City · Charles Mix County, South Dakota

Platte, South Dakota

Platte is a city in Charles Mix County, South Dakota. It has 1,161 residents. Platte, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 59 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #6,408 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #59 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on average commute time (low), grocery stores (high) and rent-burdened households (low). It ranks worst on primary care shortage (high), traffic deaths (high) and flu vaccinations (low).

59Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #6,408 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #59 of 75 in SD
Population: 1,161 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 1,103.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 4650260

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety38#9,618/15,637
Economy54#7,208/15,631
Housing88#1,760/14,977
Health43#8,822/15,609
Healthcare22#12,257/15,650
Environment87#2,082/15,453
Education88#1,826/15,649
Infrastructure27#11,445/15,650
Community37#9,898/15,651
Leisure & amenities75#3,969/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Average commute time · low8.1 min
100/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Grocery stores · high4.3 /10k
99/100South Dakota 2.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCharles Mix County value
Rent-burdened households · low21.5%
99/100South Dakota 39.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070High uncertainty
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCharles Mix County value
Public libraries · high4.3 /10k
98/100South Dakota 1.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCharles Mix 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 AgencyCharles Mix County value

Weaknesses

Primary care shortage · high21.0
1/100South Dakota 8.6United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCharles Mix County value
Traffic deaths · high43.3 /100k
2/100South Dakota 15.7 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataCharles Mix County value
Flu vaccinations · low24.0%
2/100South Dakota 45.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCharles Mix County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high180 mi
3/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauCharles Mix County value
Dental care shortage · high19.0
3/100South Dakota 6.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCharles Mix County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100South Dakota 3.6 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyCharles Mix County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,533 (2015-2019) → 1,161 (2020-2024)
−24%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
59.5% (2015-2019) → 21.6% (2020-2024)
−38 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
10.1% (2015-2019) → 32.7% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.3% (2015-2019) → 86.2% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
34.4% (2015-2019) → 18.2% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$54,506 (2015-2019) → $72,700 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Platte, South Dakota improved on 2 of 11 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.

Improved2

Rent / income−16 points34.4% → 18.2%
Broadband+21 points65.3% → 86.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Platte, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	6.7 min2015-2019	8.1 min2020-2024	+1.4 min	Within the margin of error	33%
Bachelor's degree or higher	22.0%2015-2019	22.4%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Broadband subscriptions	65.3%2015-2019	86.2%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	91%
Effective property tax rate	1.16%2015-2019	1.11%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	23%
High school diploma or higher	92.7%2015-2019	95.3%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	64%
Home price to income ratio	2.7×2015-2019	2.5×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	88%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3952015-2019	0.3842020-2024	−0.011	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$54,5062015-2019	$72,7002020-2024	+33%	Within the margin of error	62%
Poverty rate	9.5%2015-2019	14.7%2020-2024	+5.2 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	34.4%2015-2019	18.2%2020-2024	−16 points	Improved	98%

“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 Platte, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Platte, 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, Platte, South Dakota itself moved +13.6 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,161 residents (±187)

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

508 households (±79)

Platte, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k14%†71
$25k–50k25%†127
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

508 households (±79)

Platte, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own71%359
Rent29%†149

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

648 workers (±127)

Platte, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone77%502
Carpool4.8%†31
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 Charles Mix County, the county holding most of Platte's residents.

Charles Mix County has 299 employer establishments, 324 for every 10,000 residents (1.31× the US rate of 248; 1.02× South Dakota's), with 2,388 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,801. The Census Bureau also counts 684 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 299; 684 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 324; US 248 · South Dakota 317
Paid employees: 2,388
Average annual pay: $40,801; US $68,342

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

Construction of buildings	19	20.6	2.72×More than typical	178	$61,056	25
Specialty trade contractors	17	18.4	1.19×About typical	43	$67,791	50
Religious organizations	15	16.3	2.93×More than typical	38	$17,737	—
Restaurants and other eating places	15	16.3	0.89×About typical	98	$16,612	—
Gasoline stations	14	15.2	4.68×More than typical	164	$21,866	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	14.1	3.21×More than typical	45	$40,133	21
Automotive repair and maintenance	12	13	2.58×More than typical	42	$33,310	17
Truck transportation	12	13	2.57×More than typical	27	$35,704	23
Services to buildings and dwellings	11	11.9	1.77×More than typical	39	$24,410	37
Ambulatory health care services	10	10.8	0.52×Fewer than typical	48	$39,063	23
Banks and credit unions	8	8.7	2.69×Too few to compare	59	$55,949	3
Landscaping services	8	8.7	2.48×Too few to compare	21	$30,571	13

Rank places for an industry Open Charles Mix County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 9,222 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: Platte is mostly in Charles Mix County.

See federal money in Charles Mix 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.

Platte, 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.

Charles Mix County53100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Charles Mix 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/4650260

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends