Hyden House · National Register of Historic Places
Alcester’s story
143 years in pictures
The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1909.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1883Alcester is settled
Hyden House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0
Population
776
2025 Census estimate · −5.9% since 2020
Typical home
$302K
+3.8% in a year
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
44.4
years
Jobs based here
355
Balanced
Is Alcester a good place to live?
Hyden House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Alcester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
776 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Alcester: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alcester, and how to reach them.
PowerSoutheastern Electric Coop13.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterAlcester water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpCity Rubble SiteDrop-offTown site
Register to voteIn personSouth Dakota has no online registration; you can register in person until 15 days before Election Day or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereUnion County AuditorUnion County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code5700157001 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Alcester.
Schools
The schools Alcester’s kids attend
Its public schools are run by the Alcester-Hudson School District 61-1. Two of its 4 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The 4 public schools in Alcester teach 351 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcester-Hudson Elementary - 04Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 166 | C+ |
| Alcester-Hudson High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 99 | B |
NCES · EDFacts
Climate
In Alcester, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
The range runs from 9° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 31 inches of snow a winter.
31″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–30°
Spring36–58°
Summer60–82°
Fall38–60°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+0.8°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
Few of Alcester’s working residents work in town
In Alcester, the median household income is $57,000, below both South Dakota’s towns ($72,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Just nearly a tenth of the town’s working residents have a job in town. This South Dakota town had 355 jobs in 2023, up 45 from 2013. Also worth knowing: its typical journey to work is 15 minutes.
9%work in town
| Alcester | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 15 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9% | 29% | 8% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Alcester9%
Sioux Falls26%
Beresford18%
Sioux City4%
Yankton3%
33 mi
median commute distance
355
jobs based in Alcester
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
A smaller share of adults in Alcester binge drink than in the typical South Dakota or U.S. town
In Alcester, nearly a fifth of adults have been diagnosed with depression. Among adults in the town, 31% sleep under 7 hours, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 30% and U.S. towns at 36%. Only 3 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Alcester. The town does better than the South Dakota average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and worse on 6.
| Alcester | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 22% | 23% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
4 better16 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Alcester | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.5% | 18.8% |
| Fewer adults in frequent mental distress | 13.3% | 15.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 9.2% |
Hawarden Regional Healthcare
7.7 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: moderate risk in Alcester, mostly inland flooding
A third of Alcester’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 25%. FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in the town than in nearly three fifths of U.S. communities. One declared disaster, in 2024, has brought federal aid to Alcester households.
41risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesDrought
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Housing
The typical home in Alcester: about $302K
Alcester’s rent at the middle of the market is $688 a month. Typical home values rose 3.8% in the year to September 2026. For households locally, the share who are owner-occupiers is 69%.
$302KZillow home value
| Alcester | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $688 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 68% | 73% |
Typical home value
Alcester$302K
South Dakota$318K
+3.8%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Alcester
18pages on Alcester
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Alcester; the nearest are
University of South DakotaUniversity or college · Public · Vermillion22.7 mi$9,432 in-state tuitionSoutheast Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sioux Falls38.2 mi$7,650 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Alcester residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
About Alcester
City in South Dakota, United States
Alcester is a city in northern Union County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 820 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,375 ft
- ZIP code
- 57001
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Alcester
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Alcester, SD a good place to live?
Alcester has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.