Metro area · South Dakota
Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area
Sioux Falls, SD-MN is a metropolitan area of 5 counties in South Dakota, Minnesota, home to 314,638 residents. Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area has a quality-of-life score of 98 out of 100 (very high), ranking #20 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in South Dakota it ranks #2 of 11. It ranks best on distance to an airport (low), unemployment rate (low) and poverty rate (low). It ranks worst on distance to an Amtrak station (high), drought exposure (high) and comfortable days (low).
- Quality-of-life score
- #20 of 925 metro and micro areas
- South Dakota
- #2 of 11 in SD
- Population
- 314,638 (2025)
- Land area
- 3,058 mi²
- Density
- 102.9 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 43620
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 66 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety58#390/924
- Economy99#6/925
- Housing77#213/925
- Health92#76/925
- Healthcare81#172/923
- Environment70#279/917
- Education90#93/925
- Infrastructure98#21/925
- Community94#54/925
- Leisure & amenities81#174/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Distance to an airport · low8 mi100/100South Dakota 114 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Unemployment rate · low2.0%
- Poverty rate · low8.1%
- Income adjusted for local prices · high$90,29396/100South Dakota $85,453United States $73,2042024U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisAggregated from counties
- Frequent mental distress · low15.6%96/100South Dakota 16.5%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Flu vaccinations · high54.1%96/100South Dakota 45.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- Distance to an Amtrak station · high163 mi5/100South Dakota 185 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
- Drought exposure · high89%8/100South Dakota 38%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAAggregated from counties
- Comfortable days · low23.6%19/100South Dakota 22.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- Property crime rate · high1,680 /100k22/100South Dakota 1,312 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
- Preventable hospital stays · high3,338 /100k28/100South Dakota 2,787 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Days with unhealthy air · high1.1%
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- PopulationRising
287,378 (2020) → 314,638 (2025)
+9.5%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
- Drought exposureWorsening
76% (2021) → 89% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+14 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Firearm deathsWorsening
7.5 /100k (2021) → 12.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+59%5 yearsUS 14.7 /100k → 12.1 /100k
- Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
23.9% (Dec 2021) → 32.6% (Aug 2026)
+8.7 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
- Income adjusted for local pricesImproving
$65,278 (2019) → $90,293 (2024)
+38%5 yearsUS $55,567 → $73,204
- Homicide rateWorsening
1.7 /100k (2021) → 2.4 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+38%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
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.
Metro and micro areas like Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
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.
Counties in Sioux Falls, SD-MN
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
States
The share of the area's residents living in each state.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
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).
- Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA98Alike on Some college, Flu vaccination, Premature death
- Omaha, NE-IA96Alike on Poor health, Flu vaccination, Some college
- Fargo, ND-MN95Alike on Flu vaccination, Poor health, Life expectancy
- Cedar Rapids, IA95Alike on Some college, Flu vaccination, Housing problems
- Bismarck, ND94Alike on Poverty, Poor health, Some college
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
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08