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.
12 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Wylie Park, 190 acres with 1.1 miles of trail.
| 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
Its public schools are run by the Aberdeen School District 06-1. Three of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| 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 violent crime rate in Aberdeen is 4.2 per 1,000 residents. Aberdeen reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 73% report less. The property crime rate in Aberdeen 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 its B+ 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.
30% of Aberdeen adults sleep under 7 hours. Aberdeen tracks South Dakota closely on all 26 CDC measures. 21% of Aberdeen adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| 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
Aberdeen’s median rent is $762 a month. Typical home values rose 5.5% in the year to September 2026. 62% of households own their home in Aberdeen.
| 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
Aberdeen has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 3° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Since 2013, Aberdeen has lost 867 jobs, to 15,123 in 2023. The top destinations are Aberdeen Township (7%), Sioux Falls (4%) and Brookings (2%).
| 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 storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 328 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Aberdeen.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the South Dakota average. 35% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| 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.
