Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,220, settled in 1881.
Clear Lake’s best subject grades are an A+ for cost of living and an A− for walkability. Only 4 of South Dakota’s 84 towns score higher on cost of living. Deuel County Courthouse and Jail is on the National Register of Historic Places. Clear Lake has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Clear Lake beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Clear Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clear Lake, 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 Clear Lake.
Clear Lake’s July high is 81°F, below both the South Dakota town median (85°F) and the median of U.S. towns (85°F). Clear Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Its public schools are run by the Deuel School District 19-4. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Lake Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 270 | B− |
| Deuel High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 176 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (18% statewide). Clear Lake’s median age is 43.1 years, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 39.5 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| Clear Lake | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.1 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 33% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Clear Lake | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.9% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.4% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.8% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.8% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.4% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.1% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.1% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.4% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.2% | 10% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
About one in 4 of Clear Lake’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Clear Lake grew to 657 in 2023, 148 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Clear Lake is 20 minutes.
| Clear Lake | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 28% | 29% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $85,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Clear Lake beats the South Dakota average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 29% of Clear Lake adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Clear Lake.
| Clear Lake | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Clear Lake | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.8% | 75.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Clear Lake; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 Clear Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
City in South Dakota, United States
Clear Lake (Dakota: mdéza; "Clear") is a city in and the county seat of Deuel County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,218 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.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
2 notable people were born here, including Gregory J. Stoltenburg and Alan R. Woolworth.