/100South Dakota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.8 µg/m³
97/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLake County value
Injury deaths · low46 /100k
97/100South Dakota 90 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high181 mi
3/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLake County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
3/100South Dakota 18.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLake County value
Grocery stores · low0.9 /10k
10/100South Dakota 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLake County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.9 /10k
10/100South Dakota 3.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyLake County value
Pharmacies · low0.9 /10k
11/100South Dakota 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLake County value
Broadband subscriptions · low86.0%
19/100South Dakota 89.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
7,261 (2015-2019) → 6,094 (2020-2024)
−16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
3.1 /1k (2021) → 14.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+377%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Poverty rateImproving
19.5% (2015-2019) → 9.5% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
23.4% (2015-2019) → 14.1% (2020-2024)
−9.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.2× (2015-2019) → 2.9× (2020-2024)
+31%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherImproving
87.7% (2015-2019) → 92.8% (2020-2024)
+5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Madison, South Dakota improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 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.

Improved2

Poverty−10 points19.5% → 9.5%
Uninsured−4.9 points10.7% → 5.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Madison, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	10.8 min2015-2019	11.4 min2020-2024	+0.6 min	Within the margin of error	41%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.5%2015-2019	34.3%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Broadband subscriptions	83.5%2015-2019	86.0%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Child poverty rate	23.4%2015-2019	14.1%2020-2024	−9.3 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Effective property tax rate	1.61%2015-2019	1.23%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	83%
High school diploma or higher	87.7%2015-2019	92.8%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	+0.7×	Within the margin of error	36%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4292015-2019	0.4192020-2024	−0.011	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$55,0962015-2019	$65,5932020-2024	+19%	Within the margin of error	31%
Poverty rate	19.5%2015-2019	9.5%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	93%
Rent as share of income	30.6%2015-2019	30.7%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent-burdened households	52.2%2015-2019	51.5%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.7%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	−4.9 points	Improved	86%

“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 Madison, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Madison, 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, Madison, South Dakota itself moved −0.8 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

6,094 residents (±19)

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: 50–59 men (+2.7 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

6,094 residents (±19)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

White91%5,561
Black1.3%†80
Hispanic or Latino4.3%†264
Asian0.8%†49
American Indian and Alaska Native0.9%†52
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.3%†19
Other or two or more races1.1%†69

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Hispanic or Latino (+2.8 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

4,006 residents (±182)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

No high school diploma7.2%†287
High school or GED24%970
Some college19%757
Associate degree15%616
Bachelor's degree24%981
Graduate degree9.9%†395

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: High school or GED (−11.9 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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

2,573 households (±141)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k20%507
$25k–50k19%†485
$50k–75k18%†456
$75k–100k15%†387
$100k–150k19%486
$150k–200k5.4%†138
$200k or more4.4%†114

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−9.3 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

2,573 households (±141)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own60%1,549
Rent40%1,024

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

1,019 households (±167)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $75031%†319
$750–1,00020%†206
$1,000–1,50037%†373

Home values

1,549 homes (±172)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $150k33%†516
$150k–250k33%†510
$250k–400k28%440

Age of homes

2,870 homes (±130)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

2010 or later7.2%†207
2000–20098.3%†239
1980–199921%†589

Size of homes

2,870 homes (±130)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Studio1.8%†52
1 bedroom16%†447
2 bedrooms29%837

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

3,053 workers (±253)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone77%2,364
Carpool6.5%†198
Public transit1.6%†50
Walk4.9%†151
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.2%†249
Other1.3%†41

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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

2,804 workers (±286)

Madison, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under 15 min77%2,157
15–29 min12%†332
30–44 min5.1%†142

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 Lake County, the county holding most of Madison's residents.

Lake County has 339 employer establishments, 307 for every 10,000 residents (1.23× the US rate of 248; 0.97× South Dakota's), with 3,907 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,994. The Census Bureau also counts 969 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 339; 969 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 307; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 3,907
Average annual pay: $51,994; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	24	21.7	1.40×More than typical	72	$67,319	70
Restaurants and other eating places	20	18.1	0.98×About typical	322	$18,047	3
Ambulatory health care services	15	13.6	0.65×Fewer than typical	93	$41,591	20
Truck transportation	13	11.8	2.32×More than typical	34	$13,529	36
Full-service restaurants	12	10.9	1.41×More than typical	123	$19,724	—
Religious organizations	12	10.9	1.96×More than typical	49	$23,959	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	11	9.9	2.26×More than typical	29	$39,517	28
Banks and credit unions	9	8.1	2.52×Too few to compare	135	$52,548	—
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	9	8.1	6.71×Too few to compare	85	$12,271	—
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	8	7.2	1.78×Too few to compare	28	$28,714	9
Construction of buildings	8	7.2	0.96×Too few to compare	33	$42,727	44
Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors	8	7.2	2.30×Too few to compare	19	$103,842	11

Rank places for an industry Open Lake County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 11,059 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 $21K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Madison, South Dakota: $3.45 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $21K; +55% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.45; US $1,995
Sole-source: 9.1%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.4%; 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

Top recipients

YORKSHIRE INDUSTRIES LLC$9,37945%
BARD AEROSPACE LLC$7,65936%
SOUTH DAKOTA ASSOCIATION OF RURAL WATER SYSTEMS$1,4456.9%
DITCH WITCH OF WEST TEXAS, INC.$1,3856.6%
ATLANTIC DIVING SUPPLY, INC.$7013.3%

Spending by fiscal year

4.1KFY2017
3.7KFY2018
998.5FY2019
19.7KFY2020
1.4KFY2021
12.1KFY2022
1.8KFY2023
2.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$9,37945%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$2,78613%
Business schools and computer and management training · 6114$1,4456.9%
Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$1,3856.6%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$1,3246.3%
Nonferrous metal (except aluminum) production and processing · 3314

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 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 Madison, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Madison, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Lake County, SD ($873.7K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.4% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lake 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.

Madison, 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.

Lake County99100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lake 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/4640220

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends