Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,453, settled in 1881. 78% more library visits per person than the typical South Dakota town.
Chamberlain’s best subject grades are an A− for walkability and the outdoors and an A+ for civic life. 38% of working residents work locally in Chamberlain, against 29% in South Dakota’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher July high than Chamberlain. 22% of the land in Chamberlain is conserved, above both the South Dakota town median (3.3%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 2 of South Dakota’s 73 towns score higher on civic life. Chamberlain has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Chamberlain beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Chamberlain is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 939 in 1890, 2,473 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1935 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chamberlain, 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 Chamberlain.
1.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The trail density in Chamberlain is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chamberlain Explorers Athletic Complex | — | 15 |
| 2. Barger Centennial Park | — | 6 |
| 3. Interstate South Lake Access | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Chamberlain School District 07-1. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chamberlain Elementary - 03Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 407 | C+ |
| Chamberlain High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 243 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Chamberlain has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. Chamberlain’s January low is 10°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Chamberlain home is worth about $260,000, up 15.7% in a year, 18% below the South Dakota typical home.
| Chamberlain | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $818 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 68% | 68% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
About one in 3 of Chamberlain’s working residents works in town. 12% of Chamberlain residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Sioux Falls (9%), Oacoma (5%) and Mitchell (3%).
| Chamberlain | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (18% statewide). 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| Chamberlain | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 33% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Chamberlain | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.4% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.5% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.2% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.5% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.5% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.7% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.9% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.4% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,500, single groups can be off by several points
Chamberlain's reported crime rate is close to South Dakota's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 11 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Chamberlain | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.1 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 15.6 per 1,000 residents | 11.8 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Chamberlain beats the South Dakota average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 14% of adults have diabetes in Chamberlain. Only 2 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Chamberlain.
| Chamberlain | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Chamberlain | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.1% | 75.9% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.3% | 3.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Chamberlain since 1997.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Chamberlain; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Chamberlain residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
2 places in Chamberlain on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Chamberlain.
City in South Dakota, United States
Chamberlain is a city in Brule County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the east bank of the Missouri River, at the dammed section of the Lake Francis Case, close to where it is crossed by Interstate 90. The population of Chamberlain was 2,473 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brule County. Chamberlain is home to the South Dakota Hall of Fame, and the 50-foot tall Dignity statue is nearby.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Chamberlain.
| Town | SD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chamberlain · Chamberlain Township | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | C+ |
| Oacoma | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Chamberlain has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Chamberlain reports no FBI crime data of its own. Oacoma isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Chamberlain Township and Chamberlain are one community, graded once. Compare Chamberlain with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
78% more library visits per person than the typical South Dakota town.
Not for the area. That is 3.5 years of the area's median household income ($73,720 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
5 notable people were born here, including Eddie Spears and Julia Anna Gardner.
