South Dakota Crime Grades: A-F Safety Ratings for 39 Cities (2024)

Statewide grade C

39 cities graded A+ through F based on 2024 FBI crime data. State overall score: 55/100 (Average).

What is South Dakota’s crime safety grade?

South Dakota earned an overall safety grade of C (score: 55/100, Average) 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, 5 earned A+, 11 earned A, 11 received B, 7 landed at C, 1 received D, and 4 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 Rapid City with a F grade (score: 0/100, violent rate 718.9/100K).

Roughly 41% of graded cities in South Dakota achieved an A or A+ rating, while 13% 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.

A safety grade condenses several FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) measures into a single letter, ranking each state's violent and property crime rates against the national distribution rather than a fixed cutoff. A high grade therefore means a state compares well to its peers in a given year, not that it is free of crime. Grades move as the underlying rates move and as agency reporting completeness shifts from year to year. Two states with the same letter can have very different profiles: one may carry a higher violent-crime rate offset by low property crime, the other the reverse. Use the grade as a quick orientation, then read the component rates beneath it to see what is actually driving the number for this state.

A+

5 cities

11 cities

7 cities

1 cities

4 cities

Miller

0
Jefferson

0
Parkston

65
Lennox

79.4
Elk Point

48.7
Brandon

73.2
Summerset

66.5
Scotland

127.4

What this shows Miller reports the lowest violent-crime rate in South Dakota. At 0 per 100K, it runs well below the South Dakota average of 320. These eight cities anchor the safe end of the state.

#	Grade	City	Score	Violent Rate	Property Rate	Population
1	A+	Miller	100	0/100K	0/100K	1,319
2	A+	Jefferson	94	0/100K	681.8/100K	440
3	A+	Parkston	93	65/100K	65/100K	1,539
4	A+	Lennox	91	79.4/100K	119.1/100K	2,518
5	A+	Elk Point	90	48.7/100K	584.2/100K	2,054
6	A	Brandon	89	73.2/100K	374.9/100K	10,935
7	A	Summerset	88	66.5/100K	565.2/100K	3,008
8	A	Scotland	87	127.4/100K	0/100K	785
9	A	Brookings	81	85.2/100K	1177/100K	24,638
10	A	Burke	81	173.3/100K	173.3/100K	577
11	A	Hot Springs	81	189.9/100K	27.1/100K	3,686
12	A	Lead	80	163.7/100K	392.9/100K	3,054
13	A	Winner	78	137.3/100K	926.6/100K	2,914
14	A	Madison	78	148.3/100K	790.9/100K	6,069
15	A	Whitewood	78	207.9/100K	207.9/100K	962
16	A	Tea	76	136.6/100K	1142.1/100K	8,055
17	B	Flandreau	73	170/100K	1105/100K	2,353
18	B	Sisseton	73	208.2/100K	708/100K	2,401
19	B	Vermillion	72	181.7/100K	1164.3/100K	12,110
20	B	Beresford	71	192.4/100K	1106.3/100K	2,079
21	B	Mobridge	68	279.8/100K	497.4/100K	3,217
22	B	North Sioux City	67	196.8/100K	1475.9/100K	3,049
23	B	Belle Fourche	65	151.1/100K	2300.6/100K	5,955
24	B	Clark	64	344.2/100K	258.2/100K	1,162
25	B	Sturgis	62	226.8/100K	1757.4/100K	7,056
26	B	Aberdeen	61	267.8/100K	1410.5/100K	28,004
27	B	Watertown	61	303.2/100K	1024.9/100K	23,417
28	C	Spearfish	58	263.6/100K	1823.2/100K	13,657
29	C	Huron	58	291.7/100K	1512.9/100K	14,740
30	C	Mitchell	57	262.7/100K	1967.1/100K	15,607
31	C	Yankton	56	273.9/100K	1968.4/100K	15,698
32	C	Box Elder	55	349.6/100K	1192.7/100K	14,589
33	C	Centerville	44	516.5/100K	516.5/100K	968
34	C	Chamberlain	43	440.5/100K	1561.9/100K	2,497
35	D	Pierre	32	506.4/100K	1989.6/100K	13,822
36	F	Sioux Falls	22	526.7/100K	2915.2/100K	210,926
37	F	Deadwood	9	990.8/100K	2406.2/100K	1,413
38	F	Wagner	6	639.7/100K	3909/100K	1,407
39	F	Rapid City	0	718.9/100K	3792.1/100K	80,957

Frequently Asked Questions

What is South Dakota's overall crime safety grade?

South Dakota has an overall safety grade of C (score: 55/100). This is based on the state's aggregate violent crime rate of 320 per 100K and property crime rate of 1535.5 per 100K compared to national averages.

How many cities in South Dakota have an A+ safety grade?

5 cities in South Dakota earned an A+ safety grade (2024), meaning their crime rates are well below the national average. 11 additional cities earned an A grade.

Which is the safest city in South Dakota?

Miller is the highest-rated city in South Dakota with a A+ grade (score: 100/100). Its violent crime rate is 0 per 100K.

Nearby States, Crime Grades

Compare South Dakota's grade distribution with neighboring states, or use the compare tool to benchmark jurisdictions side-by-side.

Explore More

South Dakota Crime Overview → Safest Cities in South Dakota → All State 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.

Every figure on PlainCrime is rendered directly from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.