Freeman, South Dakota Vets Memorial, 2010
Freeman’s story
147 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2010.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1879Freeman is laid out
Population
1,305
2025 Census estimate · −2.2% since 2020
Typical home
$260K
+12% in a year
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
37.8
years
Jobs based here
693
Balanced
Is Freeman a good place to live?
The best of Freeman’s subject grades are an A for cost of living, walkability, and civic life; the weakest is a D for incomes. 33% of residents are under 18 in Freeman, above both the South Dakota town median (22%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Only 1 of South Dakota’s 85 towns score higher on walkability. Freeman has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ludwig Deckert House (Additional Documentation) and Freeman Junior College. Freeman has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Freeman stand out
Where Freeman beats most towns.
Typical home value
Freeman$260K
South Dakota$318K
Cost of livingA
3.5 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 93% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 90% of U.S. towns
11.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Library visits per resident
Freeman9.5
Typical U.S. town3.4
Typical SD town5
Civic lifeA
91% more library visits per person
than the typical South Dakota town
IMLS Public Libraries Survey.
Small town
1,305 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Grandview TownshipValley TownshipFreeman
How Freeman grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Dakota), ordered by how far Freeman is from typical.
Jobs & income$57K median household income; 693 jobs based hereDOpen →Cost of livingAOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 8.5 of 20; 2.9% of households have no carAOpen →SchoolsC+Open →HealthHealthier than 64% of U.S. towns; Freeman Medical Center - Cah 0 miles awayBOpen →Hazard riskdrought tops the listB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors1 mile of trailB+Open →HistoryLaid out 1879; 3 places on the National Register; 2 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life9.5 library visits per resident; 10.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 37.8; 19% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Freeman: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Freeman, and how to reach them.
PowerXcel Energy13.1¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFreeman water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet2 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpBy addressDay by addressTown site
Register to voteIn personSouth Dakota has no online registration; you can register in person until 15 days before Election Day or by mail (received 15 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereHutchinson County AuditorHutchinson County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Aug 2025
ZIP code5702957029 100%Census 2020
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 Freeman.
SchoolsC+
On state tests, Freeman’s schools trail 64% of South Dakota districts
Its public schools are run by the Freeman School District 33-1. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
36%of SD districts it outscoresC+School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeman Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 192 | B |
| Freeman High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 110 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Climate
Freeman has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Freeman has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 9° and about 41 inches of snow falls in a winter.
41″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter12–30°
Spring35–58°
Summer60–82°
Fall38–60°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 1
typical last frost
+1.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
HealthB
Freeman stands out in South Dakota and nationally: a smaller share of its adults binge drink
16% of Freeman adults binge drink, against 19% in South Dakota’s towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 28% of Freeman adults sleep under 7 hours. Freeman beats the South Dakota average on 3 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 4.
64%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Freeman | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 31% | 35% |
26 measures vs. South Dakota
3 better19 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Freeman | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.5% | 18.8% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.5% | 75.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.6% | 9.2% |
Freeman Medical Center - Cah
0 mi away · emergency room
1 of 3
care shortages: mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
HousingCost of living grade A
Homes in Freeman are worth about $260K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Freeman home is worth about $260,000, up 12% in a year, 18% below the South Dakota typical home. Freeman’s median rent is $741 a month.
$260KZillow home value
| Freeman | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $741 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 68% | 73% |
Typical home value
Freeman$260K
South Dakota$318K
+12%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
A job hub: Freeman has 1.3 jobs for every working resident and draws in 557 commuters
About one in 4 of Freeman’s working residents works in town. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Freeman. The top destinations are Sioux Falls (15%), Menno (13%) and Valley Township (4%).
25%work in town
| Freeman | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 16 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 29% | 8% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Freeman25%
Sioux Falls15%
Menno13%
Valley Township4%
Yankton3%
12 mi
median commute distance
693
jobs based in Freeman
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 90% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
OutdoorsB+
Freeman has set aside 0% of its land for conservation
1.4 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Freeman is 0.9 miles per square mile.
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 944 acres
1.4 mi
of trails · 0.9 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Freeman Pool Park | — | 3 |
| 2. Lion's Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−
Freeman faces a moderate natural-hazard risk, led by drought
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Freeman since 2024.
50risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
DroughtInland floodingTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 2024
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Freeman
19pages on Freeman
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Freeman; the nearest are
Mount Marty UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Yankton32.7 mi$34,600 tuitionSoutheast Technical CollegeCommunity college · Public · Sioux Falls36.1 mi$7,650 in-state tuitionUniversity of South DakotaUniversity or college · Public · Vermillion46.4 mi$9,432 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Freeman residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
About Freeman
City in South Dakota, United States
Freeman is a city in Hutchinson County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,329 at the 2020 census. Freeman was laid out in 1879.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1893
- Area
- 1.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,512 ft
- ZIP code
- 57029
- Area code
- 605
Questions about Freeman
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Freeman, SD expensive?
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.
What is Freeman, SD known for?
Freeman was laid out in 1879 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 2 notable people were born here, including Connor Hansen and Wilbur Foss.