Your life in Harding County, South Dakota

What stands out

If you had to describe Harding County in numbers, start here: the share working from home is among the highest in America (29%), violent crime is in the bottom 3% of American counties (2.8 per 1,000), and the typical two-bedroom rent is in the bottom 4% of American counties ($531 a month). Within South Dakota it ranks 4th of 66 counties for the share working from home.

Where you are

You live in Harding County, South Dakota. 1,176 people live here with you, so most faces are familiar. The population shrank 1.1% last year, and more Americans moved out than in (net -27).

South Dakota has no income tax, no estate tax and no corporate income tax, and it is the country's largest trust jurisdiction because of its favorable trust law. Sales tax applies to groceries and most services. Sioux Falls and Rapid City carry most of the growth; the state's winters are long and its plains are exposed to severe storms. Property taxes are moderate.

Money

The typical household here brings in $71,484 a year, higher than 77% of American counties. Employers pay an average wage of $46,625. Unemployment runs 2.0%, lower than 95% of American counties. 29% of workers work from home.

South Dakota has no state income tax, so none of that goes to the state.

Home

The median home costs $260K, pricier than 59% of American counties, about 1.6 years of the median household's income. A two-bedroom rents for around $531 a month. Property tax is 1.20% of home value, roughly $1,538 a year on that median home, higher than 73% of American counties. 68% of households own rather than rent.

Safety and health

Violent crime here is 2.8 per 1,000 residents, lower than 97% of American counties.

There are 0 active physicians in the county, about 0.0 per 10,000 people; the nearest doctor is in another county. 9.7% of people under 65 have no health insurance.

School

94% of adults finished high school.

Neighbors and politics

In 2024 your neighbors voted Republican by 86 points, among the most lopsided counties in the country. 88% of eligible voters turned out. Under South Dakota law you can carry a concealed handgun without a permit, abortion is banned with narrow exceptions, and marijuana is medical only.

Weather and risk

The year averages 45°F, highs near 58 and lows near 32, colder than 90% of American counties. About 21 inches of rain and snow fall a year. FEMA puts natural-hazard risk at 4 out of 100, safer than 96% of American counties; the county has had 20 federal disaster declarations since 1953.

Getting around, going out

Home internet averages 175 Mbps down, slower than 61% of American counties. There are 4 airports in the county, counting general aviation.

Where these numbers come from

• BLS QCEW 2024
• CDC 2024
• CMS 2024
• Census 2023
• Census ACS
• Census ACS 2022
• Census Population Estimates 2023
• Census SAHIE 2024
• County Health Rankings 2024
• Derived from ACS 2022 home value / household income
• FAA Airport Database
• FEMA Disaster Declarations 1953–2026
• FEMA National Risk Index 2023 (0–100, all hazards)
• HRSA Area Health Resources File 2023
• IMLS
• NOAA Climate Normals
• National Park Service
• Ookla Speedtest Intelligence
• Open Brewery DB
• OpenElections 2024
• SEDA via County Health Rankings 2024 (3.0 = at grade level; not a Z-score)
• Tax Foundation 2023
• USDA Food Environment Atlas
• Zillow ZHVI 2024
• South Dakota tax and law data: state revenue department, Tax Foundation, Giffords, Guttmacher (2026)

Percentiles compare this county with every other county that reports the same figure. Missing figures are left out rather than guessed. Share this page: the address is permanent.