Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Garretson’s best subject grades are an A for cost of living and civic life; its weakest is a C− for schools. No town among the 36 in South Dakota we compare has a higher average trip to work than Garretson. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 74% of U.S. towns. Among 34 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a lower median rent than Garretson. Garretson has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Split Rock Park Bridge and Split Rock Creek Park Historic District. Garretson has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Garretson 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 Garretson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 341 in 1890, 1,228 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Garretson, 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 Garretson.
Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garretson Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 246 | C− |
| Garretson High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 142 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Garretson for work: only 5% work in town. 5.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Garretson, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Since 2013, Garretson has lost 30 jobs, to 295 in 2023.
| Garretson | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.5% | 29% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.5% | 6.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Garretson beats the South Dakota average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Garretson, close to South Dakota’s towns (30%) and below U.S. towns (36%). 20% of adults binge drink in Garretson.
| Garretson | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 35% | 35% |
| What stands out | Garretson | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.4% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Garretson has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Garretson is 83°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 24% of residents (18% statewide). Garretson’s median age is 48.5 years. Garretson has lost 4% of its people since 2020, down to 1,174 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Garretson | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 48.5 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 33% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 79 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.3 points). Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Garretson | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.2% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 4.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.6% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.6% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.2% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.9% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.8% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Garretson home is worth about $274,000, about the same as a year ago, 14% below the South Dakota typical home. 27% of Garretson renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent.
| Garretson | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 27% | 39% | 48% |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 68% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.2 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Devil's Gulch Park, at 50 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Devil's Gulch Park | 0.1 mi | 50 |
| 2. Split Rock Park | — | 18 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Garretson. Close and well known come first.
22 mi National MonumentPipestone National Monument77K visitors a year
18 mi Zoo & aquariumGreat Plains Zoo
16 mi MuseumWashington Pavilion of Arts and Science
16 mi MuseumPettigrew Home & Museum
11 mi MuseumJasper Museum34 mi MuseumPorter Sculpture ParkPipestone 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 Garretson; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Garretson residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
Where Garretson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Garretson on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in South Dakota, United States
Garretson is a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States. The city had a population of 1,228 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Dennis Daugaard and Joseph Vadheim.
