South Dakota
South Dakota's 9 Best Retirement Towns Ranked
For retirees seeking a peaceful and affordable place to settle down, the state of South Dakota is proving to be an excellent choice for retirees. With no state income tax and reasonable sales taxes on food and fuel in most locations, the Mount Rushmore State offers financial advantages that can help stretch retirement savings further. While Sioux Falls and Rapid City attract many due to their size, the state has plenty of charming small towns that provide a perfect mix of modern amenities, excellent healthcare, and active lifestyles. Whether you’re drawn to historic main streets, scenic landscapes, or outdoor recreation, South Dakota has plenty to offer. From the Black Hills to the Missouri River, these nine best retirement towns ranked will stand out as some of the best places to spend one’s golden years.
Aberdeen
Aberdeen sits in the northern part of the state as the county seat of Brown County, about thirty miles south of the state line with North Dakota. This small town of 28,110 residents is home to Northern State University, a public four-year college with an excellent music and arts program widely supported by the community. (In addition, senior adults can take classes at the university for a reduced tuition rate). History buffs will want to explore the Dacotah Prairie Museum in a 19th-century historic bank building or the vibrant downtown area with small shops, boutiques, and cafes. When you visit, try the Three22Kitchen + Cocktails. This relatively new restaurant (opening in 2021) is quickly gaining a reputation as the place to dine in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen is listed as one of the safest cities in the state, with a well-funded police department and community services. The median price for a home is typically in the low- to mid-$200,000s, and living costs are lower than the national average. Avera St. Luke Hospital and Sanford Aberdeen Medical Center anchor the healthcare services. With several residential living centers, retirement homes, and skilled nursing facilities available, older adults have plenty of options should the need arise. (Two of the best are Parkside and Avera Mother Joseph Manor). Aberdeen ranks high due to its affordability, community support, and safe, quiet neighborhoods.
Madison
Madison sits in Lake County in the southeastern portion of the state and is an excellent choice for retirees looking for a peaceful, close-knit community. The community is between Lake Herman and Lake Madison, providing outdoor recreation opportunities like fishing, boating, and hiking. The Prairie Village, a historical attraction just outside town, gives visitors a glimpse into South Dakota’s pioneer past with restored buildings and a working railroad. Prime Time Tavern is the best steakhouse in the city, serving slow-roasted prime rib that will melt in your mouth. The town is also home to Dakota State University, which provides residents with cultural events, educational programs, and entertainment options.
Madison has an active senior community, a low crime rate, and affordable housing and living costs. The median price for a home is in the $290,000s, according to Redfin, with a cost-of-living ratio much lower than the national average. Madison Regional Health System is a 22-bed, non-profit hospital that offers various healthcare services. Bethel Lutheran Home is a nursing home facility with excellent staffing-to-patient ratios. With excellent healthcare, outdoor activity, and a welcoming small-town ambiance, Madison is a wonderful place to enjoy retirement.
Brookings
Brookings is a vibrant college town, home to South Dakota State University, that reflects a small-town atmosphere. Retirees will enjoy the stunning McCrory Gardens, a 70-acre botanical garden and arboretum. The lively downtown area features unique shops, cozy cafes, and cultural events, providing plenty of opportunities to stay socially active and connected with the community. When the grandkids come to visit, visit the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, where they can spend hours enjoying the interactive exhibits.
The median home price in Brookings, according to Redfin, is about $250,000. The city also boasts lower food and fuel expenses, too. The community enjoys safe streets, having been listed as one of the “safest college towns in the United States.” Brookings Health Systems runs the local 49-bed hospital, 79-bed nursing facility, and several family practice clinics. With excellent access to educational activities, a thriving local arts scene, affordability, and a low crime rate, Brookings ranks high on our list of the best places to retire.
Huron
Huron is a delightful place to retire, offering a welcoming community and a relaxed pace of life. The community hosts the South Dakota State Fair every year, bringing residents and visitors together for a week-long celebration. Nature lovers can enjoy the scenic beauty of Ravine Lake Park, perfect for fishing, picnicking, or a peaceful walk. For hunters, the surrounding prairie fields offer some of the best pheasant hunting in the state.
The median home price is $240,000, and retirees’ monthly expenses are about 20% less than the national average. The Huron Regional Medical Center provides comprehensive healthcare, including specialized care for seniors. Several community living options, including Peaceful Pines Senior Living and The Wellshire Huron, assisted living centers with excellent services, are available. With affordable living, friendly neighbors, and a rich blend of outdoor activities, Huron provides an inviting and fulfilling environment for retirees looking to enjoy their golden years.
Hill City
Hill City is a picturesque gem in the Black Hills, making it an ideal place to retire for those seeking natural beauty and a tight-knit community. Retirees can explore iconic sites like Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial, both just a short drive away. For outdoor enthusiasts, nearby Custer State Park and Mickelson Trail offer endless hiking, biking, and wildlife viewing opportunities, making it easy to stay active. Along its historic Main Street are art galleries, local boutiques, and cozy restaurants catering to locals and tourists alike.
Healthcare needs are well-supported, with nearby facilities like Monument Health in Custer offering quality medical care and specialized services. For retirees interested in community living options, the community has several choices, including Peaceful Pines and Holiday Hills Estates. Hill City enjoys a low crime rate compared to other cities in the state. While median housing costs are around $488,000, according to Redfin, living costs average about 10% to 15% below the national average.
Spearfish
Spearfish perfectly balances natural beauty, small-town charm, and modern amenities. The town sits in the northern Black Hills and is home to the breathtaking Spearfish Canyon. Retirees can enjoy scenic drives, hiking trails, waterfalls like Bridal Veil Falls, not to mention great rainbow trout fishing from Iron Creek Lake. The town’s vibrant arts and culture scene, with local galleries, live theater, and community events, always ensures something to do.
The median home price according to Redfin is about $460,000, but the living costs are slightly less than the national average. Healthcare facilities include Monument Health, which provides comprehensive services, including specialized care for seniors. For those seeking community living, The Village at Skyline Pines offers a comfortable and supportive retirement environment with social activities and personalized care. For retirees who can afford it, Spearfish provides an inviting, enriching place to enjoy retirement amidst the stunning backdrop of the Black Hills.
Watertown
Watertown is home to the renowned Redlin Art Center, where retirees can admire the works of Terry Redlin, one of the nation’s most notable landscape artists. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy the serene beauty of Lake Kampeska and Pelican Lake, which are perfect for fishing, boating, or simply relaxing by the water. The Bramble Park Zoo and extensive walking trails offer peaceful spaces to explore nature. At the same time, the lively downtown area hosts quaint shops, restaurants, and community events that foster strong local connections.
Prairie Lakes Healthcare System provides comprehensive medical services, including specialized care for seniors. Those seeking a vibrant retirement community will find options like Edgewood Senior Living, which offers a supportive environment, engaging activities, and comfortable amenities. Median housing costs according to Redfin are about $200,000, and with one of the lowest crime rates in the state, Watertown is an attractive retirement destination for senior adults.
Milbank
This small community is in the eastern part of the state, along the south fork of the Whetstone River. There are opportunities for outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, and birdwatching. The town is home to unique local attractions like the Grant County Historical Museum, where residents can explore the area’s rich history, and community events like Farley Fest bring people together for music, food, and fun. The welcoming vibe and slower pace of life make it easy to build meaningful connections and enjoy a relaxed lifestyle.
Housing costs are among the lowest in the state, and living expenses are 15% less than the national average. The city has an active police presence, ensuring safe neighborhoods. Milbank Area Health Care Campus provides reliable medical care and specialized services for seniors. For those seeking extra support, nearby retirement communities like Peaceful Pines and The Wellshire offer comfortable living options with social activities and personalized care.
Yankton
Yankton sits in southern South Dakota on the state’s border with Nebraska. The Missouri River flows through the town, playing a vital role in developing this river city as an early trading post and steamboat stop. Retirees will enjoy the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area, with its popular cycle and walking paths, shaded campgrounds, and easy lake access. The eclectic downtown offers a variety of small shops, antique stores, and restaurants, perfect for an afternoon of treasure hunting. If you visit, you will want to dine at Charlie’s Pizza for one of their famous loaded pies (trust us, this place is that good).
The median home in Yankton costs around $171,000, according to Redfin, and living costs are significantly less than the national average (up to 20% less in recent years). Avera Sacred Heart Hospital provides quality healthcare services. With its small-town charm, affordability, and quality healthcare, Yankton is the perfect choice for those seeking a retirement community to call home.
One of the most important decisions a retiree can make is where to spend their retirement years, and while it can be daunting, the choice doesn’t have to be filled with struggle and stress. These nine best retirement towns ranked in South Dakota offer plenty of daily activities to keep seniors engaged and active, safe streets, and a low affordability factor. Whether it is walking through a forest canyon, angling for a rainbow trout, or just touring a historic downtown district, don’t underestimate the quality of life you can enjoy in South Dakota.
The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at July 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from July 6 drawing
17-44-63-66-67, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from July 6 drawing
12-16-19-21-23, Star Ball: 10, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 6 drawing
02-08-32-54-56, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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The existing water treatment plant for the Minnehaha Community Water Corp. on June 9, 2026, south of Dell Rapids, S.D. (Photo: Bart Pfankuch / South Dakota News Watch)
DELL RAPIDS, S.D. – Scott Buss can only imagine what this town north of Sioux Falls might have looked like – and how many jobs and taxes would have been generated – if there wasn’t a local shortage of available water.
Buss, executive director of the Minnehaha Community Water Corp., sat in the conference room of the rural water system based in Dell Rapids recently and ticked off the industrial and agricultural projects turned away due to a lack of water.
After hitting its limit on how much water it can provide a few years ago, the rural system has had to turn away proposed projects valued at hundreds of millions of dollars that offered an untold number of new jobs, he said.
The rejected projects include the Agropur Cheese plant that eventually opened in Lake Norden. A few proposed hog farms and dairy expansions in northern Minnehaha County were also stalled, Buss said.
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Other proposals, most of which never came to fruition in South Dakota, included the $1.5 billion Gevo corn-based jet fuel plant, the $5oo million Wholestone Farms hog processing plant and a data center that at some point all eyed the Dell Rapids area for development.
“All the water rights are spoken for between Dell Rapids and Sioux Falls, so there was no more water to be had in Minnehaha County,” Buss told News Watch in an interview in June. “With all the (residential) development that was coming in, we realized that our well capacity and our treatment capacity was limiting our ability to take on new high water-use customers.”
Buss and the nonprofit corporation’s board of directors aren’t waiting around to potentially miss out on more opportunities.
In a unique arrangement, the corporation is partnering with the neighboring Big Sioux Community Water System to the north on a $170 million expansion project called Shared Resources. The expansion, started three years ago, will use new wells into the Big Sioux Aquifer to generate 8 million gallons of water more per day starting this fall.
“It’s going to be a huge and great benefit for Big Sioux and Minnehaha water,” said Jodi Johanson, director of the Big Sioux system based in Egan. “This project is going to make sure that down the road we have enough water for the future.”
2 systems get stronger together
The Minnehaha water corporation is still able to bring on new residential and retail customers who consume part of the 9.2 million gallons of treated water it can provide on a daily basis.
The system was formed by a group of farmers and landowners in the 1970s but sought a reliable way of providing more and cleaner water to residents of Minnehaha County outside of Sioux Falls who relied exclusively on individual wells. The system started with about 1,200 customers but has grown to more than 5,500 now in seven cities, mostly north of the Sioux Falls metro area.
Given the limits on water from the aquifer, and balancing the water needs of consistent housing and retail growth in northern Minnehaha County, the water system had to say no to developments that request 1 million or more gallons of water per day, Buss said. A million gallons per day is equivalent to the water consumption of about 4,300 homes, he said.
Billions needed to keep South Dakota taps flowing
South Dakota water systems will increasingly turn to the Missouri River to provide water for future population, agricultural and industrial growth. But plans will require billions of dollars and decades of construction to keep taps flowing freely.
As with other rural water systems in South Dakota, the aquifers the systems rely on for their water are either running low or are legally tapped out, or both.
In the case of Minnehaha water corporation, the Big Sioux River Aquifer has gotten drier, but state law is also preventing it from taking more water from the aquifer.
In 1996, the state Water Management Board allocated water rights, or withdrawal limits, to systems that take groundwater from the aquifer, Buss said.
Those limits have now been reached, meaning that Minnehaha water cannot take any more than the 7 million gallons per day it is drawing now.
The system also receives about 2 million gallons per day from the Lewis & Clark Regional Water System, making its daily maximum capacity of about 9.2 million gallons per day, which it sometimes reaches, especially during spring planting season or hot summer months.
Directly to the north, the Big Sioux Community Water System produces up to 2 million gallons per day for about 2,400 customers in Moody and Lake counties as well as some in Brookings County and in western Minnesota, Johanson said.
The system still has room within its water rights to draw more water, making it an attractive partner for Minnehaha water.
Though Big Sioux Community Water System has not turned away any large projects, it needs more water to serve a boom in residential growth in the region, Johanson said.
In the area around Lake Madison, near Madison, developers are considering projects that could someday bring 500 new homes and a new nine-hole golf course, she said.
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The system also serves a number of dairies that use significant water and provides water to the Dakota Ethanol plant in Wentworth, which is undergoing an expansion. Farmers in the region are also using greater quantities of water to deliver chemicals onto their land, Johanson said.
“This is our first expansion,” she said. “We’re looking forward and we’re trying to find the solution before we face a problem.”
Federal government and customers pay the way
The biggest Shared Resources ticket item is a new $80 million water treatment plant that is nearly completed on 240th Street a few miles north of Dell Rapids.
A 20-inch pipeline from the plant to the east will end at a 1.5 million gallon water tower, and a 24-inch pipeline to the west will terminate at a ground-level storage tank with a 4 million gallon capacity.
Six new wells will draw the water, and the storage tanks will provide both pressure and the ability to adapt to changing demands without service interruption, Buss said.
As with most modern water projects, the costs will be shared by government and end users. The systems are funding the project with $49 million in grants from the Biden-era American Rescue Plan Act and $121 million in low-interest loans from South Dakota’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The two systems are sharing the cost of the project loans commensurate with how much water they will receive, meaning Minnehaha will pay 65% of the costs for its 5 million gallons per day while Big Sioux will kick in 35% for its 3 million gallons more per day.
Minnehaha water is assuming $87 million in new debt and Big Sioux will take on $42 million in new debt, Buss said.
The average residential consumer in both systems that uses about 7,000 gallons per month will see their bill rise to $135 a month, roughly double the cost in 2020.
“It’s a big project, and it’s a good example of how two systems can work together to have some economies of scale,” Buss said.
Ratepayers will see a significant increase in their monthly water bills. The average residential consumer in both systems that uses about 7,000 gallons per month will see their bill rise to $135 a month, roughly double the cost in 2020, Buss said.
A big project, but even more water needed
But both systems view the Shared Resources project as a temporary fix and both are looking toward proposed projects that will tap the Missouri River for more water in the future.
Buss said his system has applied for 10 million gallons more water per day from Lewis & Clark, which has two expansion efforts planned.
Minnehaha water has simultaneously applied to receive 10 million gallons per day from the proposed Dakota Mainstem Regional Water System, a potentially $10 billion project to carry Missouri River water to more than 50 communities and organizations across eastern South Dakota and parts of Minnesota and Iowa.
The dual application effort is to make sure Minnehaha water can rely on taking in more water from at least one of the two systems as they come online, Buss said.
Johanson said Big Sioux has also signed on to accept water from Dakota Mainstem, even if it takes 20 to 40 years for the water to begin flowing.
To ensure that steady supply of high-quality drinking water, four major projects are in progress to take more water from the Missouri River – including WEB Water in the northeast, Lewis & Clark and the proposed Dakota Mainstem in the southeast as well as the proposed Western Dakota Regional Water System in western South Dakota and the Black Hills.
The projects are part of a wide-scale increase in water service capacity now underway in South Dakota, where water managers of several systems are implementing plans to serve the state for the next 40 to 50 years.
Regional rural water systems such as Minnehaha and Big Sioux are critical components of those projects because they provide water to communities and individual customers at the end of the delivery system.
Alicia Deschepper, zoning administrator for Moody County, said the water system expansions should allow for more growth to occur in Moody and Minnehaha counties, which are seeing new single-family housing developed at a rapid rate.
“I think it will be a great thing for our county and hopefully enable us to bring in more bigger businesses as well as more homes,” Deschepper said.
South Dakota News Watch is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at sdnewswatch.org. Contact content director Bart Pfankuch: 605-937-9398/bart.pfankuch@sdnewswatch.org.
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