Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety96#37/924
Economy84#149/925
Housing87#118/925
Health84#150/925
Healthcare72#260/923
Environment82#163/917
Education49#472/925
Infrastructure58#392/925
Community66#318/925
Leisure & amenities82#164/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Mitchell, SD micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Unemployment rate · low1.9%
100/100South Dakota 2.1%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100South Dakota 8.0 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Average commute time · low15.6 min
97/100South Dakota 17.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low4.7 µg/m³
96/100South Dakota 5.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
93/100South Dakota 3.8 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high8.9 /10k
93/100South Dakota 8.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high200 mi
3/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · low23.5%
17/100South Dakota 22.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Job growth · low-1.6%
20/100South Dakota 0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Broadband subscriptions · low86.4%
28/100South Dakota 89.6%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Effective property tax rate · high1.01%
34/100South Dakota 1.00%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Access to exercise opportunities · low67.0%
34/100South Dakota 73.1%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureImproving
88% (2021) → 61% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
−27 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateImproving
5.2 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
6.6 /1k (2020) → 11.5 /1k (2025)
+74%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Traffic deathsImproving
23.5 /100k (2015-2019) → 8.5 /100k (2020-2024)
−64%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
56.9% (2019) → 46.5% (2023)
−10 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$59,435 (2019) → $83,854 (2024)
+41%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204

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, Mitchell, SD micropolitan area improved on 10 of 27 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 8 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

Traffic deaths−64%23.5 /100k → 8.5 /100k
Homicides−100%3.7 /100k → 0.0 /100k
Real income+41%$59,435 → $83,854
Arts & recreation+34%6.6 /10k → 8.9 /10k
Child poverty−7.2 points17.6% → 10.3%

Declined3

Libraries−34%1.2 /10k → 0.8 /10k
Restaurants−26%13.6 /10k → 10.0 /10k
Commute+2.3 min13.4 min → 15.7 min

All 27 measures

Change of every measure of Mitchell, SD micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	6.6 /10k2020	8.9 /10k2025	+34%	Improved	91%
Average commute time	13.4 min2015-2019	15.7 min2020-2024	+2.3 min	Declined	10%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.4%2015-2019	22.5%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	1%
Broadband subscriptions	82.7%2015-2019	86.4%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Improved	3%
Child poverty rate	17.6%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Improved	89%
Distance to an airport	65 mi2020	65 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	13%
Effective property tax rate	1.23%2015-2019	1.01%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	78%
Firearm deaths	11.6 /100k2020	11.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−4.7%	Little change	57%
Grocery stores	1.6 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−0.6%	Little change	48%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.2 /10k2025	−0.6%	Little change	39%
High school diploma or higher	92.1%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	3%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	2.9×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	97%
Homicide rate	3.7 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$59,4352019	$83,8542024	+41%	Improved	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4552015-2019	0.4352020-2024	−0.019	Within the margin of error	89%
Median household income	$51,5902015-2019	$69,1012020-2024	+34%	Improved	82%
New business applications	6.6 /1k2020	11.5 /1k2025	+74%	Improved	83%
Pharmacies	1.6 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	−0.6%	Little change	70%
Poverty rate	13.2%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Public libraries	1.2 /10k2019	0.8 /10k2024	−34%	Declined	1%
Rent as share of income	24.3%2015-2019	27.0%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent-burdened households	41.0%2015-2019	38.2%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Restaurants and bars	13.6 /10k2020	10.0 /10k2025	−26%	Declined	1%
Suicide rate	20.2 /100k2020	16.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−17%	Improved	83%
Traffic deaths	23.5 /100k2015-2019	8.5 /100k2020-2024	−64%	Improved	100%
Unemployment rate	3.7%2020	1.9%2025	−1.8 points	Improved	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.5%2015-2019	9.9%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	5%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Mitchell, SD micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mitchell, SD micropolitan area 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, Mitchell, SD micropolitan area itself moved +4.4 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

25,808 residents

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

10,977 households (±228)

Mitchell, SD micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k18%1,936
$25k–50k18%1,976
$50k–75k18%1,957

Homes

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

Owners and renters

10,977 households (±228)

Mitchell, SD micropolitan area
United States share

Own66%7,226
Rent34%3,751

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

13,572 workers (±380)

Mitchell, SD micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone78%10,556
Carpool7.5%1,018
Public transit0.7%†98

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 no occupation wages for Mitchell, SD micropolitan area.

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.

Mitchell, SD has 875 employer establishments, 339 for every 10,000 residents (1.36× the US rate of 248), with 11,921 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,367. The Census Bureau also counts 2,251 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 875; 2,251 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 339; US 248
Paid employees: 11,921
Average annual pay: $49,367; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	71	27.5	1.77×More than typical	588	$56,687	181
Restaurants and other eating places	58	22.4	1.22×About typical	1,038	$19,000	7
Ambulatory health care services	51	19.7	0.95×About typical	548	$63,405	56
Construction of buildings	36	13.9	1.84×More than typical	243	$58,115	91
Insurance agencies and brokerages	34	13.2	3.00×More than typical	157	$63,586	57
Automotive repair and maintenance	29	11.2	2.23×More than typical	143	$48,727	50
Truck transportation	27	10.4	2.07×More than typical	88	$57,295	59
Religious organizations	26	10.1	1.81×More than typical	127	$30,291	—
Building equipment contractors	25	9.7	1.61×More than typical	349	$59,665	37
Banks and credit unions	23	8.9	2.75×More than typical	233	$60,133	—
Full-service restaurants	21	8.1	1.06×About typical	386	$20,233	—
Lessors of real estate	21	8.1	0.66×Fewer than typical	71	$28,746	341

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,842 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1M on contracts performed in Mitchell, SD micropolitan area: $39.73 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $1M; −29% vs FY2025
Per resident: $39.73; US $1,995
Sole-source: 5.2%; 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

Federal Aviation Administration$898.2K87%
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$53.7K5.2%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$48K4.7%
Department of Energy$25K2.4%
Rural Housing Service$4,5000.4%

Top recipients

VPS SOLUTIONS, LLC$898.2K87%
CENTRAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC$53.7K5.2%
JACK'S CAMPERS, INC.$48K4.7%
COIL WINDING SPECIALIST, INC.$25K2.4%
PINNACLE APPRAISALS LLC$4,5000.4%

Spending by fiscal year

1.8MFY2017
739.9KFY2018
1.2MFY2019
772.3KFY2020
962.9KFY2021
1.2MFY2022
790.8KFY2023
1.2M

Top industries (NAICS)

Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$898.2K87%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$53.7K5.2%
Consumer goods rental · 5322$48K4.7%
Ventilation, heating, air-conditioning, and refrigeration equipment manufacturing · 3334$25K2.4%
Activities related to real estate · 5313$4,5000.4%

Largest awards

IIJA DC SYSTEMS BATTERY EQUIPMENT PURCHASE. FUNDING APS FOR LOAD BANKS, CABLE SETS, FLUKE METERS FOR 50 SITES. LOC:ELW VOR, SC, LOC:JFK VOR, NY, LOC:OMN VOR, FL, LOC:MLB VOR, FL, LOC:AIA VOR, NE, LOC:BFF VOR, NE, LOC:SNY VOR, NE, LOC:MBW VOR$684.8K
VPS SOLUTIONS, LLC· Davison County, SD· Other equipment & supplies· Sep 9, 2026 – Sep 9, 2026· 6973GH26F01378
ELECTRIC UTILITY SERVICES FOR THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS (BIA), CROW CREEK AGENCY IN FORT THOMPSON, SD.$54.6K
CENTRAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE INC· Davison County, SD· Facilities & utilities· Dec 30, 2024 – May 8, 2026· 140A0125P0006
MO - MISSOURI RIVER FWCO - PURCHASE OF TWO (2) TRAVEL TRAILERS$48K
JACK'S CAMPERS, INC.· Davison County, SD· Weapons, aircraft, ships & vehicles· Mar 23, 2026 – Mar 23, 2026· 140FS226P0072

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $216.7M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Mitchell, SD micropolitan area: $8,364 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $216.7M; −1.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,364; US $12,957
Loan face value: $9.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 16%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$111.6M51%
10.988 · Supplemental Disaster Relief Program$21.4M9.9%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$15.4M7.1%
10.990 · Farmer Bridge Assistance Program$11.1M5.1%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$10M4.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$8.3M3.8%
20.116 · Airport Improvement Program$7.7M3.6%
20.284 · Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (Protect)$4.7M2.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA$16.7M7.7%
PIERRE, SD
CITY OF MITCHELL$8M3.7%
MITCHELL, SD
MITCHELL SCHOOL DISTRICT 17-2$2.7M1.3%
MITCHELL, SD
DAKOTA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY$1.7M0.8%
MITCHELL, SD
MITCHELL HOUSING AUTHORITY$526.4K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$133.1M61%
Farm Service Agency$31.8M15%
Department of Agriculture
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$17.5M8.1%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$16.7M7.7%
Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

200.8MFY2021
229MFY2022
194.1MFY2023
168.3MFY2024
220.4MFY2025
216.7MFY2026

County aggregates

70%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Mitchell, SD

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

MitchellPrincipal city15,649

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in South Dakota

Areas based in South Dakota, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M33580

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like Mitchell, SD micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Mitchell, SD

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in South Dakota

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined3

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought