Find Jobs in the Best Places to Live in South Dakota

Discover the best places to live in South Dakota, where the cost of living is affordable and great job opportunities await. Expenses for housing, groceries, utilities, and transportation in the Rushmore Region are, in fact, cheaper than the national average. And if you aren’t a fan of spending a lot of time travelling to and from work and would rather have more time for self-care, you’ll be pleased to know that the average commute in the best cities to live in South Dakota is only 18 minutes.

SD is home to the world-famous sculptures Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. Outdoor activities you can enjoy in South Dakota include trout fishing, deer and pheasant hunting, hiking, rock climbing, biking, skiing, paddling, and camping. State Park visitations, hunting and fishing are the top three recreational activities that support the state economy, bringing in millions of dollars and creating thousands of jobs.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports South Dakota‘s median house value as $174,600 and a median household income of $59,896. According to Forbes, the top five best South Dakota employers are Midcontinent Telecommunications, Monument Health, Sioux Falls School District, Sanford Health and the United States Department of Defense. South Dakota's largest employment establishments include 3M, Avera Health, Wells Fargo, and Smithfield Packaged Meats.

Industry employment projections for South Dakota are positive for most subsectors but are particularly great for the following:

• museums, historical sites, and similar institution
• performing arts, spectator sports, and related industries
• accommodation, including hotels and motels
• warehousing and storage
• professional, scientific, and technical services

The most requested occupations in the best places to live in South Dakota include wind turbine service technicians, nurse practitioners, restaurant cooks, information security analysts, and other data scientists, and mathematical science professionals.

If you need more good reasons to find a job in one of the best places to live in South Dakota, consider the following as well:

• It has no income tax, no personal property tax, no business inventory tax, and no inheritance tax.
• It’s considered one of the safest states to live in the Midwest and one the 20 safest in the country, in fact, its property crime rate is lower than the national average.
• If you are near retirement age or like to think ahead, you’ll be happy to know that multiple reliable sources place South Dakota as one of the best states to retire in.
• South Dakota doesn’t tax military pensions and is considered the best state for veterans to live and work.
• Residents of South Dakota are among the least stressed and most happy in the country.
• It’s listed as one of the best states to land the job of your dreams.

Now that we talked about the main perks of the great Rushmore Region, it’s time to go deeper with our list of the best places to live in South Dakota, along with their most profitable industries, popular jobs, average household incomes and more:

Sioux Falls

The best place to live in South Dakota and among the top 40 locations in the country according to Livability, Sioux Falls is the largest city in the state and boasts a diversified economy. It’s one of the most affordable cities in the country and also one of the best for young professionals as well as for older people to retire. Things you can do in Sioux Falls in your spare time include visiting the Washington Pavilion, enjoying a food tour, relaxing at Falls Park, and admiring a replica of Michelangelo’s David.

The average housing value in Sioux Falls is $205,100 and the median household income is $61,738. Hospitals, food and beverage services, and ambulatory healthcare services are the industries with the highest worker growth projection. The most requested job roles in Sioux Falls include registered nurses, retail salespeople, food preparation and service workers.

Browse all Sioux Falls, SD jobs on Monster.

Rapid City

Another city that deserves to be in this list of best places to live in South Dakota is Rapid City, which is also one of the top 10 cities in the country to live in after service. It’s known as the “City of Presidents“ for the series of life-size bronze statues of past American Presidents located Downtown, and it represents a convenient place to live in proximity to the Mount Rushmore Memorial, about 23 miles away.

The average housing value in Rapid City is $194,100 and the median household income is $53,760. Market research analysts and specialists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and software developers are among the occupations expected to have an employment growth of over 20% in Rapid City.

Browse all Rapid City, SD jobs on Monster.

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