Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Aberdeen is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 21st of 35 graded towns in South Dakota, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 71% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in safety: its crime rate is higher than 73% of U.S. towns, with 118 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. A typical home there costs about $244K, 3.4 years of the Aberdeen area’s $71K median household income. 67% of working residents work locally in Aberdeen, against 29% in South Dakota’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Aberdeen Historic District and First United Methodist Church. Only 7 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Aberdeen beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,182 in 1890, 28,495 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1960 on.
23 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Aberdeen is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Aberdeen, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
The biggest place to walk is Wylie Park, 190 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. 12 miles of trail wind through 13 parks and preserves. In Aberdeen, the density of trails is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Aberdeen | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.1% | 3.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kuhnert Arboretum & Park | 2.7 mi | 102 |
| 2. Wylie Park | 1.1 mi | 190 |
| 3. Aberdeen Athletic Complex | 0.4 mi | 54 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The public schools here belong to the Aberdeen School District 06-1. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The 6 public schools in Aberdeen teach 1,888 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holgate Middle School - 02Largest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 497 | B |
| Central High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,384 | B− |
| C C Lee Elementary - 05Top results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 356 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 616 to 484 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The level of violent crime in Aberdeen is 4.2 per 1,000 residents. For Aberdeen, the level of property crime is 13.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Aberdeen | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.2 per 1,000 residents | 9.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 9,809 U.S. towns with household incomes like Aberdeen’s, it is healthier than 92%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income. Within South Dakota it is less healthy than 62% of the 35 graded towns: South Dakota sets a high bar.
Just over a tenth of Aberdeen adults report frequent physical distress. This South Dakota town tracks South Dakota closely on all 26 CDC measures. Two figures for adults here: 21% have been diagnosed with depression, 17% binge drink.
| Aberdeen | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 22% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 35% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Values rose 5.5% in the 12 months to September 2026. The typical rent for Aberdeen comes to $762 a month. The share of households in Aberdeen who own their home: 62%.
| Aberdeen | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $762 a month | $963 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expect July afternoons of 84° and January nights of 3°, with about 43 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14% of residents live below the poverty line in Aberdeen. The top destinations are Aberdeen Township (7%), Sioux Falls (4%) and Brookings (2%). Its typical journey to work is 12 minutes. Since 2013, Aberdeen has lost 867 jobs, to 15,123 in 2023.
| Aberdeen | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 5.4% | 6.8% | 11% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
328 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected losses in Aberdeen break down as 51% from cold waves and 26% from inland flooding. Compared with 60% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. Paid flood insurance claims here since 1978: 328.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Here, 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, against 32% in South Dakota as a whole. The age mix tracks South Dakota closely: no broad group is more than 4 points off. In Aberdeen, the median age is 36.4 years.
| Aberdeen | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.4 years | 39.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 35% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
About 96 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.1, men 35.3.
| Aberdeen | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.8% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.7% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.7% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.2% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.1% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.2% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.7% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Aberdeen
About 6 of every 100 Aberdeen residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Dakota.
23 places in Aberdeen on the National Register of Historic Places.
31 notable people were born in Aberdeen.
City in South Dakota, United States
Aberdeen (Lakota: Ablíla) is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 28,495 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 27,919 in 2024, making it the third-most populous city in the state. Aberdeen is home of Northern State University.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Aberdeen.
| Town | SD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen · Aberdeen Township | #21 | B− | B | C | B | B+ |
| Bath Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Bath Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Aberdeen Township and Aberdeen are one community, graded once. Compare Aberdeen with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Aberdeen grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #21 of 35 in South Dakota. It grades B+ for health, C for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
31 notable people were born here, including Tom Daschle and Brad Walker.
