South Dakota Crime Grades
F39 cities graded A+ through F based on 2024 FBI crime data. State overall score: 0/100 (High Risk).
FBI UCR Safety Grade Snapshot: South Dakota
South Dakota earned an overall safety grade of F (score: 0/100, High Risk) based on 2024 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program data, with a statewide violent crime rate of 320 per 100,000 and property crime rate of 1535.5 per 100,000. PlainCrime graded 39 South Dakota cities with reportable crime data against national benchmarks, producing an A+ through F score for each jurisdiction. Grades weigh violent and property crime rates: cities more than 50% below the national average typically earn A or A+, while cities significantly above average receive D or F ratings.
Across the 39 graded South Dakota cities, 1 earned A+, 0 earned A, 2 received B, 4 landed at C, 3 received D, and 29 fell to F in the 2024 scoring. The highest-rated city is Miller with a A+ grade (score: 100/100, violent rate 0/100K). The lowest-rated city is Deadwood with a F grade (score: 0/100, violent rate 990.8/100K).
Roughly 3% of graded cities in South Dakota achieved an A or A+ rating, while 82% received a D or F. Cities missing from this table either did not submit complete 2024 UCR data, fell below the minimum population threshold for reliable rate calculation, or report through consolidated agencies that aggregate into county or regional totals instead of individual city figures. Grade boundaries use the national violent and property crime rate averages for 2024 as the reference point, so grades are directly comparable between South Dakota and other states on the site.
| # | Grade | City | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A+ | Miller | 100 |
| 2 | B | Jefferson | 70 |
| 3 | B | Parkston | 65 |
| 4 | C | Lennox | 55 |
| 5 | C | Elk Point | 50 |
| 6 | C | Brandon | 47 |
| 7 | C | Summerset | 42 |
| 8 | D | Scotland | 37 |
| 9 | D | Hot Springs | 29 |
| 10 | D | Brookings | 28 |
| 11 | F | Burke | 22 |
| 12 | F | Whitewood | 21 |
| 13 | F | Clark | 19 |
| 14 | F | Lead | 13 |
| 15 | F | Mobridge | 8 |
| 16 | F | Centerville | 7 |
| 17 | F | Tea | 2 |
| 18 | F | Winner | 2 |
| 19 | F | Madison | 0 |
| 20 | F | Belle Fourche | 0 |
| 21 | F | Flandreau | 0 |
| 22 | F | Vermillion | 0 |
| 23 | F | Beresford | 0 |
| 24 | F | North Sioux City | 0 |
| 25 | F | Sisseton | 0 |
| 26 | F | Sturgis | 0 |
| 27 | F | Mitchell | 0 |
| 28 | F | Spearfish | 0 |
| 29 | F | Aberdeen | 0 |
| 30 | F | Yankton | 0 |
| 31 | F | Huron | 0 |
| 32 | F | Watertown | 0 |
| 33 | F | Box Elder | 0 |
| 34 | F | Chamberlain | 0 |
| 35 | F | Pierre | 0 |
| 36 | F | Sioux Falls | 0 |
| 37 | F | Wagner | 0 |
| 38 | F | Rapid City | 0 |
| 39 | F | Deadwood | 0 |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Nearby States — Crime Grades
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Source: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, 2024. Safety scores based on violent and property crime rates vs. national averages published in FBI Crime in the United States (CIUS) Table 8. Population figures reference U.S. Census Bureau estimates where FBI-reported populations are unavailable. Verify with FBI.gov UCR and Census.gov QuickFacts.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.