Census-designated place · Todd County, South Dakota

Rosebud, South Dakota

Rosebud is a census-designated place in Todd County, South Dakota. It has 1,659 residents. Rosebud, South Dakota has a quality-of-life score of 7 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,549 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within South Dakota it ranks #73 of 75 cities and towns. It ranks best on traffic deaths (low), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low) and rent as share of income (low). It ranks worst on voter turnout (low), premature death (high) and life expectancy (low).

7Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,549 of 15,651 cities and towns
South Dakota: #73 of 75 in SD
Population: 1,659 (2020-2024)
Land area: 13 mi²
Density: 128.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 4655940

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 65 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
Economy15#13,269/15,631
Housing—
Health2#15,287/15,609
Healthcare0#15,635/15,650
Environment79#3,225/15,453
Education18#12,854/15,649
Infrastructure49#8,024/15,650
Community1#15,564/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,920/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Rosebud, 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
Rent as share of income · low16.8%
99/100South Dakota 25.9%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Rent-burdened households · low9.5%
99/100South Dakota 39.8%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070High uncertainty
Average commute time · low11.6 min
99/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Home price to income ratio · low1.5×
98/100South Dakota 3.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

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
Adult smoking · high42.2%
0/100South Dakota 16.3%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Dental care shortage · high23.0
0/100South Dakota 6.9United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationTodd County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
35.9% (2015-2019) → 93.6% (2020-2024)
+58 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
75.8% (2015-2019) → 38.8% (2020-2024)
−37 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$19,453 (2015-2019) → $55,135 (2020-2024)
+183%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
40.9% (2015-2019) → 9.5% (2020-2024)
−31 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
67.1% (2015-2019) → 38.2% (2020-2024)
−29 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.5% (2015-2019) → 16.3% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%

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, Rosebud, South Dakota improved on 5 of 8 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 3 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.

Improved5

Household income+183%$19,453 → $55,135
Broadband+58 points35.9% → 93.6%
Child poverty−37 points75.8% → 38.8%
Inequality−0.2170.548 → 0.331
Rent / income−5.8 points22.6% → 16.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 8 measures

Change of every measure of Rosebud, South Dakota between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.9 min2015-2019	11.5 min2020-2024	−6.4 min	Within the margin of error	94%
Broadband subscriptions	35.9%2015-2019	93.6%2020-2024	+58 points	Improved	100%
Child poverty rate	75.8%2015-2019	38.8%2020-2024	−37 points	Improved	99%
High school diploma or higher	78.6%2015-2019	83.4%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5482015-2019	0.3312020-2024	−0.217	Improved	100%
Median household income	$19,4532015-2019	$55,1352020-2024	+183%	Improved	100%
Rent as share of income	22.6%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	−5.8 points	Improved	85%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	36.3%2015-2019	29.4%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Within the margin of error	92%

“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 Rosebud, South Dakota five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Rosebud, 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.

No place that looked like Rosebud, South Dakota five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Rosebud, South Dakota itself moved +34.5 points in standing on average over the same 6 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

1,659 residents (±627)

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

330 households (±93)

Rosebud, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Under $25k12%†38
$25k–50k13%†44
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

330 households (±93)

Rosebud, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Own33%†108
Rent67%†222

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

513 workers (±181)

Rosebud, South Dakota
South Dakota share

Drive alone78%†399
Carpool14%†74
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 Rosebud'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

In FY2026, an estimated $5.1M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Rosebud, South Dakota: $3,091 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $5.1M; −34% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3,091; US $1,994
Sole-source: 15%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.3%; 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$5M98%
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources$45.4K0.9%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$27.5K0.5%
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission$9,0340.2%
Department of Veterans Affairs$1,5090.0%

Top recipients

PRIME PHYSICIANS TRI PROVIDERS LLC$947.1K18%
LACREEK DEVELOPMENT CORP$810.7K16%
PRIME PHYSICIANS PLLC$546.5K11%
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL PHYSICIANS ORGANIZATION, INC$527.4K10%
TRIAGE LLC$451.3K8.8%

Spending by fiscal year

3MFY2017
1.7MFY2018
1.9MFY2019
2MFY2020
3.9MFY2021
4.4MFY2022
6.5MFY2023
11.3M

Top industries (NAICS)

Employment services · 5613$1.8M36%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$878K17%
Offices of other health practitioners · 6213$546.5K11%
Offices of physicians · 6211$461K9.0%
General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$328.8K6.4%
Medical and diagnostic laboratories · 6215

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 Rosebud, South Dakota, so they do not add up across cities.

Rosebud, South Dakota's figures are part of those of Todd County, SD ($19.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 26% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Rosebud 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.

Rosebud, 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
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/4655940

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends