Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of South Dakota.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Dell Rapids earns an A+, 3rd of 35 graded towns in South Dakota. Its schools rank ahead of 88% of South Dakota towns, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 85% of the country, and the median household earns $100K. Its lowest mark, a B, is in cost of living. Dell Rapids has 13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Dell Rapids Water Tower and Odd Fellows Home of Dell Rapids. Only 6 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score higher on the outdoors. The biggest park or preserve is Lions Park, at 28 acres.
Where Dell Rapids beats most towns.
Census counts: 260 in 1880, 3,996 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1910 and 2 maps from 1962 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Dell Rapids is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dell Rapids, 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 Dell Rapids.
Dell Rapids has less tooth loss than most of South Dakota, but it has commutes longer than most of South Dakota.
Its public schools are run by the Dell Rapids School District 49-3. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dell Rapids High School - 01, with 315 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dell Rapids Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 355 | A+ |
| Dell Rapids High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 315 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with South Dakota is tooth loss: 5.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 12.7% statewide.
27% of Dell Rapids adults sleep under 7 hours, against 30% in South Dakota’s towns and 36% across U.S. towns. 20% of Dell Rapids adults binge drink. Dell Rapids beats the South Dakota average on 5 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Dell Rapids | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| What stands out | Dell Rapids | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.1% | 12.7% |
| Fewer adults in fair or poor health | 13.8% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.6 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves.
| Dell Rapids | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.6% | 3.3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Historic Dam Site Park | 0.7 mi | 24 |
| 2. Lions Park | 0.1 mi | 28 |
| 3. Dell Rapids City Park | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 2,120 working residents takes 24.8 minutes, against 17.8 across South Dakota.
Most working residents leave Dell Rapids for work: only 16% work in town. Dell Rapids’ median household income is $100,000, above both South Dakota’s towns ($71,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). Jobs based in Dell Rapids grew to 984 in 2023, 187 more than in 2013.
| Dell Rapids | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 31% | 8% |
| Median household income | $100,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.5% | 6.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Dell Rapids has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Dell Rapids is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Dell Rapids home is worth about $369,000, up 4.2% in a year, 16% above the South Dakota typical home. 82% of households own their home in Dell Rapids.
| Dell Rapids | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $962 a month | $958 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 60 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dell Rapids.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the South Dakota average. Dell Rapids has lost 3.1% of its people since 2020, down to 3,852 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| Dell Rapids | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 22% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 32% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Dell Rapids | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.2% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.8% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.2% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.7% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 17.3% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30.7% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,900, single groups can be off by several points
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dell Rapids. Close and well known come first.
23 mi National MonumentPipestone National Monument77K visitors a year
20 mi Zoo & aquariumGreat Plains Zoo
19 mi MuseumWashington Pavilion of Arts and Science
19 mi MuseumPettigrew Home & Museum26 mi MuseumPorter Sculpture Park
16 mi MuseumJasper MuseumPipestone National Monument: Unknown, Public domain · Great Plains Zoo: Jake DeGroot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science: Jon Platek, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pettigrew Home & Museum: Jerry from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Jasper Museum: Heritage Preservation Department - MNHS, CC BY-SA 2.0
None within 15 miles of Dell Rapids; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Dell Rapids residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
3,633 counted in 2010 and 3,996 in 2020; an estimated 3,852 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 3.1%, after 10% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
13 places in Dell Rapids on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Dell Rapids.
City in South Dakota, United States
Dell Rapids is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,996 at the 2020 census. It is known as "The Little City with the Big Attractions." The city took its name from the Dells of the Wisconsin River, which were likened to the local rapids on the Big Sioux River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Dell Rapids.
| Town | SD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dell Rapids · Dell Rapids Township | #3 | A+ | B | — | A | A |
Dell Rapids reports no FBI crime data of its own. Dell Rapids Township and Dell Rapids are one community, graded once. Compare Dell Rapids with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Dell Rapids grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #3 of 35 in South Dakota. It grades A for health and A for schools.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($82,754 across the Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Daniel Ahlers and Jordan Youngberg.
