The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In South Dakota For 2024

Rapid City represents one of the population centers in South Dakota. With 78,063 inhabitants, it comes in at number 2.0 in terms of most people in the state. Rapid City is well situated as a home base for some of the area’s biggest attractions, with places likeMount Rushmore and Deadwood located relatively nearby.

While it might serve as a tourist spot, travelers to Rapid City should stay cautious during their trip. The city ranks as the most dangerous place to live in the state. It reported 532 violent crimes during a year, including 97 rapes and 5 murders. Put into context, that gives Rapid City the highest violent crime rate for South Dakota.

The community also saw a significant number of non-violent crimes. With 2,799 property crimes, Rapid City had South Dakota’shighest pace in that category. This included 475 burglaries and 403 cars stolen.

Sioux Falls stands as the number 1.0 most populous city in South Dakota. With 199,879 inhabitants, the city might seem miniscule compared to places like Los Angeles, Houston, or New York City. But the area still counts as a massive metropolis for South Dakota.

As with any large city, Sioux Falls has its share of crime. It suffered 1,092 violent crimes during a year, including 7 murders and 75 rapes. In terms of raw numbers, those are high for South Dakota. But on a per-capita basis, Sioux Falls only ranks as the second most violent spot in the state.

For property crime, Sioux Falls sees the third highest rate in South Dakota. This comes with 4,345 larcenies, 738 burglaries, and 1,079 stolen cars reported in 2022.

Chamberlain, South Dakota, is a small community with a big history. It hosts the South Dakota Hall of Fame. But the small town has also attracted a darker kind of fame: it ranks as the number 3 most dangerous place in the state.

Over the course of the reporting year 2022, Chamberlain suffered 12 violent crimes. This included 0 rapes. Compared to its population of just 2,451, this equals a per-capita violent-crime rate of 489/100k. That ranks it fourth highest in the state for that category.

Property crime is also a problem. The 78 such violations during the year gives it the second highest pace in South Dakota.

Sturgis, a city in Meade County, South Dakota, ranks as the fourth most dangerous place to live in the state. While Sturgis may be known for its annual motorcycle rally, the city faces significant challenges in terms of safety and crime. According to recent crime statistics, Sturgis has reported a total of 31 violent crimes, including 0 murder cases, 4 rapes, 1 robberies, and 26 aggravated assaults.

With a violent crime rate of 435/100k and a property crime rate of 2,626/100k, it is evident that the city faces significant challenges in maintaining a secure environment. It is important to note that with focused efforts from local law enforcement and community initiatives, Sturgis has the potential to improve its safety rankings and create a safer living environment for its residents.

Ask your average fifth grader to name a city in South Dakota. If they come up with anything, they’ll probably say Pierre. That’s because the city serves as the state’s capital, making it one of South Dakota’s most high-profile communities.

With a population of 13,977, Pierre ranks as one of the smallest centers of government in the U.S. Even with its tiny size, Pierre has its share of crime. The city had 248 property crimes and 69 violent crimes during the year.

In terms of crime rate, Pierre had the ninth highest pace of property crime in South Dakota. Meanwhile, for violent crime, the city’s rate ranked third highest.

Yankton has great historical significance for South Dakota. Located along the Missouri River, in the southeastern part of the state, it represented an early jumping-off point for settlement of the region.

In modern times, Yankton sports a population of 15,507, putting it number 7.0 in the state. With this figure comes a noticeable crime problem, with the community suffering the fifth highest crime rate in South Dakota.

That unfortunate ranking comes about in large part as a result of the 62 violent crimes reported during 2022 — the reporting year. That includes 15 rapes. In addition, Yankton had 402 property crimes over a 12-month period. Putting those figures in terms of population, the city had the eighth highest pace of violent crimes and the fifth highest rate of property violations.

Mitchell is one of the most well-known spots in South Dakota. The town acts as a secondary tourist destination for the state. It might not live up to the level of top attractions, like Mount Rushmore, but the Corn Palace brings in its share of curious guests.

The influx of visitors creates an unfortunate temptation for thieves, however. Mitchell ranks sixth highest in the state for property crime. It had 387 such violations in a year, with 318 larcenies and 45 car thefts.

For violent crime, Mitchell is better off. In a city of 15,579 people, it reported 51 violent crimes. That puts it 13th highest in South Dakota in that category.

In Union County, North Sioux City is a part of the Sioux City, IA-NE-SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. This city, steeped in Native American history and incorporated in 1951, finds itself as the eighth most dangerous place to live in South Dakota for 2024.

North Sioux City’s crime rate is worryingly high with 9 cases of violent crime and a whopping 51 instances of property crime. This equates to a violent crime rate of 301/100k and a property crime rate of 1,707/100k, making it a potentially unsafe place to live.

Located near the western border of South Dakota, Box Elder is home to the Ellsworth Air Force Base. Maybe the presence of all those airmen and airwomen provide a tempting target for criminals. Whatever the reason, the relatively low-population community counts as the number 9 most dangerous spots in the state.

Box Elder reported 51 violent crimes during a year, with 33 aggravated assaults. Those numbers might seem pretty small. But put them in terms of population and the community has seventh highest rate of violent crimes in the state.

The town also reported 184 property crimes during the year. This gave Box Elder South Dakota’s 17th highest pace for the category.

Spearfish was built on gold. No, not built out of gold. But the community grew out of a gold rush that took place in the region during the late 19th century. If you’ve ever seen the TV show Deadwood, Spearfish gets a shoutout there every so often.

Is Spearfish still a golden spot to live? It has its charms, especially if you want to explore the nearby Black Hills National Forest. But it also its share of crime, maybe an outgrowth of its Wild West history. Whatever the case, the town suffers high rates of violations like robbery and arson.

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