Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 308, settled in 1907.
Bison’s typical journey to work is 11 minutes, below both South Dakota’s towns (17 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only one of the 31 South Dakota towns we compare has a lower value of a typical home than Bison. Anna Carr Homestead is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bison has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Bison beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 457 in 1950, 302 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1915 and 2 maps from 1983 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bison, 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 Bison.
The median commute is under 32 miles. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Bison rose by 64, to 226. Most working residents leave Bison for work: only 18% work in town. 4.9% of Bison residents live below the poverty line.
| Bison | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Two of its 3 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Public schools: the Bison School District 52-1.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bison Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 65 | C+ |
| Bison High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 52 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts
Bison’s going rate for rent is $932 a month, where South Dakota’s towns sit at $962 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 6.2% in value. The share of households in Bison who live in a home they own: 76%.
| Bison | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $932 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Bison’s midpoint age stands at 43 years. 23% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 32% across South Dakota. In Bison, a quarter of residents are 65 or older.
| Bison | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 23% | 33% | 29% |
| Median age | 43 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±7.2 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Bison | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.8% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.3% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.3% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.8% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.1% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.6% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 36.9% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 30.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.7% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.9% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0.7% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 300, single groups can be off by several points
Summer afternoons peak near 85° in July, and January nights bottom out around 8°; snowfall runs to about 40 inches a winter. Winters in Bison are cold, snowy and summers warm, with very little rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
15% of adults report frequent mental distress in Bison. The town beats the South Dakota average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 6. Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 3 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Bison. Two figures for adults in the town: 29% sleep under 7 hours, 17% smoke cigarettes.
| Bison | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bison | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.8% | 12.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 75.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.5% | 6.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
On expected storm and flood damage, Bison sits above 54% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Bison break down as 41% from cold waves and 29% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bison City Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Bison; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Bison residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Bison’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in South Dakota, United States
Bison is a town in and the county seat of Perkins County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 302 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bison has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.