Safest Cities in South Dakota
Top 13 cities (≥10,000 pop) by lowest FBI UCR violent crime rate per 100,000 · 2024. Lead: Brandon at 73.2/100K.
FBI UCR Safest-Cities Snapshot: South Dakota
South Dakota lists 13 cities with 10,000+ population for 2024, spanning Brandon at 73.2/100K violent down to Rapid City at 718.9/100K on this cut. That is a 645.7/100K spread inside the safest cohort alone, not a single statewide rate. Cohort average: 315.7 violent offenses per 100,000 residents.
Brandon reported 8 violent and 41 property offenses on a 10,935 reporting population in 2024. Property rate 374.9/100K sits beside the 73.2/100K violent rate. Top five on the table: Brandon, Brookings, Vermillion, Mitchell, Spearfish.
Brandon offense desk
Brandon's violent rate fell 32.0% vs 2023 (107.6 → 73.2 per 100K) while staying #1 on this South Dakota list.
Mix index is HHI × 10,000 on Part I violent shares for the #1 city only, distinct from the per-100K ranking table.
| # | Grade | City | Population | Violent Crime Rate | Property Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | Brandon | 10,935 | 73.2/100K | 374.9/100K |
| 2 | A | Brookings | 24,638 | 85.2/100K | 1177/100K |
| 3 | B | Vermillion | 12,110 | 181.7/100K | 1164.3/100K |
| 4 | C | Mitchell | 15,607 | 262.7/100K | 1967.1/100K |
| 5 | C | Spearfish | 13,657 | 263.6/100K | 1823.2/100K |
| 6 | B | Aberdeen | 28,004 | 267.8/100K | 1410.5/100K |
| 7 | C | Yankton | 15,698 | 273.9/100K | 1968.4/100K |
| 8 | C | Huron | 14,740 | 291.7/100K | 1512.9/100K |
| 9 | B | Watertown | 23,417 | 303.2/100K | 1024.9/100K |
| 10 | C | Box Elder | 14,589 | 349.6/100K | 1192.7/100K |
| 11 | D | Pierre | 13,822 | 506.4/100K | 1989.6/100K |
| 12 | F | Sioux Falls | 210,926 | 526.7/100K | 2915.2/100K |
| 13 | F | Rapid City | 80,957 | 718.9/100K | 3792.1/100K |
South Dakota overview · Most dangerous cities · National safest cities · Methodology - FBI UCR Part I rates; cities ≥10,000 pop; 2024.