BuffaloSD
A town of 358, settled in 1909.
Is Buffalo a good place to live?
Fowler Hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places. Buffalo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
358 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Buffalo: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Buffalo, 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 Buffalo.
A typical Buffalo home is worth about $189K
In Buffalo, the median rent is $725 a month, against $962 a month in South Dakota’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The share of households in Buffalo who are owner-occupiers: 82%.
| Buffalo | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $725 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazards: high risk in Buffalo, mostly inland flooding
Expected losses in Buffalo break down as 34% from inland flooding and 34% from wildfires. In Buffalo, the risk rating from FEMA is 71 of 100, above both the South Dakota town median (54 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100).
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect snowy winters and pleasant summers in Buffalo
The range runs from 9° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 51 inches of snow a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of South Dakota and the rest of the country, the average trip to work in Buffalo is shorter
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Buffalo dropped by 28, to 144. In Buffalo, 24% of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Camp Crook (5%), Rapid City (4%) and Sioux Falls (3%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 16 miles.
| Buffalo | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 10 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
How healthy Buffalo is
15% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Buffalo. In Buffalo, 14% of adults report frequent mental distress, and 20% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Buffalo | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 22% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 19% | 16% |
| What stands out | Buffalo | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.4% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Centennial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Buffalo
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Buffalo; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Buffalo residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
About Buffalo
Town in South Dakota, United States
Buffalo is a town in, and the county seat of, Harding County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 346 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1909
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,881 ft
- ZIP code
- 57720
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Buffalo
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Buffalo, SD a good place to live?
Buffalo has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.