City · Union County, South Dakota

North Sioux City, South Dakota

North Sioux City is a city in Union County, South Dakota, part of the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD metro area. It has 3,045 residents. North Sioux City, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 89 out of 100 (very high), ranking #1,772 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #22 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on new homes permitted (high), child care cost burden (low) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on mental health providers (low), drought exposure (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (high).

89Very high

Quality-of-life score: #1,772 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #22 of 75 in SD
Population: 3,045 (2020-2024)
Land area: 3 mi²
Density: 912.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 4645700

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.

Safety88#1,799/15,637
Economy70#4,721/15,631
Housing91#1,383/14,977
Health88#1,829/15,609
Healthcare62#5,967/15,650
Environment61#6,096/15,453
Education85#2,373/15,649
Infrastructure25#11,762/15,650
Community85#2,337/15,651
Leisure & amenities91#1,446/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

New homes permitted · high49.9 /1k
99/100South Dakota 6.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Child care cost burden · low16.8%
99/100South Dakota 21.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataUnion County value
Average commute time · low14.1 min
99/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Mammography screening · high60.0%
98/100South Dakota 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Premature death · low4,388 /100k
96/100South Dakota 8,706 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value

Weaknesses

Mental health providers · low58 /100k
7/100South Dakota 260 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Drought exposure · high87%
7/100South Dakota 39%United States 43%Nov 2025–Oct 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAUnion County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high105 mi
9/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauUnion County value
Comfortable days · low23.3%
11/100South Dakota 22.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationUnion County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100South Dakota 18.0United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationUnion County value
Broadband subscriptions · low85.2%
16/100South 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.

PopulationRising
2,837 (2015-2019) → 3,045 (2020-2024)
+7.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
10.5 /1k (2021) → 49.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+376%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateImproving
21.5% (2015-2019) → 3.9% (2020-2024)
−18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
27.7% (2015-2019) → 43.9% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$50,625 (2015-2019) → $71,908 (2020-2024)
+42%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
87.3% (2015-2019) → 93.9% (2020-2024)
+6.6 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, North Sioux City, South Dakota improved on 1 of 11 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.

Improved1

Household income+42%$50,625 → $71,908

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of North Sioux City, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.6 min2015-2019	14.1 min2020-2024	−2.5 min	Within the margin of error	75%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.5%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Broadband subscriptions	82.5%2015-2019	85.2%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Effective property tax rate	1.37%2015-2019	1.15%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	62%
High school diploma or higher	87.3%2015-2019	93.9%2020-2024	+6.6 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.8×	Within the margin of error	30%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4462015-2019	0.4162020-2024	−0.030	Within the margin of error	74%
Median household income	$50,6252015-2019	$71,9082020-2024	+42%	Improved	77%
Poverty rate	13.4%2015-2019	11.0%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent as share of income	25.4%2015-2019	28.3%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Rent-burdened households	27.7%2015-2019	43.9%2020-2024	+16 points	Within the margin of error	13%

“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 North Sioux City, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of North Sioux City, 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, North Sioux City, South Dakota itself moved −2 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

3,045 residents (±22)

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

1,591 households (±136)

North Sioux City, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k18%†282
$25k–50k17%†270
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,591 households (±136)

North Sioux City, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own49%787
Rent51%804

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

1,670 workers (±175)

North Sioux City, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone91%1,517
Carpool6.8%†114
Public transit0.0%0

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 Sioux City, IA-NE-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 Union County, the county holding most of North Sioux City's residents.

Union County has 555 employer establishments, 324 for every 10,000 residents (1.30× the US rate of 248; 1.02× South Dakota's), with 9,844 paid employees at an average annual pay of $71,181. The Census Bureau also counts 1,594 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 555; 1,594 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 324; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 9,844
Average annual pay: $71,181; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	61	35.6	1.71×More than typical	775	$102,179	85
Lessors of real estate	28	16.3	1.33×More than typical	92	$45,891	280
Specialty trade contractors	28	16.3	1.05×About typical	271	$68,664	90
Offices of other health practitioners	23	13.4	2.21×More than typical	72	$51,264	42
Construction of buildings	22	12.8	1.70×More than typical	162	$74,438	40
Truck transportation	21	12.2	2.42×More than typical	94	$58,468	51
Offices of physicians	20	11.7	1.80×More than typical	574	$114,920	21
Religious organizations	19	11.1	2.00×More than typical	93	$16,301	—
Management, scientific and technical consulting	18	10.5	1.56×More than typical	36	$158,139	67
Insurance agencies and brokerages	17	9.9	2.26×More than typical	112	$68,438	56
Restaurants and other eating places	15	8.7	0.48×Fewer than typical	212	$19,085	4
Automotive repair and maintenance	11	6.4	1.27×More than typical	138	$56,587	17

Rank places for an industry Open Union County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 17,149 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 $12.5M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in North Sioux City, South Dakota: $4,120 per resident (US $2,008).

Obligations: $12.5M; −21% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4,120; US $2,008
Sole-source: 15%; US 30%
Single offer: 15%; 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 Veterans Affairs$3M24%
Bureau of Engraving and Printing$2M16%
Transportation Security Administration$1.9M15%
Internal Revenue Service$932.6K7.4%
Department of the Air Force$879.8K7.0%
Office of Procurement Operations$731.6K5.8%
Department of the Navy$666.3K5.3%
Defense Information Systems Agency$403.3K3.2%

Top recipients

STERLING COMPUTERS CORPORATION$9.5M76%
PRIME PHYSICIANS TRI PROVIDERS LLC$3M24%
COUNTERTRADE PRODUCTS, INC.$31.8K0.3%
CARAHSOFT TECHNOLOGY CORP$24.7K0.2%
HANGER PROSTHETICS & ORTHOTICS EAST INC$13.7K0.1%

Spending by fiscal year

24.8MFY2017
24.9MFY2018
31.1MFY2019
22.9MFY2020
15.2MFY2021
21MFY2022
15.2MFY2023
24.7M

Top industries (NAICS)

Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$7.8M62%
Employment services · 5613$3M24%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$1.7M13%
Software publishers · 5132$43.6K0.3%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$19.8K0.2%
Software publishers · 5112

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 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 North Sioux City, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

North Sioux City, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Union County, SD ($66.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 19% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: North Sioux City is mostly in Union County.

See federal money in Union 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.

North Sioux City, 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.

Union County99100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Sioux City, IA-NE-SD81

Other cities and towns in Union 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/4645700

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends