City · Walworth County, South Dakota

Mobridge, South Dakota

Mobridge is a city in Walworth County, South Dakota. It has 2,932 residents. Mobridge, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 75 out of 100 (high), ranking #3,976 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #41 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on restaurants and bars (high), drug overdose deaths (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on flu vaccinations (low), distance to an airport (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

75High

Quality-of-life score: #3,976 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #41 of 75 in SD
Population: 2,932 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 1,496.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 4643180

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.

Safety71#4,563/15,637
Economy52#7,431/15,631
Housing95#779/14,977
Health61#6,075/15,609
Healthcare23#12,108/15,650
Environment88#1,790/15,453
Education84#2,503/15,649
Infrastructure40#9,465/15,650
Community46#8,464/15,651
Leisure & amenities88#1,923/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Restaurants and bars · high21.1 /10k
99/100South Dakota 10.6 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWalworth County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionWalworth County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.5 µg/m³
98/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWalworth County value
Average commute time · low14.3 min
98/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high3.8 /10k
98/100South Dakota 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWalworth County value
Property crime rate · low298 /100k
97/100South Dakota 1,312 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWalworth County value

Weaknesses

Flu vaccinations · low12.0%
0/100South Dakota 45.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWalworth County value
Distance to an airport · high193 mi
1/100South Dakota 114 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWalworth County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high189 mi
3/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWalworth County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100South Dakota 3.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWalworth County value
Mental health care shortage · high19.0
4/100South Dakota 18.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationWalworth County value
Gyms and fitness centers · low0.0 /10k
4/100South Dakota 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWalworth County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
3,385 (2015-2019) → 2,932 (2020-2024)
−13%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.3 /1k (2021) → 1.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+448%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
3.6% (2015-2019) → 38.8% (2020-2024)
+35 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
59.0% (2015-2019) → 90.5% (2020-2024)
+31 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
11.3% (2015-2019) → 18.3% (2020-2024)
+6.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
87.8% (2015-2019) → 94.1% (2020-2024)
+6.3 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, Mobridge, South Dakota improved on 2 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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

Broadband+31 points59.0% → 90.5%
Inequality−0.1270.494 → 0.367

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Mobridge, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	14.4 min2015-2019	14.3 min2020-2024	−0.1 min	Within the margin of error	49%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.6%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	+5.8 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Broadband subscriptions	59.0%2015-2019	90.5%2020-2024	+31 points	Improved	98%
Effective property tax rate	1.68%2015-2019	1.44%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	66%
High school diploma or higher	87.8%2015-2019	94.1%2020-2024	+6.3 points	Within the margin of error	87%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	2.1×2020-2024	+0.3×	Within the margin of error	60%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4942015-2019	0.3672020-2024	−0.127	Improved	98%
Median household income	$50,2992015-2019	$65,3572020-2024	+30%	Within the margin of error	55%
Poverty rate	11.3%2015-2019	18.3%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Rent as share of income	23.4%2015-2019	22.8%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent-burdened households	39.8%2015-2019	35.9%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.6%2015-2019	8.8%2020-2024	−4.8 points	Within the margin of error	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 Mobridge, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mobridge, 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, Mobridge, South Dakota itself moved +15.3 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

2,932 residents (±244)

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

1,478 households (±164)

Mobridge, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k17%†248
$25k–50k21%†313
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,478 households (±164)

Mobridge, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own72%1,059
Rent28%419

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

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,475 workers (±219)

Mobridge, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone79%1,168
Carpool10%†152
Public transit0.0%0

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 Walworth County, the county holding most of Mobridge's residents.

Walworth County has 210 employer establishments, 400 for every 10,000 residents (1.61× the US rate of 248; 1.26× South Dakota's), with 1,607 paid employees at an average annual pay of $44,100. The Census Bureau also counts 512 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 210; 512 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 400; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 1,607
Average annual pay: $44,100; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	14	26.6	1.72×More than typical	25	$35,720	49
Restaurants and other eating places	12	22.8	1.24×About typical	106	$20,104	—
Building equipment contractors	9	17.1	2.85×Too few to compare	14	$34,571	8
Automotive repair and maintenance	8	15.2	3.02×Too few to compare	38	$36,053	11
Insurance agencies and brokerages	8	15.2	3.47×Too few to compare	36	$61,139	17
Religious organizations	8	15.2	2.74×Too few to compare	25	$12,480	—
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	7	13.3	11.0×Too few to compare	22	$14,864	—
Traveler accommodation	7	13.3	7.38×Too few to compare	34	$31,529	5
Ambulatory health care services	6	11.4	0.55×Too few to compare	38	$32,658	14
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	6	11.4	4.29×Too few to compare	12	$53,667	15
Limited-service restaurants	6	11.4	1.42×Too few to compare	69	$18,261	—
Other amusement and recreation industries	6	11.4	4.71×Too few to compare	12	$53,667	14

Rank places for an industry Open Walworth County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 5,256 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 $58.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Mobridge, South Dakota: $19.92 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $58.4K; +55% vs FY2025
Per resident: $19.92; US $1,994
Sole-source: 15%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Indian Health Service$56.8K97%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$1,6272.8%

Top recipients

LACREEK DEVELOPMENT CORP$51.7K88%
JOINT COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION OF HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS$2,4254.2%
STANDING ROCK PROPANE$1,6572.8%
JENSEN ROCK & SAND INC.$1,6272.8%
STANDING ROCK SANITATION SERVICE, INC.$9461.6%

Spending by fiscal year

38KFY2017
52.5KFY2018
20.4KFY2019
12.5KFY2020
30.5KFY2021
48.6KFY2022
42.7KFY2023
66.9KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$51.7K88%
Business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations · 8139$2,4254.2%
Oil and gas extraction · 2111$1,6572.8%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$1,6272.8%
Waste collection · 5621$9461.6%
Electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance · 8112$211

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Mobridge, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Mobridge, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Walworth County, SD ($722.4K in FY2026), never added to them: 8.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Walworth 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.

Mobridge, 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.

Walworth County87100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Walworth 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/4643180

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends