BadgerSD
Home to 137 people, the town was settled in 1908.
Is Badger a good place to live?
Of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Badger. Badger School District Number 18 is on the National Register of Historic Places. Badger has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
137 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Badger: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Badger, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Badger.
With only 0.4 jobs per working resident, most people in Badger work out of town
In Badger, the typical household income is $65,000. The top destinations are Brookings (18%), Sioux Falls (15%) and Arlington (7%). 1.4% of Badger working residents work locally. Half commute less than 25 miles.
| Badger | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Badger has a low natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
The risk rating from FEMA in Badger is 30 of 100. Expected losses in Badger break down as 33% from inland flooding and 25% from cold waves. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Badger after 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
In Badger, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
The midsummer high is 82°F, below both the South Dakota town median (85°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F).
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A smaller share of adults in Badger sleep under 7 hours than in the typical South Dakota or U.S. town
Only 3 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Badger. In Badger, 16% of adults binge drink, against 19% in South Dakota’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. The share of adults in Badger who get no exercise outside work: 26%. The town beats the South Dakota average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6.
| Badger | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Badger | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.3% | 75.9% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 73.5% | 69.2% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Badger
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Badger; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Badger residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
99% of working residents leave Badger for work
Where Badger’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Badger
Town in South Dakota, United States
Badger is a small town in Kingsbury County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, Badger had a population of 129.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,732 ft
- ZIP code
- 57214
Questions about Badger
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Badger, SD a good place to live?
Badger has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.