Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,360, settled in 1876. A regional job hub with 2,492 jobs.
Deadwood’s best subject grades are an A for history and civic life and an A− for the outdoors; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. 7% of residents are under 18 in Deadwood, below both South Dakota’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only 2 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score lower on hazard risk. Deadwood's police reported 6 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. On history, just 1 of South Dakota’s 85 towns do better. 11% of the land in Deadwood is conserved, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 3.3% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Deadwood has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Deadwood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
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 Deadwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,777 in 1880, 1,156 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1800 and 4 maps from 1899 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Deadwood, 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 Deadwood.
Deadwood’s median household income is $40,000. 40% of Deadwood’s working residents work right in town. 6.7% of residents live below the poverty line in Deadwood.
| Deadwood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 40% | 29% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead-Deadwood Elementary - 03Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 243 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
The violent crime rate in Deadwood is 4.3 per 1,000 residents. Deadwood reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. The property crime rate in Deadwood is 20.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Deadwood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 20.7 per 1,000 residents | 9.8 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare, none has a higher FEMA risk score than Deadwood. Since 1979, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Deadwood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Deadwood home is worth about $452,000, up 0.7% in a year, 42% above the South Dakota typical home. 56% of Deadwood households own their home. Only 2 of the 34 South Dakota towns we compare have a lower median rent than Deadwood.
| Deadwood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $702 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Deadwood has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Only 2 of the 36 South Dakota towns we compare have a lower July high than Deadwood.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Richard Gordon Memorial Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Deadwood beats the South Dakota average on 2 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 9. Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Deadwood.
| Deadwood | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 10% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Deadwood | SD |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.8% | 75.9% |
| More adults getting cholesterol checked | 88.5% | 84.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.3% | 6.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Deadwood. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi National MemorialMount Rushmore National Memorial1.9M visitors a year
Big draw38 mi LandmarkCrazy Horse Memorial
37 mi MountainBlack Elk Peak7 mi Ski areaTerry Peak Ski Area28 runs · 1,075 ft vertical7 mi Ski areaDeer Mountain Village52 runs · 615 ft vertical
32 mi MuseumDinosaur ParkMount Rushmore National Memorial: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Crazy Horse Memorial: Jeffreylcooke, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Black Elk Peak: BHrock at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Dinosaur Park: Minnesota Jones at en.wikipedia, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Deadwood
About 7 of every 100 Deadwood residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Deadwood’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Deadwood on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Deadwood.
City in South Dakota, United States
Deadwood (Lakota: Owáyasuta; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as the county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had its heyday from 1876 to 1879, after gold deposits had been discovered there, leading to the Black Hills Gold Rush. At its height, the city had a population of 25,000, attracting Old West figures such as Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, and Wild Bill Hickok, who was killed in Deadwood. The entire town has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District for its preserved Gold Rush-era architecture. The town has five history museums that are ope…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 6.2 years of the area's median household income ($73,384 across the Spearfish, SD area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
16 notable people were born here, including Amy Hill and Dorothy Provine.
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