Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,049, settled in 1883. Public schools that outperform most of South Dakota.
Gettysburg’s best subject grades are an A+ for schools and an A for walkability and cost of living. 30% of residents are 65 or older in Gettysburg, against 19% in South Dakota’s towns and 18% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 2 of South Dakota’s 85 towns do better. Gettysburg's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns. Gettysburg has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Potter County Courthouse and George Holland House. Gettysburg has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Gettysburg beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg Elementary - 02 | K–5 | 88 |
| Gettysburg Middle School - 03 | 6–8 | 54 |
| Gettysburg High School - 01 | 9–12 | 72 |
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 Gettysburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 936 in 1910, a peak of 1,950 in 1960, 1,104 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 2 maps from 1978 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gettysburg, 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 Gettysburg.
Its public schools are run by the Gettysburg School District 53-1. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg Elementary - 02Largest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 88 | A |
| Gettysburg High School - 01Largest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 72 | B+ |
| Gettysburg Middle School - 03Top results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 54 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SD on state tests and graduation
The typical Gettysburg home is worth about $139,000, about the same as a year ago, 56% below the South Dakota typical home. 80% of households own their home in Gettysburg, where South Dakota’s towns sit at 68% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Gettysburg | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 80% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,051 a month | $962 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The median age in Gettysburg is 52 years. Gettysburg has lost 5% of its people since 2020, down to 1,049 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 32% across South Dakota.
| Gettysburg | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52 years | 39.5 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 28% | 33% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 78 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5 points). Across South Dakota, 49.2% of residents are women.
| Gettysburg | SD | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 13.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.3% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.3% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.2% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 11% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.7% | 7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.8% | 6.8% | 10.4% |
| High school | 41.8% | 29% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 12.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.9% | 21.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.4% | 10% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,000, single groups can be off by several points
Gettysburg beats the South Dakota average on 4 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Gettysburg. Among 36 South Dakota towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Gettysburg.
| Gettysburg | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 15% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 31% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gettysburg | SD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.4% | 12.7% |
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 71.4% | 65.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.2% | 9.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gettysburg has cold, snowy winters and warm summers, with very little rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 6° and about 39 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 3 of Gettysburg’s working residents works in town. Gettysburg’s average trip to work is 13 minutes. Since 2013, Gettysburg has lost 67 jobs, to 408 in 2023.
| Gettysburg | South Dakota towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 13 minutes | 17 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $72,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 55% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Gettysburg; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Gettysburg residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across South Dakota.
4 places in Gettysburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in South Dakota, United States
Gettysburg is a city in and the county seat of Potter County, South Dakota, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 1,104 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.
Public schools that outperform most of South Dakota.
Not for the area. That is 1.9 years of the area's median household income ($72,045 across the county). 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 Hazel Forbes and Steve Asmussen.
