City · Todd County, South Dakota

Mission, South Dakota

Mission is a city in Todd County, South Dakota. It has 1,539 residents. Mission, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 8 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,398 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #72 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on traffic deaths (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and average commute time (low). It ranks worst on voter turnout (low), premature death (high) and life expectancy (low).

8Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,398 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #72 of 75 in SD
Population: 1,539 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 2,622.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 4642940

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 67 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.

Safety18#12,767/15,637
Economy0#15,568/15,631
Housing84#2,472/14,977
Health3#15,215/15,609
Healthcare0#15,631/15,650
Environment79#3,225/15,453
Education20#12,454/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,382/15,650
Community1#15,564/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,920/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Traffic deaths · low2.2 /100k
100/100South Dakota 15.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataTodd County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low3.8 µg/m³
100/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTodd County value
Average commute time · low14.1 min
98/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high3.4 /10k
96/100South Dakota 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsTodd County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.7×
95/100South Dakota 3.4×United States 4.1×2019-2023U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Rent as share of income · low31.5%
91/100South Dakota 25.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low38.6%
0/100South Dakota 65.2%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionTodd County value
Premature death · high36,089 /100k
0/100South Dakota 8,706 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTodd County value
Life expectancy · low58.5 yrs
0/100South Dakota 77.4 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTodd County value
Injury deaths · high270 /100k
0/100South Dakota 90 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTodd County value
Dental care shortage · high23.0
0/100South Dakota 6.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationTodd County value
Math scores · low1.39
0/100South Dakota 2.98United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteTodd County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,310 (2015-2019) → 1,539 (2020-2024)
+17%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
45.3% (2015-2019) → 67.2% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
71.9% (2015-2019) → 52.2% (2020-2024)
−20 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Unemployment rateWorsening
9.5% (2015-2019) → 26.5% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Poverty rateImproving
58.7% (2015-2019) → 44.0% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$21,029 (2015-2019) → $34,000 (2019-2023)
+62%4 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $77,719

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, Mission, South Dakota improved on 4 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 6 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.

Improved4

Poverty−15 points58.7% → 44.0%
Broadband+22 points45.3% → 67.2%
Child poverty−11 points69.7% → 58.3%
Bachelor's++7.3 points7.6% → 14.9%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Mission, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.3 min2015-2019	14.0 min2020-2024	−4.3 min	Within the margin of error	87%
Bachelor's degree or higher	7.6%2015-2019	14.9%2020-2024	+7.3 points	Improved	81%
Broadband subscriptions	45.3%2015-2019	67.2%2020-2024	+22 points	Improved	93%
Child poverty rate	69.7%2015-2019	58.3%2020-2024	−11 points	Improved	84%
High school diploma or higher	78.9%2015-2019	83.9%2020-2024	+5.1 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5282015-2019	0.5462020-2024	+0.018	Within the margin of error	35%
Poverty rate	58.7%2015-2019	44.0%2020-2024	−15 points	Improved	97%
Rent as share of income	43.2%2015-2019	31.5%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Rent-burdened households	71.9%2015-2019	52.2%2020-2024	−20 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	23.7%2015-2019	17.9%2020-2024	−5.8 points	Within the margin of error	89%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 10944 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 Mission, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mission, 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, Mission, South Dakota itself moved +13.8 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

1,539 residents (±355)

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

464 households (±108)

Mission, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k51%235
$25k–50k16%†72
$50k–75k12%†56

Homes

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

Owners and renters

464 households (±108)

Mission, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own49%†229
Rent51%235

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

467 workers (±158)

Mission, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone82%†382
Carpool16%†77
Public transit

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 Todd County, the county holding most of Mission's residents.

Todd County has 59 employer establishments, 65.7 for every 10,000 residents (0.26× the US rate of 248; 0.21× South Dakota's), with 916 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,205. The Census Bureau also counts 259 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 59; 259 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 65.7; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 916
Average annual pay: $49,205; US $68,342

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

Gasoline stations	5	5.6	1.72×Too few to compare	100	$20,170	—
Ambulatory health care services	4	4.5	0.21×Too few to compare	122	$27,779	14
Schools, colleges and instruction	4	4.5	1.27×Too few to compare	59	$29,864	33
Construction of buildings	3	3.3	0.44×Too few to compare	15	$47,333	11
Grocery and convenience stores	3	3.3	1.13×Too few to compare	85	$19,435	—
Lessors of real estate	3	3.3	0.27×Too few to compare	4	$49,250	14
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	4
Architectural, engineering and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—

Rank places for an industry Open Todd County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,977 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: Mission is mostly in Todd County.

See federal money in Todd 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.

Mission, 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.

Todd County17100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Todd 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/4642940

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends