South Dakota

A South Dakota city landed on a best places to live list. See how it scored.

Published

2 years ago

September 12, 2024

A South Dakota city landed on a best places to live list. See how it scored.

Each year, Livability.com publishes its top 100 places to live in the United States, focusing on small- to medium-sized cities, and the results might be surprising.

This year’s list features one South Dakota city. Sioux Falls made the list, receiving a score of 741.

Why is Sioux Falls, South Dakota a top place to live?

Sioux Falls takes the billing for being the most populous city in South Dakota, according to U.S. Census data, with a population of 202,078 and one of the fastest-growing Midwest cities. Sioux Falls received a LivScore of 741, placing it ahead of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which has a score of 740, and Duluth, Minnesota, which has a composite score of 736.

Sioux Falls scored the highest in the categories of housing, cost of living, health and amenities, according to Livability.

Nestled amidst rolling hills and lush greenspaces, Sioux Falls offers a unique blend of urban amenities and natural beauty. It’s a city that not only provides a hub for leisure activities but also boasts a thriving economy. The South Dakota city has a strong job market driven by healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, while maintaining affordable housing options.

How does Livability determine its top places to live list?

The methodology for Livability’s list is designed to identify cities that offer the best combination of affordability, opportunity, and quality of life. The media company partners with Applied Geographic Solutions to curate the list based on 100 data points across eight categories:

Economy: Includes unemployment rate and income growth
Housing and cost of living: Considers affordability and tax rates
Amenities: Covers cultural, leisure and shopping options
Transportation: Examines car ownership, walkability and commute times
Environment: Assesses population density, air quality and disaster risks
Safety: Looks at crime rates and overall community security
Education: Evaluates school quality and educational attainment
Health: Considers life expectancy and health care access

Each city is assigned a Livability Score (LivScore), derived from a proprietary algorithm that weighs each category, with a possible score of 1000. The company looks at 2,000 cities with populations between 75,000 and 500,000 each year.

The final list of 100 cities represents the top 5% of cities within the studied range.

The top five cities

While the list doesn’t officially rank each city, these five cities had the highest LivScore among the 100 places on this year’s list:

Carmel, Indiana, with a LivScore of 875
Cary, North Carolina, with a LivScore of 874
Columbia, Maryland, with a LivScore of 874
Fishers, Indiana, with a LivScore of 864
Naperville, Illinois, with a LivScore of 862

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at JRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

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South Dakota

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

Published

5 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.

HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.

Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.

“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.

“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”

You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.

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South Dakota

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

Published

17 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.

Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.

She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.

“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”

Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.

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South Dakota

USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.

“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.

FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.

“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.

For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.

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