Big Sioux TownshipSD
A town of 5,152, settled in 1865. A regional job hub with 3,262 jobs.
Is Big Sioux Township a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Big Sioux Township grades B+ overall, 11th among South Dakota's 35 graded towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 91% of the country and the median household earns $128K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $502K for a typical one and 6.7 times the Sioux City metro’s $75K median household income. Big Sioux Township’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile, above both South Dakota’s towns (0.6) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 4 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score lower on hazard risk. The biggest place to walk is Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve, 1,445 acres with 14.4 miles of trail.
What makes Big Sioux Township stand out
Where Big Sioux Township beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Jobs vs. working residents
| Widest gap | Big Sioux Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 8.8% |
Big Sioux Township has grown 58% since 2010
3,259 counted in 2010 and 4,683 in 2020; an estimated 5,152 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 9.8% since 2020, after 43.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Big Sioux Township grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Big Sioux Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Big Sioux Township: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Big Sioux Township, 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 Big Sioux Township.
Big Sioux Township has more trail for its size than nearly any town in South Dakota and draws workers from Sioux City and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Dakota (mostly inland flooding).
Big Sioux Township has set aside 18.8% of its land for conservation
At 1.9 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 26 South Dakota towns. Its A for the outdoors ranks #2 of 35 in South Dakota.
22 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve | 14.4 mi | 1,445 |
| 2. Prairie Blvd Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About one in four working residents works right in Big Sioux Township
3,262 jobs are based in Big Sioux Township, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 35% of working residents cross a state line to work, Sioux City among the top destinations.
About one in 4 of Big Sioux Township’s working residents works in town. At $128,000, Big Sioux Township’s median household income is above both the South Dakota town median ($71,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). Big Sioux Township’s average trip to work is 12 minutes.
| Big Sioux Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $128,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.2% | 9.6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 31% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer of Big Sioux Township’s adults have obesity than in the typical South Dakota or U.S. town
30% of adults have obesity in Big Sioux Township. Among 35 South Dakota towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Big Sioux Township. 31% of adults have high blood pressure in Big Sioux Township.
| Big Sioux Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| What stands out | Big Sioux Township | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Fewer smokers | 11.6% | 15.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Compared with most of South Dakota and the rest of the country, the FEMA risk score in Big Sioux Township is higher
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of South Dakota towns, with expected losses of about $1,098 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Big Sioux Township is 86 of 100. Since 2011, 27 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Big Sioux Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Big Sioux Township has four seasons and pleasant summers
The Sioux City Gateway Ap weather station, 11 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 159 days: shorter than most of the country, but longer than 92% of South Dakota places with climate records. January nights average 10.2°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 82% of South Dakota places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.8°.
Big Sioux Township has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. About 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Big Sioux Township | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 10°F | 9°F | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F | 85°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Everything we know about Big Sioux Township
Colleges nearby
4 within 15 miles of the center of Big Sioux Township
About 1 of every 100 Big Sioux Township residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Every workday, about 2,761 people come to Big Sioux Township for work
Where Big Sioux Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Big Sioux Township’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Big Sioux Township.
| Town | SD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sioux Township | #11 | B+ | C− | — | A− | A |
| North Sioux City | #24 | B− | C+ | C+ | A− | A− |
| Dakota Dunes | #10 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| Jefferson Township | — | — | C+ | — | B+ | A− |
Jefferson Township has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Big Sioux Township, Dakota Dunes and Jefferson Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Big Sioux Township with a neighbor →
Questions about Big Sioux Township
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Big Sioux Township, SD a good place to live?
For most people who can afford it, yes. Big Sioux Township grades B+ overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #11 of 35 in South Dakota. It grades A for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Big Sioux Township, SD expensive?
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.